The Pentrich Revolution 1817

 England’s last armed rebellion.

Welcome to the Pentrich and South Wingfield Revolution Group

The Pentrich and South Wingfield Revolution Group was established in February 2014, to increase awareness of the 1817 Pentrich Revolution, also known as the Pentrich Rising, and to establish a permanent legacy of this little known but important historical event.

The Pentrich rising was an armed uprising in 1817 that began around the village of Pentrich, Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. It occurred on the night of 9th /10th June 1817. While much of the planning took place in Pentrich, two of the three ringleaders were from South Wingfield and the other was from Sutton in Ashfield. The 'revolution' itself started from Hunt's Barn in South Wingfield, and the only person killed died in Wingfield Park.

A gathering of some three to four hundred men (stockingers, quarrymen and iron workers), led by Jeremiah Brandreth (The Nottingham Captain), set out from South Wingfield to march to Nottingham. They were lightly armed with pikes, scythes and a few guns, which had been hidden in a quarry in Wingfield Park, and had a set of rather unfocused revolutionary demands, including universal male suffrage, annual parliaments the wiping out of the National Debt.

They did not realise that their group had been infiltrated by a government spy, William J. Oliver, and the uprising was quashed soon after it began. Three men were hanged and beheaded at Derby Gaol for their participation in the uprising: Jeremiah Brandreth, Isaac Ludlam and William Turner.

Pentrich Revolution - The Videos

Video 1

Revolution Group Video

View our exclusive video depicting the events of the Pentrich Revolution of 1817.
Click the Image to view.

Video 2

England's Last Armed Revolution Video

The Pentrich Revolution of 1817: England's Last Armed Rebellion

Click the Image to view.

Pentrich Revolution Walks

The Pentrich Revolution Walks:

Local walks along the routes of the marches and other significant places.

There are over 20 walks in total in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

3 walks around Sydney Australia.

View all walk details and brochures here.

View all our walk details and others on Visorando here.

 If you would like to volunteer with us, please contact Amber Valley CVS.

Please follow our @pentrichrevolt Twitter.

The Pentrich Revolution of 1817
England's Last Armed Rebellion

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Meetings

For details of upcoming meetings and other events visit our events page.

Factoids
Charles Booth was the last man standing living to be almost 100 years old - George Weightman was the last of the transported men to die in 1865 - 6 members of the Bacon family took part in the revolution - 4 members of the Ludlam family took part in the revolution - 8 members of the Elliott family took part in the revolution - 6 members of the Fletcher family took part in the revolution - 10 members of the Turner family took part in the revolution - 6 members of the Moore family took part in the revolution - 6 members of the Taylor family took part in the revolution - 6 members of the Weightman family took part in the revolution - 6 members of the Booth family took part in the revolution - 11 members of the Walters family took part in the revolution - Miles Bacon avoided capture by jumping the canal at Lower Hartshay and running to Leicestershire - Miles Bacon is on the 1841 and 1851 censuses as being born in Lecestershire, by 1861 he must have felt safe enough to put Pentrich - The curate at Pentrich assisted the men by hiding them after the event - The solicitor representing the men was not allowed admission to them - Edward Turner, transported, became a prosperous man - Samuel Hunt was later transported to Norfolk Island and then Tasmania convicted of sheep stealing - Samuel Hunt inherited Hunts Creek in Australia from his father in law - Thomas Bettisons wife, transported, went on to marry Samuel Rawson the brother of transportee Joseph Rawson - Josiah Godber wrote a series of letters from Australia to his wife Rebecca - Josiah Godber’s wife was planning on joining him in Australia when he died - All of Jeremiah Brandreth’s immediate family moved to America - Most of the men marching were from South Wingfield and Pentrich - Two men were shot during the march, only one fatally, both were from the Walters family - Robert Walters was shot fatally at Mrs Hepworths house - Charles Walters was accidentally shot in the thigh by fellow marcher James Hill - 10 men transported received a free pardon - Thomas Bettison was only man to serve his complete sentence in Australia and be freed - 4 men died before being pardoned - 9 men transported did receive and Absolute pardon - Almost 400 men took part in the march from this area - In excess of 300 men rose to meet the marchers from Yorkshire - In excess of 200 men were waiting at the forest in Nottingham - Most of the planned insurgents were stopped from marching prior to the planned march days before - Only three families that took part were not related to the remainder of the men - 6 of the Onions family from Shropshire took part in the revolution after moving here for work - Jeremiah Brandreth lead the march after a man named Wain fell ill - The first convict ship to set sail arrived after the second one transporting the men from Derbyshire - 10 men sailed to Australia on the convict ship Tottenham - 4 men sailed to Australia on the Isabella, as they were too ill to sail on the Tottenham - The convict ship Isabella was a brand new ship when taking the men from Derbyshire to Australia - Only four men transported are known to have married in Australia - It is reported that maybe five men who committed perjury at the trial ‘died with their boots on’ over the years after the trial - The whole incident of the Revolution was a government conspired trap - Isaac Ludlam executed was a renowned Methodist preacher - Many of the pikes made for the march where hidden in Isaac Ludlam’s quarry - The young men of South Wingfield and Pentrich were given the job of making the pikes for the march - Oliver the spy, government agent provocateur also incited men in Nottingham and Yorkshire to rise - Special constables were signed in before the march took place as the government had named the date - Abraham James who took part in the revolution later wrote a diary of events - The Tambora volcano Indonesia, erupted in 1815 causing world wide famine - 1816 was known as the year without a summer, frost was recorded every day of the year - The government applied a corn tax due to the bad harvests, making bread unaffordable - William Turner, executed, had just returned from the Napoleonic wars fighting for their country - Three men were executed for their part in the revolution, Brandreth, Ludlam and Turner - After the march one third of the village of Pentrich was raized to the ground - Sir Francis Burdett was mentioned as being the man to be the head of government after the rising - Sir Francis Burdett mentioned in parliament that the government had used spies to instigate the rising - Admiral Lord Cochaine was to command the fleet after the government had been taken - George Weightman rode to Nottingham and returned convicing the men that Nottingham had been taken - James Weightman was taken captive after the march dressed in womens clothes - Many of the pre march meetings were held at Asherfields barn - George Brassington and father Thomas were founder members of the Pentrich Hampden club - A meeting with Benbow was held at The Queens Head Alfreton - Other places said to be rising were Sheffield, Manchester, Leeds, Leicestershire, Birmingham, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, London, Lancashire - The Nags Head at Heanor was used for meetings - The White Horse at Pentrich was used to hold meetings - The Cock Hotel at Ripley was used to hold meetings - The Queens Head at Alfreton was used to hold meetings - The men on the march visited the Glass House Pub at Codnor - The men on the march visited the French Horn public house at Codnor - The men on the march visited the Navigation Inn at Langley Mill - The men on the march visited the Sun Inn at Eastwood - The men on the march visited the New Inn at Codnor - The staffs for the pikes were gathered from Thorphill Wood near Crich - William Turner wrote a letter to the Duke of York asking him to intervene and prevent his execution - William Turner rose awareness at his execution by mentioning Oliver the Spy - The government after failing to get convictions at previous incidents altered laws and procedures to get a result - The White Horse public house was where many of the meetings were held. - Nanny Weightmen nee Bacon, Thomas Bacons sister ran The White Horse - The march started at Hunt’s Barn in South Wingfield
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