Book of the Month: Rebecca's Country

The 'Rebecca Riots' in south-west Wales in the 1840s have always fascinated me - the theatre of the piece, men dressing as women to disguise themselves, converging in the dead of night on toll-gates and smashing them to pieces, with the group leader designated as 'Rebecca' all seems fantastical. It's a credit to historian Rhian E. Jones, that she manages to write a solidly-researched and grounded account of the events with a story-tellers grace that loses none of the theatre. 

The Rebecca Riots weren't just riots. It was a multi-faceted popular uprising against a series of injustices perpetrated by the rich and powerful against the poor and powerless. There were some actual riots, including the storming of the Carmarthen workhouse, but most of the actions were carefully planned and targeted attacks that dismantled the apparatus of oppression - the toll gates - while retaining sympathy among the wider population. 

And there is some story to tell. These mobs featured hundred of individuals, led by a 'Rebecca', sometimes accompanied by her daughters. The origins of her name are unknown and there are a few plausible theories. Rebecca and her followers struck in the middle of the night. And they carried on taking down toll gates and toll houses even as thousands of armed troops were billeted across Carmarthenshire to try and snuff out a rebellion that even troubled Queen Victoria and the ministers of the Crown in far off London. 

Rhian takes a scholars eye to paint a compelling picture of what life was like in rural, yet cosmopolitan, south west Wales. Carmarthen was a large and important market town. The many farms and manors around it were considered idyllic and peaceful. So, for a movement that upset social conventions - with "women" leading the fray - as much as it upset the political status quo to erupt here of all places really shook up the wider establishment in the UK. The 'peaceable' Welsh were causing mayhem and that scared the people in power. 

It's quite clear from the way the book is framed that Rhian Jones sympathises with the righteousness of the Rebeccaites cause, although she stops short of explicitly approving of their methods. It's hard not to read this book and feel on Rebecca's side. But Rhian is very fair-handed writing about the land-owners,  magistrates and generals trying to stop the chaos. She is also greatly helped by the columns written by a Times journalist who became embedded in the Rebecca movement and was thus able to explore the grievances and motivations of the people in real time - this was probably one of the earliest pieces of journalism from a 'front line' in a conflict. 

Rhian also avoids the temptation to draw any direct parallels with current politics or contemporary issues. Those would quickly render this story out of date; instead I think this book will remain relevant. The story of how the movement lost momentum, became the locus for bad faith actors who turned it to their own criminal advantage, and eventually petered out when some limited reforms were introduced is, in it's own way, timeless. 

Rhian's conclusion, though, was something I found inspiring: "The extent of their success is perhaps less important than the fact that they made the attempt." That is the key to why the mysterious Rebecca and her followers are remembered at all.