In early October 1831, the defeat of the Second Reform Bill in the House of Lords led to a wave of pro-reform public protests and disturbances across Britain and Ireland. Concurrently in Dorset, a microcosm of the national struggle over electoral reform was being fought out in a county by-election which posed Lord Ashley an anti-reformer against the pro-reform candidate William Ponsonby. In a close fought race, marked by widespread claims of corruption, Ashley was victorious. In the immediate aftermath of the result, disturbances broke out first in Dorchester followed by Wareham, Poole, Blandford, Sherborne and Yeovil and several other locations. The latter three ‘reform’ riots were serious events with significant damage to property and involved the intervention of Yeomanry and regular Cavalry units.

This talk considers the two days of rioting in Yeovil in detail, with particular emphasis on the targets of the rioters, who the rioters were and their interactions with the authorities. From this evidence an attempt will be made to understand the motivations of the rioters, the majority of whom were not going to be enfranchised by the Great Reform Act of the following year.

This public lecture, given by Professor Steve Poole (UWE) and Dr Roger Ball (UWE) at Yeovil Library on 28 January 2023, is part of the ESRC funded project 'Intergroup Dynamics within the 1831 reform riots' led by the University of West of England.