These two pictures show a group of Upper Sixth Form History students helping to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the famous Chartist Rising in Newport in 1839. On 4th November, 11 students from MS and one from HMSG dressed up as local squires, landowners, judges and dignitaries, and set off on the short walk from St Woolos’ Cathedral, down Stow Hill to Westgate Square. They were accompanied by 100 local primary schoolchildren, dressed as the local miners and workers who participated in the failed uprising, during which 22 protestors were shot dead by troops defending the town. In Westgate Square a short but dramatic presentation was given to the local population. The Mayor of Newport urged residents to remember the sacrifice made by the Chartists; their demands eventually resulted in a more democratic Britain.
