MORE IMPORTANT TO TRUE WELSH PEOPLE THIS WEEKEND

Richard Lewis, better known as Dic Penderyn, was born in Aberavon, Glamorgan in 1808. He had some schooling, in chapel and elsewhere and learned to read and write, butin 1819 the family moved to Merthyr Tydfil where he joined his father at work as a miner. Dic was still only fifteen when he began to earn a reputation as a fighter for workers' rights, and he lost his job for this, but by May 1831 he was back in Merthyr working as a miner and was now married, with a baby on the way. At that time Merthyr was in a state of unrest. Living conditions were relatively good, but they could - and did - change overnight, and there was no certainty of steady employment or adequate wages. Equally, there was a great deal of interest in political reform and in the various Reform Bills then being put to Parliament. Not surprisingly, Dic Penderyn was involved in all this. He was an outstanding figure, both physically and intellectually - tall, powerful, knowledgeable, literate and an eloquent speaker. Whether he was actively involved in promoting the new unions, or whether his concern for his fellow workers was shown in other ways, we do not know, but he was clearly recognised as a leader, chosen for instance, as one of a deputation sent to negotiate with the ironmasters. On 30th May 1831, a public meeting on the subject of Parliamentary reform was held at Twyn-y-Waun common. After a while the political agenda was forgotten and the meeting began to discuss the grievances caused by the Court of Requests - a court for the recovery of small debts. Later, while part of the crowd marched to Aberdare to seek support from their fellow workers, the rest - mostly women and young unemployed men and boys - paraded through Merthyr, forcibly repossessing goods seized by the bailiffs and sold to cover their owners' debts. There was no police force in 1831, and so soldiers were sent for to control the rioters (the Aberdare marchers had gone back to work). Finally, on the morning of Friday June 3rd, soldiers and the crowd confronted each other outside the Castle Inn. The crowd attacked the soldiers, who fired and killed at least sixteen people, and for the next few days Merthyr was in a state of siege. Eventually the authorities gained control and began to arrest the supposed ringleaders, including Dic Penderyn. He and another man, Lewis Lewis, were tried in Cardiff a month later on a charge of stabbing (not killing) a soldier named Donald Black. Black did not identify either Penderyn or Lewis, but they were found guilty and sentenced to death. Various efforts were made to save the condemned men. In Merthyr, a petition calling for mercy collected more than 11,000 signatures and a Quaker ironmaster from the Vale of Neath named Joseph Tregelles Price, became convinced of Dic Penderyn's innocence and began a campaign to establish this and earn a reprieve. Lewis Lewis, meanwhile, had his sentence commuted to transportation for life. Ultimately, Tregelles Price even convinced the trial judge that Penderyn should be reprieved, but the Home Secretary, Lord Melbourne refused to listen. Dic Penderyn's execution was set for Saturday, August 13th and the sentence duly carried out. He died proclaiming the injustice of his death and forgiving those who had caused it. His body was later carried back to Aberavon to be buried. Dic Penderyn was not the only man to die in such a way in early nineteenth century Wales - or even in Merthyr - but Tregelles Price's efforts and Lord Melbourne's refusal to listen to the claims of either justice or mercy made this execution so blatantly a matter of policy, that even the conservative Cambrian newspaper objected. As for Dic Penderyn himself, he was twenty three years old when he died. He was an ordinary working man, and yet, for generations afterwards, men and women remembered where they or their parents had been when Penderyn's funeral procession passed by. Clearly he was a remarkable man, and one has to wonder what he might have achieved if he had lived. Even now he has much to teach us about the unity in diversity of the Welsh tradition: a Welsh speaker, but from the industrial multicultural South; a man of the people, yet eager for knowledge and an understanding of the wider world. If Wales is looking for new heroes, it could do worse than include Richard Lewis of Aberavon among them.

Shouldn't you post this on an Owain Glyndwr message board, even though I'd have thought that all "True Welshmen," would have known this anyway?

Very informative and always great to keep the history of our nation Wales alive.

