The first book on Rebecca Riots since 1989 The book looks at the Rebecca riots protest movement in Victorian Wales, in a context informed by not only British and European historiography but also other disciplines including literature and anthropology. The book is informed by recent work in cultural and gender history, which it applies for the first time to the symbolic and ritual content of the protests. The book’s epilogue discusses historical protest in the context of the contemporary resurgence of leaderless extra-parliamentary protest around the world including Occupy, Anonymous, and anti-austerity movements.

The true story of the cross-dressing Welsh Robin Hoods who tore down the tollbooths, took revenge against deadbeat dads, rescued the poor from the poor house, and baffled Queen Victoria's finest.

La 4e de couv. indique : "The Rebecca Riots in west Wales began in the summer of 1839. They ceased as suddenly as they had started, and for three and a half years the countryside was undisturbed. Then, in the winter of 1842, they broke out again with greater violence, and this time continued throughout the following year. By day the countryside seemed quiet, but at night fantastically disguised horsemen, many dressed as women, careered along highways and through narrow lanes on their mysterious errands. They developped uncanny skill in evading the police and the infantry, and although their mounts were unwieldly farm horses, they also succeeded in outwitting the dragoons. The movement has typically been represented as the uprising of an oppressed peasantry, particularly against the burden of the toll-gates. Its causes, however, were far more deep-seated than that; the gates were only tangible objects that could be destroyed. The early nineteenth century saw a breakdown in the social structure of rural Wales, with its outmoded systems of government and administration, when the pressure of a greatly increased population upon a backward economy produced disturbances. The early chapters of this book are therefore devoted to an analysis of the social structure and to an examination of the underlying factors that brought about its collapse. In the last four chapters, a narrative account is given of the rioting and many strange characters are introduced to the reader."

A woman?s corpse is discovered near a Welsh community. Harry Probert-Lloyd has returned home from London and is preparing to inherit his father?s work as magistrate ? but is also slowly going blind. He suspects the remains belong to the love of his life, Margaret Jones, who disappeared seven years before. He pushes for an inquest but, thwarted, undertakes his own investigation, supported by childhood friend and local solicitor, John Davies. Cardiganshire still suffers the aftermath of the infamous Beca riots, where men dressed as women, attacking and destroying newly constructed tollbooths. Are the Becas responsible and where is the firebrand leader and clergyman Nathanial Howell? Will Harry unpick the conflicts and lies at the heart of the community before more fall victim to the ruthless killer? Meticulously researched, None So Blind is a wholly authentic evocation of a fascinating but neglected historical period as well as a complex and deeply satisfying crime thriller where nothing is as it seems.

There he was - John Hughes (Jac T?-isha) - a handsome young man with face blackened, clad in white nightdress and bonnet adorned with feathers. Leading hundreds of other young farmers similarly disguised, he was on a mission. After midnight under moonlight, amid a cacophony of drums, horns, gunfire and general caterwauling, they announced their presence, with John leading the way on his white horse.Well told, well researched, with a wealth of colourful detail, this book is a must for all interested in Tasmania's convict history. No Ordinary Convict is written with fluency and elegance that makes it a pleasure to read. Janine Marshall Wood's ancestor was a Rebecca, a leader of Welshmen protesting about unfair toll gate charges. Background information about the little-known Rebecca Riots is fascinating. So is the story of John Hughes and four others, transported to Van Diemen's Land. They suffered varying fates, from fair to dire: a microcosm of the convict experience. -Alison Alexander Tasmanian writer and historian Winner of the 2014 Australian National Biography Award

At a time that feels unprecedented in British politics – with unlawful prorogations of parliament, casual race-baiting by senior politicians, and a climate crisis that continues to be ignored – it’s easy to think these are uncharted waters for us, as a democracy. But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted. In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’ This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England. Part of Comma's 'History-into-Fiction' series.

Journalist Rebecca Traister’s New York Times bestselling exploration of the transformative power of female anger and its ability to transcend into a political movement is “a hopeful, maddening compendium of righteous feminine anger, and the good it can do when wielded efficiently—and collectively” (Vanity Fair). Long before Pantsuit Nation, before the Women’s March, and before the #MeToo movement, women’s anger was not only politically catalytic—but politically problematic. The story of female fury and its cultural significance demonstrates its crucial role in women’s slow rise to political power in America, as well as the ways that anger is received when it comes from women as opposed to when it comes from men. “Urgent, enlightened…realistic and compelling…Traister eloquently highlights the challenge of blaming not just forces and systems, but individuals” (The Washington Post). In Good and Mad, Traister tracks the history of female anger as political fuel—from suffragettes marching on the White House to office workers vacating their buildings after Clarence Thomas was confirmed to the Supreme Court. Traister explores women’s anger at both men and other women; anger between ideological allies and foes; the varied ways anger is received based on who’s expressing it; and the way women’s collective fury has become transformative political fuel. She deconstructs society’s (and the media’s) condemnation of female emotion (especially rage) and the impact of their resulting repercussions. Highlighting a double standard perpetuated against women by all sexes, and its disastrous, stultifying effect, Good and Mad is “perfectly timed and inspiring” (People, Book of the Week). This “admirably rousing narrative” (The Atlantic) offers a glimpse into the galvanizing force of women’s collective anger, which, when harnessed, can change history.