Case Study 'China' - Topic 7

Question 1

what was the population of of Merthyr in 1851? Why had it grown so much?

Answer 1

46,400

reason = development of the iron industry

Question 2

how did the development of the iron industry affect merthyr?

Answer 2

the iron industry transformed Merthyr. the town grew around 4 great ironworks, each of which had its own furnaces, workshops and a village of houses for its workers

Question 3

what did the Merthyr ironmasters also do?

Answer 3

they opened up their own coalmines in the area and employed as many people in the coalmines as they did in the ironworks.

Question 4

when did Merthyr’s iron industry decline?

Answer 4

by the 1860s Merthyr’s iron-making days were over

Question 5

why did the population of Merthyr grow so much?

Answer 5

due to the demand for workers in the ironworks and coalmines and this demand was met through the constant arrival of immigrants

Question 6

how did Merthyr become overcrowded and unhealthy?

Answer 6

the ironmasters built houses for their workers which they crammed together but there was no planning laws or town council to regulate this expansion. Merthyr

Question 7

what were the three types of housing in Merthyr?

Answer 7

terraced housing
‘courts’
‘cellar-dwellings’

Question 8

can you describe the different types of housing in Merthyr and who they were for?

Answer 8

terraced housing - normally 2 or 3 rooms but no bathroom. for skilled workers

‘courts’ - poorer quality. shared toilet. houses built in a square with a yard in the centre. for unskilled workers

‘cellar dwellings’ - three storey houses. dark, windowless, damp. one room may be home to an entire family. for the poorest people

Question 9

what were three issues of public health?

Answer 9

life expectancy, disease, water supply

Question 10

how was life expectancy an issue in Merthyr?

Answer 10

• the average life expectancy of a worker was 22 years old
• highest death rate was among children

Question 11

how was disease an issue in Merthyr?

Answer 11

• outbreaks were frequent due to the overcrowded, damp and dirty housing
• outbreaks of TB, smallpox and measles were frequent
• the most significant was cholera; outbreak in 1849 caused 1467 deaths

Question 12

how was the water supply an issue in Merthyr?

Answer 12

• much of it was contaminated with waste from the ironworks
• many houses had no toilets so dumped waste onto the streets/rivers
• the supply of fresh water was extremely poor

Question 13

can you describe poverty caused by the truck system?

Answer 13

ironmasters paid wages in tokens/trucks which were only used in ‘tommy’ shops however prices were generally higher there and so workers went into debt due to being encouraged to ‘buy on loan’

Question 14

why did crime sometimes increase in Merthyr in the nineteenth century?

Answer 14

when the iron industry was doing well, law and order was relatively stable. However, during periods of high food prices due to bad harvests, there was an increase in lawlessness and disorder e.g. during the early 1840s

Question 15

how can we divide the criminal acts?

Answer 15

• crime caused by POVERTY
• crimes connected to the IRONWORKS
• crimes associated with LEISURE TIME
• crimes of a SEXUAL NATURE

Question 16

describe crime caused by poverty

Answer 16

mainly concerned theft. nearly 70% of all reported cases of theft were to do with stealing clothing, food and coal.

Question 17

describe crimes connected to the ironworks

Answer 17

theft of company property, especially the stealing of coal. other crimes connected with this category included illegal strike activity or the destruction of company property

Question 18

describe crimes associated with leisure time

Answer 18

most of the crimes in this category were related to drunkeness and disorderly behaviour

Question 19

describe crimes of a sexual nature

Answer 19

the most common crime was stealing from the person by the towns prostitutes. the prostitutes of China were notorious for stealing from their clients

Question 20

what was ‘China’ and what did it become known as? What had it become a den of?

Answer 20

an area of Merthyr
became known as ‘Little Hell’
a den of drunks, thieves, prostitutes and their minders

Question 21

what was the most widespread crime in China and what were rodnies?

Answer 21

most widespread crimes were linked to prostitution and petty crime

rodnies were child thieves and pickpockets

Question 22

describe attempts to police China during the 1840s

Answer 22

1840s = attempt to clean up China/restore law and order

1846-47 = over 50 criminals of the ‘empire’ were apprehended. Emperor and Empress (Benjamin Richards and Anne Evans) were arrested and sentenced to transportation but other criminals took their place

Question 23

how was self-policing used in China?

Answer 23

• use of ceffyl pren
• e.g Anne Harman was accused of being unfaithful to her husband and so was forcibly placed on a ladder and carried through China to her mother’s house and was pelted with mud and stones. PUBLIC HUMILIATION

Question 24

how was China finally conquered?

Answer 24

• it took time to establish a police presence and command respect
• by 1860 China was in decline
• continued police presence and sterner consequences were beginning to have an impact
• by 1870 many of the professional criminals moved to Cardiff

Question 25

what did it take for the authorities in Merthyr to change their attitude and release money to set up a police force?

Answer 25

instances of rioting

the sharp rise in crimes during periods of economic recession

the criminal area of ‘China’

Question 26

what was the inherited systems of law and order?

Answer 26

it was within the community. at the top was the Lord Lieutenant. By the 18th century the responsibility fell to the JPs and Parish Constables

Question 27

why did the inherited system of law and order become ineffective in Merthyr in the nineteenth century?

Answer 27

rapid industrialization/urbanisation

population increase

Question 28

when was the Merthyr rising?

Answer 28

3rd June 1831

Question 29

what were the causes of the Merthyr rising?

Answer 29

wage cuts and rising unemployment led to increasing debt which resulted in confiscation of property. This coincided with a demand for an extension of the vote

Question 30

what were the events of the Merthyr rising?

Answer 30

-on 3rd June 1831 a 7000 large crowd gathered outside the inn causing soldiers to open fire
- the soldiers had a headquarters at the inn after being called to sort out large crowds raiding shops/houses
- there were 16 wounded soldiers and 24 rioters were killed with over 70 wounded
- order was restored on the 6th June

Question 31

how many people were killed/wounded in the Merthyr rising?

Answer 31

16 soldiers wounded

24 rioters killed

70 rioters wounded

Question 32

what were the outcomes of the Merthyr rising?

Answer 32

• troops were sent in to regain control
• 26 were put on trial
• several were transported but only Dic Penderyn was executed

Question 33

what were some experiments in early policing?

Answer 33

• magistrates requested constables be sent down from London
• a section of the community had realised the value of having a police force
• it was short lived
• the force was too expensive
• constables would use old stocks or a lock-up

Question 34

describe the establishment of the Glamorgan County Constabulary in 1841

Answer 34

• due to social unrest
• the chief was Captain Charles Napier
• a total of 34 men with 12 assigned to Merthyr
• police station built in 1844
• operated under strict rules e.g. if a constable missed work his wages would be deducted

Question 35

describe the effectiveness of Merthyr’s first police force

Answer 35

• 13 men enforcing over 46,000 people was a challenge
• recruiting sufficient numbers was difficult
• it took time to establish a presence in China so it was not involved in the ‘Beats’
• when officers did enter China, the whole police force entered led by the superintendent
• in the 1850s, the ‘beat’ was extended to the whole of Merthyr
• not until the end of the1800s that one constable could control China alone