August 13th - hung in St. mary's street, cardiff. O arglwydd dyma gamwedd

Great post of reminiscence

Great post. We need more of this stuff.

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

All into our history and heritage now are we? Most of you couldn't give a f**k when a foreign entity wanted to change our clubs history and heritage forever

shut up you doddering old fool

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

Yes well done for copying and pasting a story from an internet site!

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co. ... deryn.html

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

Yes well done for copying and pasting a story from an internet site!

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co. ... deryn.html

Who cares it's always a great story

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

Yes well done for copying and pasting a story from an internet site!

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co. ... deryn.html

Who cares it's always a great story

We all like a great story, but all this arguing about who's the most fervent Welsh person on here is a load of bollocks!

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

Yes well done for copying and pasting a story from an internet site!

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co. ... deryn.html

Who cares it's always a great story

We all like a great story, but all this arguing about who's the most fervent Welsh person on here is a load of bollocks!

It's cringeworthy.

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

Yes well done for copying and pasting a story from an internet site!

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co. ... deryn.html

Your very welcome and I use that as so many other use links on here to let people know. As long as it helps to inform the uninform that means it does its job !

Richard Lewis, better known as Dic Penderyn, was born in Aberavon, Glamorgan in 1808. He had some schooling, in chapel and elsewhere and learned to read and write, butin 1819 the family moved to Merthyr Tydfil where he joined his father at work as a miner. Dic was still only fifteen when he began to earn a reputation as a fighter for workers' rights, and he lost his job for this, but by May 1831 he was back in Merthyr working as a miner and was now married, with a baby on the way. At that time Merthyr was in a state of unrest. Living conditions were relatively good, but they could - and did - change overnight, and there was no certainty of steady employment or adequate wages. Equally, there was a great deal of interest in political reform and in the various Reform Bills then being put to Parliament. Not surprisingly, Dic Penderyn was involved in all this. He was an outstanding figure, both physically and intellectually - tall, powerful, knowledgeable, literate and an eloquent speaker. Whether he was actively involved in promoting the new unions, or whether his concern for his fellow workers was shown in other ways, we do not know, but he was clearly recognised as a leader, chosen for instance, as one of a deputation sent to negotiate with the ironmasters. On 30th May 1831, a public meeting on the subject of Parliamentary reform was held at Twyn-y-Waun common. After a while the political agenda was forgotten and the meeting began to discuss the grievances caused by the Court of Requests - a court for the recovery of small debts. Later, while part of the crowd marched to Aberdare to seek support from their fellow workers, the rest - mostly women and young unemployed men and boys - paraded through Merthyr, forcibly repossessing goods seized by the bailiffs and sold to cover their owners' debts. There was no police force in 1831, and so soldiers were sent for to control the rioters (the Aberdare marchers had gone back to work). Finally, on the morning of Friday June 3rd, soldiers and the crowd confronted each other outside the Castle Inn. The crowd attacked the soldiers, who fired and killed at least sixteen people, and for the next few days Merthyr was in a state of siege. Eventually the authorities gained control and began to arrest the supposed ringleaders, including Dic Penderyn. He and another man, Lewis Lewis, were tried in Cardiff a month later on a charge of stabbing (not killing) a soldier named Donald Black. Black did not identify either Penderyn or Lewis, but they were found guilty and sentenced to death. Various efforts were made to save the condemned men. In Merthyr, a petition calling for mercy collected more than 11,000 signatures and a Quaker ironmaster from the Vale of Neath named Joseph Tregelles Price, became convinced of Dic Penderyn's innocence and began a campaign to establish this and earn a reprieve. Lewis Lewis, meanwhile, had his sentence commuted to transportation for life. Ultimately, Tregelles Price even convinced the trial judge that Penderyn should be reprieved, but the Home Secretary, Lord Melbourne refused to listen. Dic Penderyn's execution was set for Saturday, August 13th and the sentence duly carried out. He died proclaiming the injustice of his death and forgiving those who had caused it. His body was later carried back to Aberavon to be buried. Dic Penderyn was not the only man to die in such a way in early nineteenth century Wales - or even in Merthyr - but Tregelles Price's efforts and Lord Melbourne's refusal to listen to the claims of either justice or mercy made this execution so blatantly a matter of policy, that even the conservative Cambrian newspaper objected. As for Dic Penderyn himself, he was twenty three years old when he died. He was an ordinary working man, and yet, for generations afterwards, men and women remembered where they or their parents had been when Penderyn's funeral procession passed by. Clearly he was a remarkable man, and one has to wonder what he might have achieved if he had lived. Even now he has much to teach us about the unity in diversity of the Welsh tradition: a Welsh speaker, but from the industrial multicultural South; a man of the people, yet eager for knowledge and an understanding of the wider world. If Wales is looking for new heroes, it could do worse than include Richard Lewis of Aberavon among them.

