Ascott Martyrs
Encyclopedia
The Ascott Martyrs were 16 women from the village of Ascott-under-Wychwood
in Oxfordshire
, England
who were imprisoned in 1873 for their role in founding a branch of the National Union of Agricultural Workers. Following an appeal to Queen Victoria, the women were all pardoned.
in 1872, led by the Primitive Methodist preacher Joseph Arch
. Support spread to other parts of the country, and in 1873 the men of Ascott-under-Wychwood formed a branch of the new union.
as strikebreaker
s. The women of Ascott tried to persuade the Ramsden men to join the Union and deter them from working for Mr. Hambridge. The women were arrested and taken to Chipping Norton where on the 20th May 1873 they were charged with "obstructing and coercing John Hodgkins and John Miller with a view to inciting them to leave their employment". Rev. T. Harris and Rev. W.E. Carr, the two magistrates, heard the case. They asked Mr. Hambridge, the farmer not to proceed with prosecution, but he insisted on pressing charges. The women considered to be ringleaders, not defended by counsel, were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour, seven of them for 10 days, and nine of the women for 7 days. A newspaper in 1873 printed the story under the heading, "Rioting in Chipping Norton".
The seven women imprisoned for 10 days with hard labour were: Martha Maria Smith aged 45, Rebecca Smith aged 25, Mary Moss (alias Smith) aged 17, Charlotte Moss aged 39, Ann Susan Moss aged 25, Ann Moss aged 22 and Fanny Honeybone aged just 16.
The nine women sentenced to 7 days imprisonment with hard labour were: Elizabeth Pratley, aged 29, Mary Pratley aged 33, Ellen Pratley aged 25, Lavinia Dring, aged 44, Amelia Moss aged 36, Martha Moss, aged 33, Caroline Moss, aged 18, Jane Moss aged 31 and Mary Moss aged 35.
By 9p.m. on 20 May 1873, a crowd of 1,000 people had surrounded the Police Court. They tried fruitlessly to free the women, breaking street lamps and windows. The violence continued for two hours.
The women were kept in two dark rooms until 1 am. When police were satisfied the crowds had scattered and reinforcements had arrived from Oxford the 16 women were taken on four horse-drawn dray
s to Oxford Prison
. Two of the women had young children with them, Elizabeth Pratley had a child of 7 months and Mary Pratley had a child of 10 weeks. Being transported on a cold night with no warm clothing, the women did their best to protect the babies with umbrellas. The rest of the women’s children were cared for by neighbours and the Milton-under-Wychwood
branch of the Union, while the women were imprisoned.
. The Queen pardoned the women, who returned to their village as martyrs for the cause. In addition to the a red-flannel petticoat and 5 shillings Queen Victoria gave each woman, the National Union of Agricultural Workers gave each of them £5 and enough blue silk to make a dress.
Following the Ascott Martyrs' time in prison, the Chairman of the Oxford District of the Union investigated the wages and conditions of Ascott farm workers and found that before the Union, wages had been 9 shillings a week in winter and 10 shillings in summer. Following the founding of the Union branch wages were raised by 2 shillings a week, so the women's efforts had clearly been successful.
tree on Ascott-under-Wychwood village green
with a memorial plaque stating:
The 1973 memorial has been replaced with four benches surrounding the tree listing the names of the martyrs and those who supported them.
Ascott-under-Wychwood
Ascott-under-Wychwood is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode valley about south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.-History:The village is one of several named after the historic forest of Wychwood; the others being Shipton-under-Wychwood and Milton-under-Wychwood.Ascot d'Oilly Castle was...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who were imprisoned in 1873 for their role in founding a branch of the National Union of Agricultural Workers. Following an appeal to Queen Victoria, the women were all pardoned.
Background
The National Union of Agricultural Workers was founded in WarwickshireWarwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
in 1872, led by the Primitive Methodist preacher Joseph Arch
Joseph Arch
Joseph Arch was an English politician, born in Barford, Warwickshire who played a key role in what Karl Marx called the "Great awakening" of the agricultural workers in 1872.-Biography:...
. Support spread to other parts of the country, and in 1873 the men of Ascott-under-Wychwood formed a branch of the new union.
