The Chartists – such a huge story to tell, and so little time, but our speaker, Mr Rey Stroud, delivered a telling account of this important event in our history.

We learned about the background of grinding poverty, squalor and disease that drove men from a wide area in a brave attempt to improve their conditions. They were well-organized and disciplined, a far cry from the ‘small riot’ portrayed by politicians and some historians, and were defeated only when firearms were used against them. Their punishment was severe, and their true story was not told to succeeding generations.

Blackwood has such strong connections with the Chartists that many of our members felt their ancestors might have been involved, and we were all pleased when Mr Stroud provided many helpful sources of information to get us started .