who really gives a f**k about this, never heard of him and couldn't care less

O yes and by the way I posted about this before on here in my own words also.

very good post - our history is important to remember.

Well done Welsh City Dragon.

Yes well done for copying and pasting a story from an internet site!

http://www.trevor.jones4.btinternet.co. ... deryn.html

Who cares it's always a great story

We all like a great story, but all this arguing about who's the most fervent Welsh person on here is a load of bollocks!

It's cringeworthy.

Exactly!

We should do the same --Storm the offices of Wonga .com to re possess the money they are robbing from
the vulnurable via there 2000 % Interest scam

What exactly is a 'true Welsh person?'

Richard Lewis, better known as Dic Penderyn, was born in Aberavon, Glamorgan in 1808. He had some schooling, in chapel and elsewhere and learned to read and write, butin 1819 the family moved to Merthyr Tydfil where he joined his father at work as a miner. Dic was still only fifteen when he began to earn a reputation as a fighter for workers' rights, and he lost his job for this, but by May 1831 he was back in Merthyr working as a miner and was now married, with a baby on the way. At that time Merthyr was in a state of unrest. Living conditions were relatively good, but they could - and did - change overnight, and there was no certainty of steady employment or adequate wages. Equally, there was a great deal of interest in political reform and in the various Reform Bills then being put to Parliament. Not surprisingly, Dic Penderyn was involved in all this. He was an outstanding figure, both physically and intellectually - tall, powerful, knowledgeable, literate and an eloquent speaker. Whether he was actively involved in promoting the new unions, or whether his concern for his fellow workers was shown in other ways, we do not know, but he was clearly recognised as a leader, chosen for instance, as one of a deputation sent to negotiate with the ironmasters. On 30th May 1831, a public meeting on the subject of Parliamentary reform was held at Twyn-y-Waun common. After a while the political agenda was forgotten and the meeting began to discuss the grievances caused by the Court of Requests - a court for the recovery of small debts. Later, while part of the crowd marched to Aberdare to seek support from their fellow workers, the rest - mostly women and young unemployed
men and boys - paraded through Merthyr, forcibly repossessing goods seized by the bailiffs and sold to cover their owners' debts. There was no police force in 1831, and so soldiers were sent for to control the rioters (the Aberdare marchers had gone back to work). Finally, on the morning of Friday June 3rd, soldiers and the crowd confronted each other outside the Castle Inn. The crowd attacked the soldiers, who fired and killed at least sixteen people, and for the next few days Merthyr was in a state of siege. Eventually the authorities gained control and began to arrest the supposed ringleaders, including Dic Penderyn. He and another man, Lewis Lewis, were tried in Cardiff a month later on a charge of stabbing (not killing) a soldier named Donald Black. Black did not identify either Penderyn or Lewis, but they were found guilty and sentenced to death. Various efforts were made to save the condemned men. In Merthyr, a petition calling for mercy collected more than 11,000 signatures and a Quaker ironmaster from the Vale of Neath named Joseph Tregelles Price, became convinced of Dic Penderyn's innocence and began a campaign to establish this and earn a reprieve. Lewis Lewis, meanwhile, had his sentence commuted to transportation for life. Ultimately, Tregelles Price even convinced the trial judge that Penderyn should be reprieved, but the Home Secretary, Lord Melbourne refused to listen. Dic Penderyn's execution was set for Saturday, August 13th and the sentence duly carried out. He died proclaiming the injustice of his death and forgiving those who had caused it. His body was later carried back to Aberavon to be buried. Dic Penderyn was not the only man to die in such a way in early nineteenth century Wales - or even in Merthyr - but Tregelles Price's efforts and Lord Melbourne's refusal to listen to the claims of either justice or mercy made this execution so blatantly a matter of policy, that even the conservative Cambrian newspaper objected. As for Dic Penderyn himself, he was twenty three years old when he died. He was an ordinary working man, and yet, for generations afterwards, men and women remembered where they or their parents had been when Penderyn's funeral procession passed by. Clearly he was a remarkable man, and one has to wonder what he might have achieved if he had lived. Even now he has much to teach us about the unity in diversity of the Welsh tradition: a Welsh speaker, but from the industrial multicultural South; a man of the people, yet eager for knowledge and an understanding of the wider world. If Wales is looking for new heroes, it could do worse than include Richard Lewis of Aberavon among them.

