The Pentrich Rebellion
In 1817, during a period of economic hardship following the war with France, a motley crew of stocking-makers, stonemasons, ironworkers and labourers from a Derbyshire village attempted an uprising against the government. It was swiftly and brutally suppressed. Susan Hibbins tells the story of England’s last attempted revolution.
In 1815 Britain stood at a crossroads. Behind it lay the victory of Waterloo and the end of a costly war with France; before it lay the beginnings of prosperity driven by entrepreneurs and the full implementation of an industrial revolution that was already well underway in some areas of the country. The system of government through which wealthy landowners sought to keep the poor in their place was coming under pressure from radicals seeking proper representation for working men.
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