7. China- Merthyr Tydfil Flashcards
(23 cards)
When did Merthyr become the largest town in wales ?
-1851
-population of 46,378
-reason for this was due to dramatic growth of the iron industry
What were the 4 iron works Merythr grew around ?
-Dowlais- under control of John guest
-Plymouth- under control of hill family
-Cyfartha- under control of Crawshay family
-Penydarren- under control of Homfray family
What were the reasons for the dramatic growth in the iron industry ?
-Merthyr contained supplies of raw materials needed to make iron- coals, iron ore etc
-development of transport links- Glamorgan canal opened in 1784 which linked Merthyr to Cardiff
-Construction of Taff Vale Railway
-expanding population to service its labour needs
What happened during the decline of Merthyrs iron industry ?
-development of steel industry brought about decline in Merthyr’s industry development
-Merthyr not suited to new steel industry and ironstone not the right quality
-new steelworks built along coast and port talbot, neath and Swansea
What led to the population growth of Merthyr ?
-availability of jobs and a demand for workers in the iron works and coal mines
-iron masters built houses for their workers and there was no planning laws to regulate this
-so the town quickly became overcrowded, filthy and unhealthy
How did different groups of people experience the poor housing ?
-skilled workers could afford slightly better housing- usually in a row of terraced housed, no bathroom and toilet outside
-unskilled workers lived in poorer quality homes which were called courts and were built around a square with a yard in the centre, they all shared a toilet
-poorest of all housing was in the cellar dwellings which were damp, dark and often windowless, single room might be home to a whole family
How did poor housing cause disease and illness ?
-many houses lacked proper sanitation/ supply of clean water
-disease outbreaks were frequent due to overcrowding and damp dirty housing, tuberculosis, smallpox and scarlet fever
-Merthyr experienced four outbreaks of cholera from 1832-1866
-water supply contaminated by sewage and rubbish
-supply of clean water inconsistent and often wells dried up during summer months
How was poverty caused by the truck system ?
-when prices of iron fell iron masters reduced wages
-during time of depression they were cut by up to 40%
-pay cut added to poverty in working class families
-worker paid once a month so running into debt by end of month
-iron masters paid part of their wages in special tokens and these could only be spent on the company’s ‘Tommy shops’ where prices were higher
-these truck shops encouraged workers to go into dept by allowing them to buy on loan
-resulted in workers appearing before debtors court- court of requests which was a hated institution in Merthyr
What 4 categories can we divide criminal acts into ?
-crimes caused by poverty- normally acts of theft such as stealing clothes, food or pickpocketing
-crimes connected to the iron works- usually involved theft of company property, most of the time coal
-crimes associated with leisure time- usually related to drunkenness and disorderly behaviour like assault
-crimes of a sexual nature- most common crime in this category was sex workers stealing from their clients in slum areas like China or Pontstorehouse
Why was China referred to as ‘Little Hell’ ?
-by the 1840s it was full of drunkards, thieves and sex workers
-china was a small area of Merthyr near to the Cyfarthfa ironworks
In what ways was China known as the home of the criminal element of the town ?
-criminals rules the china region, the most powerful holding titles like emperor and empress
-policing was poor
-most common crime was petty theft which linked to sex workers. There were over 60 sex workers operating in 1839-40. Encouraged by their minders to get their clients drunk and then steal from them. Examples are Margaret Llewelllyn and Jane Thomas
-sex workers were protected by their minders who also negotiated their quick release should they be arrested
-china also contained ‘rodnies’ who were child thieves/ pick pockets who were supervised by gangs
What were the attempts to police china like ?
-during 1840s efforts were made to clear up china and restore law and order
-between may 1846 and may 1847 50 criminals were arrested including emperor Benjamin Richard’s and empress Anne Evan’s
-Criminal underworld used to spolice itself. Ceffyl Pren (wooden horse) was used to punish Anne Harman in 1843 who was accused of being unfaithful to her husband on several occasions
How was china finally conquered ?
-following the establishment of the Glamorgan constabulary in 1841 real efforts were made to tackle high rates of crime in areas like china and pontstorehouse
-by 1860 china was in decline as police harassment and stricter sentences were having an impact
-by 1870s many criminals had moved onto Cardiff for more opportunities for crime
Were the authorities slow in organising a police force in Merthyr ?
-it took several instances of serious rioting and a rise in crime before they released funds to set one up
How did the inherited system of law and order fail ?
-responsibility for maintaining law and order rested with the parish constables
-while Merthyr remained a hamlet this system was able to operate effectively but due to the sudden rise in population it became overwhelmed
-the small force of law officers could not police Merthyr especially in areas of china and pontstorehouse
What type of riot broke out in 1800 ?
-high food prices and shortages following a poor harvest resulted in the outbreak of disturbances in Merthyr
-penydarren ironwork shop was attacked
-it took the arrival of soldiers to end the rioting
What riot took place in 1816 ?
-a depression in iron industry resulted in a 40 % reduction in wages for iron workers
-this along with sharp rise in food prices caused an outbreak of rioting in the town
-Glamorgan militia marched from Cardiff and restored order in Merthyr
Who were puddlers ?
-men who stirred molten iron while it cooked so that impurities were brought to the surface and burnt off
What riot happened in 1831 (Merthyr rising) ?
-A depression in the iron industry cause William Crawshay to cut the wages of his iron stone mine and layoff 84 Puddlers, which were his highest paid ironworkers
-this resulted in a serious rioting outbreak- including crowd raided shops and houses, threatening the JP’s and special constables
-3rd of June a large crowd (around 7000) gathered outside of the castle inn which was the headquarters of the JPS, constables and soldiers
-soldiers fired shot into the crowd killing over two dozen protesters and wounding over 70. also 16 soldiers were wounded
-The authorities fled and it was not until the 6th of June that Law order were restored in the town
-13th of July the trial took place, involving 28 men and women for their part in the rising, of those punished most were imprisoned, four were transported and one, Richard Lewis was sentenced to death for wounding a soldier, Donald Black
What were the experiments of early policing like ?
-The Merthyr rising in 1831 highlighted the problem of law-enforcement at the time
-Three Metropolitan policemen was sent down from London to help organise a new force of special constables in the town
-One of them was Thomas Jamieson who was appointed chief police officer of Merthyr however his appointment was short lived and the experiment was ended in 1834
How was the Glamorgan county constabulary established ?
-October of 1841
-It’s first chief constable was captain Charles Napier
-The force consisted of 34 men of whom 12 were assigned to Merthyr and Dawlais
-A new police station was opened in Merthyr in 1844
-The constables and those working with the Constabulary were operating under strict rules
How effective was Merthyr’s first police force?
-The first few years were difficult as it just had 13 officers of a population of about 46,000 people
-One major problem was how to retain staff when they could earn better wages and things like the ironworks
-China remained a difficult area to police
-In 1908 the Merthyr Tydfil Borough police force was set up
What is the conclusion ?
-by the end of the 19th century, the level of crime had been considerably reduced
-The iron industry was in decline and workers had begun to move to the steel works opening along the coast
-The introduction of alternative leisure activities acted as a distraction away from the temptations of crime. This includes things like the young men’s improvement society, library association and the growth in chapel attendance.
-The establishment of an organised discipline police force to keep the criminal underworld in tact was having an impact
