Bøker av Rhian E. Jones

In the early years of the Victorian era, men in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire rebelled against the imposition of tolls on the roads they travelled while making their living. In a mass protest movement, they dressed themselves in dramatic and colourful costumes, and led by the enigmatic figure of 'Rebecca', they attacked symbols of injustice, redistributed wealth, and clashed with both local authorities and the national government. These events, which became known as the Rebecca riots, provide a compelling story of successful direct action. But they were also a broader uprising of communities across Wales against a wide range of financial, social and political pressures. In Rebecca's Country, historian Rhian E. Jones explores the background, chronology and achievements of the movement, and the glimpse that it gives into the lives of ordinary people and how they responded to the sweeping and severe changes of the early nineteenth century, telling the human stories behind this fascinating history.

Shortlisted for the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing 2016The wave of unrest which took place in 1840s Wales, known as 'Rebeccaism' or 'the Rebecca riots', stands out as a success story within the generally gloomy annals of popular struggle and defeat. The story is remembered in vivid and compelling images: attacks on tollgates and other symbols of perceived injustice by farmers and workers, outlandishly dressed in bonnets and petticoats and led by the iconic anonymous figure of Rebecca herself. The events form a core part of historical study and remembrance in Wales, and frequently appear in broader work on British radicalism and Victorian protest movements. This book draws on cultural history, gender studies and symbolic anthropology to present fresh and alternative arguments on the meaning of Rebeccaite costume and ritual; the significance of the feminine in protest; the links between protest and popular culture; the use of Rebecca's image in Victorian press and political discourse; and the ways in which the events and the image of Rebecca herself were integrated into politics, culture and popular memory in Wales and beyond. All these aspects repay greater consideration than they have yet been accorded, and highlight the relevance of Rebeccaism to British and European popular protest - up to and including the present day.