First published in 1980 this book has been re-published by a very (very, very) small publisher. It is well worth checking out.

Buchanan Sharp

In Contempt of All Authority

Rural Artisans and Riot in the West of England, 1586-1660

Two of the most common types of popular disorders in late Tudor and early Stuart England were the food riots and the anti-enclosure riots in royal forests. Of particular interest are the forest riots known collectively as the Western Rising of 1626-1632, and the lesser known disorders in the Western forests which took place during the English Civil War. The central aims of this volume are to establish the social status of the people who engaged in those riots and to determine the social and economic conditions which produced the disorders. (more…)

Tickets for:

Leon Rosselson & Robb Johnson’s The Liberty Tree – The Life, Times And Writings Of Tom Paine

are now available from Bristol Ticket Shop.

Bristol Ticket Shop
26 Union Street Broadmead,
BS1 2DP
Tel: 0117 929 9008

Explore 17th Century Bristol with Bristol Radical History’s version of Millerd’s map of Bristol from 1673.

The programme of events for the Bristol Radical History Group Election Special has been announced.

In this series of events we will trace how we got the vote and try to find out whether there is a viable alternative to representational party democracy.  Therefore, we will find out about Thomas Spence, The Chartist, The Reform Acts and the Suffragettes. Searching for democratic alternatives we will look at anarchism in the 19th Century, election by lottery in Athens and participatory democracy from Anglo-Saxon Britain to the Internet.

Bristol Radical History Group are chuffed to welcome Dorothy Thompson, Owen Ashton, Steve Poole, Leon Rosselson, Robb Johnson, The Blue Sequoias, David Goldblatt, Roy Norris, Chris Chalkley, Les James, Keith Armstrong, Tony Dyer and some other familiar faces.

But there is more! If you are suffering from election fatigue already accomplished trouble maker Ian Bone will teach us how to subvert democracy with such shenanigans as the Vote Nobody campaign and The Bristolian. We will also be holding our own mock election in the dark and satirical tradition of The Mayor of Garrett.

Talks, walks, gigs and films. Check it out.

Bristol Radical History Group will be participating in the International Women’s Day event on Saturday 6th March (10am-4pm) at the Council House, College Green, Bristol. The event is free.

BRHG will be giving a short talk on the suffragette Theresa Garnett who attacked Winston Churchill on Temple Meads station 100 years ago last year (see http://www.brh.org.uk/autum2009/suffragette.html)

So if you missed our recreation of the event last year, come and find out why Thersea attacked Churchill and what happened after this famous incident.