Defiance and Destruction: Swing Riots in Havant and Emsworth

When

25 February 2026
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Where

,

Restrictions:
None known.

Cost (members): 0.00

Cost (non-members): 5.00

Event description: In 1830, Hampshire farm workers faced a perfect storm:

  • The cessation of the French wars in 1815 had resulted in substantial and progressive ,reductions in the army and the navy. There were many more men looking for work.
  • The weather had been fairly benign for the previous 30 years and as a result, the population had grown markedly – in many cases by more than 100% between 1801 and 1831.
  • The Corn Laws meant that the price of corn was kept high. Imported corn attracted heavy import duty. As a result, the price of bread was high
  • The 1601 Poor Laws were no longer fit for purpose – effectively encouraging farmers to pay their workers less than a living wage, knowing it would be topped up by the parish. The parish payments were funded by the tithe which everyone paid – so labourers were forced to contribute to their own benefits.
  • Farmers had introduced labour saving machinery progressively during the 18th century with little dissent. But the threshing machines became a particularly sensitive issue because threshing was done in the autumn and winter, when there was little alternative employment.
  • As a result, farmers were making a good income and paid their workers very poorly.
  • King George IV died on 26 June 1830, leaving politicians without a clear policy direction. In those days, the monarchy had a more direct influence on political deliberations than is the case today.
  • The weather had been awful for the previous two years, limiting farm incomes and inflicting cumulative misery upon the farm workers.

Our talk will examine these causes of farm workers’ grievances and follow the events in and around Emsworth and Havant on the 18th and 19th November 1830 and the subsequent riots, arrests and transportations of Hampshire men to the colonies, effectively for life

Speakers:

Penny Munday: Penny began her working career as a teacher of German and moved on to teaching IT. She is now retired. She is also an artist and Morris dancer.  Her interest in local history was sparked by curiosity about the graves in her local cemetery which she helps to care for as a Conservation volunteer. She has only recently learnt about the Swing Riots because of the Bicentenary Commemoration planned in Winchester in 2030 and she’s enthralled to think that her small local town has a direct connection with major historical events. She’s keen to research, to pass information on and to enthuse more members of the local community, which the group is attempting to do through exhibitions and talks.

James Turner: James isb retired and lives in Hampshire and has always been interested in History. Having so far survived three lives in Finance, Librarianship and Family Caring, during the course of which he obtained a number of qualifications, including a degree in Information and Library Studies; and proudest achievement of all a GCSE in Local History!
Areas of chief interest for James include Family History, Military History and Historical Biography. He has contributed to the West Sussex County Council Library Military Lives Oral History project through recording interviews and writing up four of the case studies in the published book. Over the years he has also contributed to other research and transcription projects.
His specialist interests are transcribing wills and Sussex Bankruptcy. He is also a Committee Member of Westbourne Local History Group (in West Sussex) and part of the Havant Swing Riots Group.

Neil Spurgeon: Neil Spurgeon spent 30 years in the Royal Navy, before working in Further and Higher Education. He is Chairman of the Havant Local History Group which meets informally each month at The Spring Arts and Heritage Centre to investigate local history and through which research projects such as Portsmouth Area Railway Pasts are investigated.

 

The event is free to members of the Hampshire Archives Trust – simply register for the event below by logging in.

 

There is a fee of £5 for non-Hampshire Archives Trust Members who will need to register here – whilst logged in.There is a fee of £2 for non-HAT member Students who will also need to register here – using their personal  School/College/University email address.

 

This event is held online via Zoom.

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