Rebecca’s Country

In the early years of the Victorian era, men in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire rebelled against the imposition of tolls on the roads they travelled while making their living. In a mass protest movement, they dressed themselves in dramatic and colourful costumes, and led by the enigmatic figure of ‘Rebecca’, they attacked symbols of injustice, redistributed wealth, and clashed with both local authorities and the national government.

These events, which became known as the Rebecca riots, provide a compelling story of successful direct action. But they were also a broader uprising of communities across Wales against a wide range of financial, social and political pressures.

In Rebecca’s Country, historian Rhian E. Jones explores the background, chronology and achievements of the movement, and the glimpse that it gives into the lives of ordinary people and how they responded to the sweeping and severe changes of the early nineteenth century, telling the human stories behind this fascinating history.