BattlefieldsRebecca Riots military suppression Carmarthenshire 1839
modern

Rebecca Riots military suppression Carmarthenshire 1839

1839
Wales
Era
modern
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Wales
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
tollgate keepers and eventually military defenders.
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
West Wales tenant farmers and labourers disguised as women under the Rebecca leadership
Outcome
Tollgates attacked and destroyed. Military deployed to protect gates. Eventual government commission recommended reform of the turnpike system in Wales. The Rebecca Riots achieved their core objective of tollgate reform.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Rebecca Riots began with an attack on the Efailwen tollgate in Carmarthenshire by men in women's clothing led by Thomas Rees known as Rebecca. The riots spread across west Wales as tenant farmers and labourers attacked tollgates that represented the burden of road tolls on the rural poor.

Questions & Answers

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