simular thing happened all over britain there was a lot of social change happening at the time more of a class thing
intresting read tho. we didn't get taught any welsh history when i was in school bit sad really

I came across the story of Dic Penderyn through a song by MARTYN JOSEPH. wonderful and sad song, found it on youtube as well....
people like him were the real Welsh heroes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=965UZTgUEpA

Lyrics to Dic Penderyn (The Ballad Of Richard Lewis)

Thunder rolled and the rain came down St. Mary St.
But on this day thousands stood their ground
A silent crowd who's heads are bowed in helplessness
Bid farewell
And the wife of a Richard Penderyn
Supported there to weak to stand
Disbelieving anger and sorrow
For her innocent man, an innocent man

She says, lift me up oh lift me boys
Let me see the one I love
Lift me up oh lift me now
Let me see the man I love one more time

Broken by starvation and poverty
While the iron masters sip their wine
Young and old together marched for justice
But the bayonet and the bullet's what they find

“Bread or blood” cried a collier
“We've come to far lads to run”
But in our Myther town in 1831
They were cut down by the government guns

And in the midst of senseless slaughter
One soldier wounded in the thigh
Who later swore on oath at the trial
That Dic Penderyn was not the guy

Though he had stood for everything they wanted
And rose up with his people on that day
It could not have been he that harmed the soldier
But some there with a grudge put him away,
Said they'd stitch him up one day

Despite petitions and cries for mercy
All that the facts had to say
Neither king nor his parliament would listen
Even the judge was turned away

Hey Lord Melbourne how did you sleep then
With all that evidence in your face
Well you shot down 24 so why not hang someone?
Got to keep those workers in their place,
keep those Welsh boys in their place

He slowly climbs the steps to the gallows pole
The last few moments of a life
His eyes survey the crowd of gallant Welsh
Looking for his wife, he can't see his wife

She says, lift me up oh lift me boys
Let me see the one I love
Lift me up oh lift me boys
Let me see the man I love one more time

But louder and longer than the sound of guns
Is the memory of what was done
You can only trample people down for so long
Time will show you have not won
And long before all this on a hill in Palestine
They strung another up they say was a friend of yours and mine
Dying in the place of another one
But in the morning comes the sun

Lift me up oh lift me now
Let me see the one I love
Lift me up oh lift me now
Let me see the one I love one more time

I came across the story of Dic Penderyn through a song by MARTYN JOSEPH. wonderful and sad song, found it on youtube as well....
people like him were the real Welsh heroes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=965UZTgUEpA

Lyrics to Dic Penderyn (The Ballad Of Richard Lewis)

Thunder rolled and the rain came down St. Mary St.
But on this day thousands stood their ground
A silent crowd who's heads are bowed in helplessness
Bid farewell
And the wife of a Richard Penderyn
Supported there to weak to stand
Disbelieving anger and sorrow
For her innocent man, an innocent man