The incident
Mr. Hambridge of Crown Farm, Ascott sacked his men who had joined the union and employed men from the neighbouring village of RamsdenRamsden, Oxfordshire
Ramsden is a village and civil parish about north of Witney in West Oxfordshire.-History:The course of Akeman Street Roman Road linking Cirencester with London passes through the parish, bisecting the village. It is now part of the Wychwood Way long distance path...
as strikebreaker
Strikebreaker
A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...
s. The women of Ascott tried to persuade the Ramsden men to join the Union and deter them from working for Mr. Hambridge. The women were arrested and taken to Chipping Norton where on the 20th May 1873 they were charged with "obstructing and coercing John Hodgkins and John Miller with a view to inciting them to leave their employment". Rev. T. Harris and Rev. W.E. Carr, the two magistrates, heard the case. They asked Mr. Hambridge, the farmer not to proceed with prosecution, but he insisted on pressing charges. The women considered to be ringleaders, not defended by counsel, were sentenced to imprisonment with hard labour, seven of them for 10 days, and nine of the women for 7 days. A newspaper in 1873 printed the story under the heading, "Rioting in Chipping Norton".
The seven women imprisoned for 10 days with hard labour were: Martha Maria Smith aged 45, Rebecca Smith aged 25, Mary Moss (alias Smith) aged 17, Charlotte Moss aged 39, Ann Susan Moss aged 25, Ann Moss aged 22 and Fanny Honeybone aged just 16.
The nine women sentenced to 7 days imprisonment with hard labour were: Elizabeth Pratley, aged 29, Mary Pratley aged 33, Ellen Pratley aged 25, Lavinia Dring, aged 44, Amelia Moss aged 36, Martha Moss, aged 33, Caroline Moss, aged 18, Jane Moss aged 31 and Mary Moss aged 35.
By 9p.m. on 20 May 1873, a crowd of 1,000 people had surrounded the Police Court. They tried fruitlessly to free the women, breaking street lamps and windows. The violence continued for two hours.
The women were kept in two dark rooms until 1 am. When police were satisfied the crowds had scattered and reinforcements had arrived from Oxford the 16 women were taken on four horse-drawn dray
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s to Oxford Prison
Oxford Castle
Oxford Castle is a large, partly ruined Norman medieval castle situated on the west edge of Oxford in Oxfordshire, England. The original moated, wooden motte and bailey castle was replaced with stone in the 11th century and played an important role in the conflict of the Anarchy...
. Two of the women had young children with them, Elizabeth Pratley had a child of 7 months and Mary Pratley had a child of 10 weeks. Being transported on a cold night with no warm clothing, the women did their best to protect the babies with umbrellas. The rest of the women’s children were cared for by neighbours and the Milton-under-Wychwood
Milton-under-Wychwood
Milton-under-Wychwood is a village and civil parish about north of Burford, Oxfordshire, just off the A361 road between Burford and Chipping Norton.-History:The village is one of three named after the ancient forest of Wychwood...
branch of the Union, while the women were imprisoned.
Aftermath
The local community remained furious at the treatment of the women, leading to questions being asked in Parliament and a personal appeal being sent to Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. The Queen pardoned the women, who returned to their village as martyrs for the cause. In addition to the a red-flannel petticoat and 5 shillings Queen Victoria gave each woman, the National Union of Agricultural Workers gave each of them £5 and enough blue silk to make a dress.
Following the Ascott Martyrs' time in prison, the Chairman of the Oxford District of the Union investigated the wages and conditions of Ascott farm workers and found that before the Union, wages had been 9 shillings a week in winter and 10 shillings in summer. Following the founding of the Union branch wages were raised by 2 shillings a week, so the women's efforts had clearly been successful.
Commemoration
On the Ascott Martyrs' centenary in 1973 an octagonal wooden seat was installed encircling the trunk of a chestnutChestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
tree on Ascott-under-Wychwood village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
with a memorial plaque stating:
This seat was erected to celebrate the centenary of the Ascott Martyrs, the 16 women who were sent to prison in 1873 for the part they played in the founding of the Agricultural Workers Union when they were sent "over the hills to glory".
The 1973 memorial has been replaced with four benches surrounding the tree listing the names of the martyrs and those who supported them.
Sources
- http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/AscotMartyrs.htm
- http://www.ascott-under-wychwood.org.uk/2002/02/01/ascott-under-wychwood-2002-kingsley/
- http://www.ascott-under-wychwood.org.uk/about/
- http://www.britainexpress.com/counties/oxfordshire/Ascott-under-Wychwood.htm
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6081/&date=2009-10-25+07:46:50