The initial reason for me researching the 1821 Cinderloo Uprising was for a speech competition about local history, and as someone who has always been intrigued by the hidden history not widely taught, I knew I wanted to focus on something ignored by traditional historiography. Yet, unsure on a specific theme, I began by reading inquest reports kept in my local archives.

In the late 18th century, a change was apparent in the type of deaths investigated.  Mining related deaths skyrocketed, with one small mine alone having nearly 30 deaths in the brief period I researched, leading me to the conclusion that the local mining industry was crushing the working-class populace, with little care from the upper classes. I knew that this was an area I wanted to research further and after looking on local history websites about the mining industry, the events at Old Park jumped out at me.

Articles from the two rival county newspapers of the time confirmed my suspicions about the treatment of working-class miners in this period. Both the Shrewsbury Chronicle and the Salopian Journal were sympathetic to the mine owners and praised the actions of the yeomanry in shutting down the protest. A later article described the execution of Thomas Palin in harrowing detail and then stated that ‘his life was deemed necessary as an Awful Example,’ perhaps echoing the sentiment of the readership of these newspapers which was largely gentry and professionals. These sources demonstrate an anti-Working-Class bias and a lack of care from those in power regarding their worker’s lives, with this disregard solidifying my desire to research Cinderloo.  

Protest and change are not the first thought when considering a county like Shropshire, instead aspects like agriculture, nature and small, traditional villages come to mind. Therefore, this instance of post-Napoleonic protest and change would not be expected, and that is part of the reason why such an event is important to recognise in a national or local history.  

On the 1st and the 2nd of February 1821, 3000 striking colliers alongside women and children marched to Old Park, Telford, in protest against the cruel actions of their employers. In response to economic crisis, the ironmasters formed a group (which was illegal under the 1799 and 1800 Combination Acts) and decided to cut workers’ pay by 6 pennies a day. The magistrate and the Shropshire yeomanry met the protest, and in the resulting chaos after the reading of The Riot Act, two strikers were killed by the yeomanry. The ‘ringleader,’ Thomas Palin was later executed for felonious riot. This protest would later be known as the Cinderloo Uprising.  

The events at Old Park are demonstrative of the discontent caused by the post-Napoleonic Depression. When the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, over £1,680,000,000 had been spent by the government. This exorbitant price was followed by years of bad harvests and rising prices, culminating in the 1815 Corn Laws that persecuted and punished the poor for the mistakes of the upper classes. The Corn Laws favoured domestic agriculture, which allowed many in the Upper Classes to keep their economic position created in the Napoleonic Wars. However, this caused a deep decline in the industrial output, coupled with a rising population and falling wages, an economic depression began. On top of this, there was increased competition between the different minefields with Welsh and Black Country coal causing other mines to lose profits.

These issues combined led to falling prices for the ironmasters of the Coalbrookdale Coalfield. They decided to pass these losses onto their workers, to prioritise their profits. The abject suffering caused by the economic downturn and the lack of response by the ruling classes inspired many protests, like Cinderloo in their ferocity, vigour and feeling of nothing-to-lose. Cinderloo is the perfect example of the anger and violence this depression caused, and how the response of those in power to oppress rather than to support. 

Class division of this period were worsening, deepening, and extending, as evidenced in the contrast in treatment of those involved in the protest. The industrial revolution is known for pollution, poverty, and pestilence. But not for the establishment of class relationships. Whilst the class system existed before the mid-18th century, it defined itself in this era. It established the Working Class as a group to be ignored and exploited and broken, whilst simultaneously uniting the upper classes with the desire to maintain the status quo. We see this in Cinderloo, when the strikers were punished for the protest, but not the employers, who had acted illegally for many years in the area with their use of the Truck system. It is also interesting to note that the jury who condemned the strikers was entirely male and mostly upper class, further solidifying this point. This use of the legal system to keep power over the masses just demonstrates so vividly these deepening inequalities that kept the lower classes subservient. This deep divide and inhuman control over others of this period is perhaps best described in Karl Marx’s 1848 The Communist Manifesto: ‘The Proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains’. Cinderloo is an example of the deepening class divides and the unfair punishment of one group, for the liberties freely expressed by another. 

In the early 19th century, the methods of protest were changing. People have long protested through violence, but especially at a time when most of those protesting have no other method of demanding change. In the context of Shropshire, violent protest was common in this period from the 1800 Oswestry Bread Riots to the 1830 and 1831 arson in Whitchurch (which was a part of the Swing Riots). However, the people involved in these protests had no other options to express their views, like the Cinderloo protesters. Imagine you are an 1821 collier at Cinderloo. You have just been informed that your pay is about to be significantly docked, to the extent that you will be unable to provide for your family. Bread prices are getting too high for you to afford due to the corn laws. You do not have the vote, so have no MP to ask for help. You are not part of a trade union as they are illegal - what are your options? The only way for the poor of this era to make their voices heard was through acts of violence. Thankfully, key societal changes started to happen in the 19th century. People had further options for protest, for example with the 1842 Chartist meeting on the Wrekin where 30,000 people attended, and yet no violence was recorded.  

The legacy of Cinderloo is debatable. It achieved very little for the strikers, other than a 4p reduction in daily wages rather than a 6p reduction, which considering the loss of three lives in total meant very little. The lives of the strikers did not improve, and I would confidently argue that their employers had more contempt for them than before. However, Cinderloo does have a role in the class conflict that encapsulates the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was part of a wider movement for class emancipation that led to changes such as the legalisation of trade unions (partially in 1824 when the Combination Acts were repealed and fully in 1871 with the Trade Union Act) and the extension of worker’s rights. To me, its role in the creation of Trade Unions is especially pertinent today, as anti-union and anti-strike sentiment gain traction. Cinderloo demonstrates how the modern trade union movement has its roots in the brutal repression of the working class. 

It would be foolish of me to pretend that Cinderloo had any national significance. It did not immortalise itself into national or regional histories. Instead, it is an example of a social history that has been pushed aside in favour of political or one-sided interpretations of history. Learning and preserving the history of ordinary people is essential, as I believe that the experiences and actions of those who were looked down on in the past can teach us so much today and change the way in which we view ourselves. The events at Old Park deserve greater recognition for showing the changes that society underwent during the Industrial Revolution that have subsequently changed our lives today.