She says, lift me up oh lift me boys
Let me see the one I love
Lift me up oh lift me now
Let me see the man I love one more time

Broken by starvation and poverty
While the iron masters sip their wine
Young and old together marched for justice
But the bayonet and the bullet's what they find

“Bread or blood” cried a collier
“We've come to far lads to run”
But in our Myther town in 1831
They were cut down by the government guns

And in the midst of senseless slaughter
One soldier wounded in the thigh
Who later swore on oath at the trial
That Dic Penderyn was not the guy

Though he had stood for everything they wanted
And rose up with his people on that day
It could not have been he that harmed the soldier
But some there with a grudge put him away,
Said they'd stitch him up one day

Despite petitions and cries for mercy
All that the facts had to say
Neither king nor his parliament would listen
Even the judge was turned away

Hey Lord Melbourne how did you sleep then
With all that evidence in your face
Well you shot down 24 so why not hang someone?
Got to keep those workers in their place,
keep those Welsh boys in their place

He slowly climbs the steps to the gallows pole
The last few moments of a life
His eyes survey the crowd of gallant Welsh
Looking for his wife, he can't see his wife

She says, lift me up oh lift me boys
Let me see the one I love
Lift me up oh lift me boys
Let me see the man I love one more time

But louder and longer than the sound of guns
Is the memory of what was done
You can only trample people down for so long
Time will show you have not won
And long before all this on a hill in Palestine
They strung another up they say was a friend of yours and mine
Dying in the place of another one
But in the morning comes the sun

Lift me up oh lift me now
Let me see the one I love
Lift me up oh lift me now
Let me see the one I love one more time

Dic Penderyn, Welsh Working Class Martyr...I'm glad to say that our kids are finally being taught Welsh history in school these days. Whn I was in school Welsh history was taught to us in ten minutes as an afterthought. I remember Llewellyn being referred to as leader of the 'Welsh rebels'. They say history is written by the victors. Never more clearly demonstrated than in that phrase! Teaching our kids that WE were the rebels, not a people trying to fight off an invading force!

simular thing happened all over britain there was a lot of social change happening at the time more of a class thing
intresting read tho. we didn't get taught any welsh history when i was in school bit sad really

I don't think you got taught much British history either, if you thought Queen Liz was British "to the core"

I'm pleased mind that you've responded well to this story and found it interesting

Now a story about what the queens british goverment didnt do After the disaster of Aberfan where our children of Wales were killed by a coal tip that cover a school. Your queen took over a week before she made up her mined to go there, and people from all over the world sent money for the people of Aberfan. The british goverment made the people of Aberfan use the money to clear the rest of the tip. even to this day the head of the coal board was not sacked and no one was brought to task for it.

The rest of the money was held and they wouldnt pay the money out to the very people it was due to.
Then a group from the FWA and MAC said if the money was not paid out to the people that they would take action . after that within 2 week the money was started to be paid out. Thats the queen and the british goverment for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVsxVo26AoU

You are a bitter c**t.

'The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Aberfan on 30 October to pay their respects to those who had died. The Queen received a posy from a three-year-old girl with the inscription: "From the remaining children of Aberfan". Onlookers said she was close to tears'

Don't re-write history.

And the Davies Inquiry did find the NCB was fully to blame and it ruined Robens career.

How f*cking dare you use a disaster to push your own personal agenda.

You are fuckinn scum.

Now a story about what the queens british goverment didnt do After the disaster of Aberfan where our children of Wales were killed by a coal tip that cover a school. Your queen took over a week before she made up her mined to go there, and people from all over the world sent money for the people of Aberfan. The british goverment made the people of Aberfan use the money to clear the rest of the tip. even to this day the head of the coal board was not sacked and no one was brought to task for it.

The rest of the money was held and they wouldnt pay the money out to the very people it was due to.
Then a group from the FWA and MAC said if the money was not paid out to the people that they would take action . after that within 2 week the money was started to be paid out. Thats the queen and the british goverment for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVsxVo26AoU

still bored mate ? abolish the Welsh language and save the tax payers some money ffs