Event details Blandford Literary Festival: Friday 15 November – 11:00am – Royal British Legion Club, Legion House, Church Lane, Blandford Forum, DT11 7AD Prof Steve Poole, Dr Roger Ball and Ralph Hoyte The dual launch of a new booklet published by Blandford Town Museum ‘I fear there will be blood spilt this evening’ The Blandford… Continue reading Event: Book and 1831 riot soundscapes launch at Blandford Literary Festival
Tag: riots
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
Prelude to the riots in Dorset in October 1831
This essay considers a series of preludes in 1830 and 1831 to the riots in Dorset and south Somerset in October 1831. Although written from the perspective of Sherborne in north Dorset this paper provides useful context for case studies of riots in Blandford, Sherborne and Yeovil. It examines agricultural disturbances (known as the ‘Swing… Continue reading Prelude to the riots in Dorset in October 1831
The Yeovil Riots of October 1831
This case study covers the reform related riots in Yeovil, Somerset over the period 21-22 October 1831. The study commences with an assessment of the administration and government of the town with reference to the changes made by the 1830 Improvement Act. Social conditions and the effect of the collapse of the primary industry, glove… Continue reading The Yeovil Riots of October 1831
Bristol Riots Case Study: The Attack on the Bishop’s Palace, Sunday 30 October 1831
This case study analyses the targeting, sacking and raising of the Bishop’s Palace by rioters in Bristol on 29 October 1831. It begins by considering the public disapproval of the Anglican Bishops for their role in the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords and their perceived accumulation of wealth. The… Continue reading Bristol Riots Case Study: The Attack on the Bishop’s Palace, Sunday 30 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
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