A Rich Seam of History
Our goal within this area of the website will to bring together as much material as possible related to the people and the places involved in the Captain Swing Riots in Hampshire.
This is a long term project and will rely considerably on the support of volunteer individuals and local community groups - especially local history societies who can contribute local knowledge to our understanding of exactly what happened and where. If you wish to become involved in this exercise then please contact edward.fennell@yahoo.co.uk who is co-ordinating the project.
We are aiming to research and publish information within the following categories:
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An OVERALL VIEW of the Riots in Hampshire examining the social and economic tensions which gave birth to the unrest, the role of key figures (such as the Duke of Wellington and William Cobbett) and the broad unrolling of the riots across the county. We will aim to include maps, illustrations (both historic and contemporary) and even, possibly, drone tracking of the paths taken by rioters across the Hampshire countryside.​
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The story of the riots from a VILLAGE-by-VILLAGE perspective
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​The stories of the accused INDIVIDUALS and their families
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An account of the GRAND ASSIZE held in the Great Hall in Winchester in December 1830 drawing on the extensive documentary material available from the trial and reported in the press.
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An examination of what happened in the AFTERMATH of the trial following which some rioters were executed and many hundreds were either gaoled or transported to Australia.
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HAMPSHIRE MACHINE BREAKERS by Jill Chambers is the single, most valuable source of detailed information about what happened to those accused at the Grand Assize. We are hoping to secure the rights to publish an updated version of the book to make its data accessible to all researchers.
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The GENEALOGY of the rioters is deeply fascinating both in their roots, normally within Hampshire or Wiltshire, and what happened subsequently to their descendants especially those who arrived (and subsequently thrived) in Australia. Our partner in this project is the Hampshire Genealogical Society which will be co-ordinating the work of the volunteers and the goal is to publish research findings selectively on this site. If you are interested in becoming involved then contact www.hgs-familyhistory.com/contact/​
Resources and Sources
A considerable amount of information about the Hampshire riots is already available through local history groups. Do contact your local group to enquire. Other organisations such as the Hampshire Field Club have also published extensively papers connected to the Hampshire riots.
The Hampshire Record Office will, of course, be an excellent source of local archive material.
https://www.hants.gov.uk/librariesandarchives/archives
The standard works on the SWING RIOTS nationally are:
Captain Swing by Eric Hobsbawm and George Rude published by Phoenix Press
A good starting point for the local Hampshire story is Hampshire Papers: Popular Radicalism and the Swing Riots in Central Hampshire by David Kent published by Hampshire County Council