The first peer reviewed paper from this project was published in the British Journal of Social Psychology at the end of February this year (2025). This paper is open access, so you can download a pdf here. So far it has achieved an Altametric ‘attention’ score of 13, placing it in the top 25% of… Continue reading First paper published – Solidarity riots in the diffusion of collective action: Doing historical research to develop theory in social psychology
Category: Blog
Publication of ‘I fear there will be blood spilt tonight’: The Blandford Forum riots of 1831
On Friday 15 November 2024, Blandford Town Museum are publishing ‘I fear there will be blood spilt this evening’: The Blandford Forum riots of 1831 a new book by Steve Poole and Roger Ball, based on the research for the 1831 refom riots project. In October 1831, the refusal of the House of Lords to… Continue reading Publication of ‘I fear there will be blood spilt tonight’: The Blandford Forum riots of 1831
Publication of Solidarity across the Severn
A new title from Six Points Publishing in collaboration with the Riot1831 project. In October 1831 as reform riots shook Bristol, the authorities urgently requested the help of troops stationed in South Wales. An infantry unit marched from Cardiff to Newport with the intention of boarding a steam boat to Bristol, but their way was blocked… Continue reading Publication of Solidarity across the Severn
1831 Riot map updated
In preparation for the release on this site of our database of reform-related protests, riots and disturbances in Britain and Ireland from October to December 1831 we have updated our map of riots to include more minor disturbances. The current database contains 494 daily protest events over the three month period, collected from detailed surveys… Continue reading 1831 Riot map updated
Bristol Riot 1831 soundscapes active
We are pleased to announce that the interactive soundscapes which make up the Fight For Reform: RIOT1831! Self-Guided Walk are now active. The designers Ralph Hoyte and Phil Phelps of Satsymph describe the experience and how to activate it on your smart phone: Immerse yourself in the tumultuous history of the 1831 Reform Riots right… Continue reading Bristol Riot 1831 soundscapes active
Launch of 1831 Bristol reform riot exhibition at M Shed
Part of the funding for this project was dedicated to enhancing the exisiting display concerning the reform riots in Bristol in 1831 at the City’s premier social history museum M Shed. Over the last year we have been working closely with curator Helen McConnell-Simpson and her colleagues at M Shed to both expand and enrich… Continue reading Launch of 1831 Bristol reform riot exhibition at M Shed
‘The Reform Bill….I say it will be the ruin of the country’: The Worcester ‘reform riot’ of November 1831
In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a huge wave of pro-reform protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. Major disorders in the east Midlands, Dorset and Somerset were followed in Bristol by the most serious riot in nineteenth century England. In early November,… Continue reading ‘The Reform Bill….I say it will be the ruin of the country’: The Worcester ‘reform riot’ of November 1831
Bath research workshop
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
‘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