The Rebecca Riots Plaque

Image: © thejackrustles Taken: 9 Oct 2022

https://openplaques.org/plaques/41797 https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/rebecca-riots/ The Rebecca riots took place in the rural parts of west Wales, including Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, and Carmarthenshire, in 1839-1843. They were a series of protests made by tenant farmers against the payment of tolls (fees) charged to use the roads. Turnpike Trusts, or groups of businessmen, owned most of the main roads. These men fixed the charges and decided how many tollgates (turnpikes) could be built. During the riots, men disguised as women attacked the tollgates. They called themselves ‘Rebecca and her daughters’. This is most likely to be after a passage in the Bible where Rebecca talks of the need to ‘possess the gates of those who hate them’ (Genesis XXIV, verse 60). People at that time knew the Bible well. Tolls were a big expense for small farmers, who used the roads to take their crops and animals to market, and also to collect lime (a chalky mineral). Lime was used to improve the quality of the soil so farmers could grow better crops. It could cost as much as five shillings (25p) in tolls to move a cart of lime eight miles inland. The people of west Wales did not want to pay to use their roads. Use this lesson to find out about the Rebecca riots using original documents relating to the nature of the movement, the experience of some of those involved and the reaction of the authorities.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0