Volume 7, Number 2, 2004 

Family & Community History

Contents

Editorial	83
ARTICLES
Swing revisited: the Swing project  Michael Holland	87
'Very active in the riot': a disturbance on Romney Marsh in 1821  Paul Newton Taylor	101
The Dorking emigration scheme of 1832  Judy Hill	115
A 'Tech' school for Victorian Lincoln  Dennis Mills	129
Infant mortality in Asylum Road, Kingston upon Thames, 1872-1911: an exercise in microhistory  Christopher French	141
NEWS	157

Volume 7 No. 2, pp. 87-100, November 2004

Swing Revisted: The Swing Project

By Michael Holland

The Captain Swing riots were the most serious protest by agricultural labouring communities of the 19th century. Historiographically, the work of Hobsbawm and Rude (1969) has remained the outstanding account of these riots. So much so that, since their groundbreaking study, relatively little work has been done on these events at an aggregate scale. However, local research has implied that the unrest was greater than even Hobsbawm and Rude reported. This article reviews the findings of a project on the Swing disturbances in England, Scotland and Wales in the period 1830 to 1832. Our

intention was to address the extent of 'Swing' and to revisit the frequency and type of distribution of the unrest. Our findings suggest that it was indeed more widespread than hitherto believed. Boundaries between Swing and non-Swing are also shown to be porous although many of the conclusions of Hobsbawm and Rude were found to stand the test of time.

Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 101-113, November 2004

'Very Active in the Riot': A Disturbance on Romney Marsh in 1821

By Paul Newton Taylor

The years of agricultural depression between the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815 and the Swing riots in 1830 were also years in which there were few agricultural disturbances. Although rural crime increased, possibly demonstrating growing social tension, actual riots have only been reported in East Anglia in 1816 and 1822. Work by Snell (2003) suggests these years also saw the peak of a 'culture of local xenophobia' as labouring communities looked to their own parishes both for their primary sense of belonging and as a resource for customary rights. This article reflects on exclusion as a factor in the precipitation of a riot in rural Kent in the summer of 1821. Quarter sessions records are used to reconstruct the events of that day. Although the rioters gave the impression of wanting more money for their work at harvest, the riot was fuelled by the presence of labourers from outside the immediate area and in this respect illustrates the presence of a 'culture of local xenophobia'. However, the involvement of labourers from various neighbouring parishes in the riot simultaneously suggests that horizons may have extended further than the parish boundary.

Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 115-128 2004

The Dorking Emigration Scheme of 1832

By Judy Hill

Statistical records of British emigration for the 19th century are very poor. Therefore it is important that all information that can be produced on assisted emigration should be considered to enhance our knowledge of the process of migration. In 1832 the Dorking Emigration Scheme facilitated emigration of a group of poor rural labourers and their families from Surrey to make a new life in Canada. These were people dependent for support on parish relief This article discusses this scheme in relation to British emigration policy in the years 1815-30. Investigating assisted emigration at a local level enables an assessment of the viability of Wilmont Horton's claim that one great cause of distress at the time was redundancy of population. It is evident in Dorking that emigration was seen as a way to alleviate the growing problem of rural unemployment. But was it just a scheme for 'shovelling out paupers', or are there other important factors that must be considered?

Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 129-140 2004

A 'Tech' School for Victorian Lincoln

By Dennis Mills

By reference to the history of a Victorian school, this article demonstrates some of the methodological points made in two of the articles in the previous number of Family & Community History (Mills 2004, and Deacon and Donald 2004). In particular, the emphasis is on the process of community. The principal document used is also claimed to be appropriate for community history, because it contain lists of names with social attributes. It has been linked with other sources, especially directories. The analysis demonstrates the importance of various elite groups in providing leadership for the establishment of the school, even though their sons did not attend it in significant numbers.

Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 141-155 2004

Infant Mortality in Asylum Road, Kingston upon Thames, 1872-1911: An exercise in Microhistory

By Christopher French

This article argues that existing analyses of infant mortality based on relatively large geographic areas now need to be supplemented by micro-level studies which will give greater depth to our understanding of the location and causes of infant mortality. In this study of Kingston upon Thames, a variety of linked sources have been used to subject one road - Asylum Road - to detailed analysis. Asylum Road suffered from disproportionate levels of infant mortality - especially in the 1890s - at a time when mortality in general was declining. The Italian community in particular inhabited a significant number of the houses in Asylum Road from the 1890s onwards and suffered from a deteriorating domestic environment at a time before defence mechanisms had been developed to aid their assimilation into a different culture.

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