At a well attended research workshop in Bath on 25 February the team presented our preliminary findings with regard to the reform riot in the city on 30 October 1831. We then perused a series of primary sources concerning the riot transcribed from the Phillip George Papers from Bath Record Office, online Home Office papers… Continue reading Bath research workshop
Category: Blog
‘Zummerset Refarmers’ – the Yeovil ‘reform riot’ of October 1831
In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a wave of pro-reform public protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. In Dorset, a microcosm of the national struggle over electoral reform was being fought out in a county by-election which posed Lord Ashley – an… Continue reading ‘Zummerset Refarmers’ – the Yeovil ‘reform riot’ of October 1831
Public Talk: The Burning of Bristol’s New Gaol in 1831
This talk was delivered online in collaboration with Bristol Museums, M Shed and the Regional History Centre, UWE on Thursday 17th November 2022 by Steve Poole. Steve looks at the storming, burning and liberation of Bristol’s supposedly ‘impregnable’ New Gaol during the reform riots of 1831. The attack on Bristol Gaol, it will be argued,… Continue reading Public Talk: The Burning of Bristol’s New Gaol in 1831
‘I fear there will be blood spilt this evening’: The Blandford ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a wave of pro-reform public protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. Meanwhile in Dorset, a microcosm of the national struggle over electoral reform was being fought out in a county by-election which posed Lord Ashley –… Continue reading ‘I fear there will be blood spilt this evening’: The Blandford ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
‘Fife, Drum and Flag’: The Sherborne ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a wave of pro-reform public protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. Concurrently in Dorset, a microcosm of the national struggle over electoral reform was being fought out in a county by-election which posed Lord Ashley an… Continue reading ‘Fife, Drum and Flag’: The Sherborne ‘reform riots’ of October 1831
What do you know about crowds and riots? The 1831 survey
Intergroup dynamics within the 1831 reform riots: towards a new social psycho-history This Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funded project examines the nature and spread of reform related riots across Britain following the House of Lords rejection of the reform bill in October 1831. The project uses historical analysis of the 1831 disturbances and… Continue reading What do you know about crowds and riots? The 1831 survey
Why we need a (new) social psycho-history
Why did they riot? Answering a question like this means drawing upon both historiography and psychology. Scholars have long recognized this, but their attempts to combine the two disciplines have not always been successful. The first ‘psycho-history’ was Hippolyte Taine’s monumental history of France (1876). He traced what he saw as the decline of civilization… Continue reading Why we need a (new) social psycho-history
Report: Research Workshops in Dorset and Somerset
An important part of the research into the lesser known reform related riots and disturbances of October-November 1831 involves engaging with local historians, family historians, museum curators and archivists in the areas where the incidents occurred. Local historical knowledge of people, places, events and even artefacts in the period of study is of great value… Continue reading Report: Research Workshops in Dorset and Somerset
Beyond Contagion: Understanding The Spread of Riots
The ESRC funded Beyond Contagion project involved a three-year study (2016-2019) of the August 2011 riots in England. Its aim was to critically assess the concept of ‘contagion’, that is the supposed involuntary spread of behaviours between humans. The core idea is that, particularly in crowds, mere exposure to the behaviour of others leads observers… Continue reading Beyond Contagion: Understanding The Spread of Riots