On Wednesday the 16th November, historians in the Upper-Sixth, as well as local primary school children, travelled to Newport to commemorate the 171st Anniversary of the Newport Rising. The pupils from the schools mirrored the final leg of the assault as they marched down Stow Hill to the Westgate Hotel.
In 1839, the Chartists amassed from local towns in the valleys and united at the Welsh Oak pub in Rogerstone due to anger at the rejection of the first Chartist petition. The force amassed was between 1,000 and 5,000 men armed with pikes and muskets. Their leader however failed to attend the rendezvous but the Chartists pressed on regardless. Twenty-two Chartists were shot dead by soldiers defending the hotel before the invaders were forced to retreat.
The Chartists fought for the legislation of the ‘People’s Charter’. This charter would impose yearly elections, equal constituencies, a secret ballot, payment of MPs, no housing requirement for MPs and the vote for all males over the age of eighteen.
As you are probably aware, five of these six points are currently in place in modern Parliament therefore the sacrifices that the Chartists made have not been forgotten.