The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who, in 1834, were convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. Some of them were also Methodists.

They were arrested on charges under an obscure act during a labour dispute against cutting wages before being convicted in R v Loveless and Others and sentenced to penal transportation to Australia.

They were pardoned in 1836 after mass protests by sympathisers and support from Lord John Russell and returned to England between 1837 and 1839. The Tolpuddle Martyrs became a popular cause for the early union and workers' rights movements.

Join us to explore how the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs can still speak today.

Our panel will feature Simon Topping (minister in the Gloucestershire Circuit) and Steph Jenner ( former minister of Tolpuddle Methodist Church).