George Loveless (2 February 1797 – 26 December 1874) was a British

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

preacher and a leader of a group of six agricultural workers who became known as the

Tolpuddle Martyrs The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who, in 1834, were convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. They were arrested on ...

Early life

Loveless was born in

Tolpuddle Tolpuddle () is a village in Dorset, England, on the River Piddle from which it takes its name, east of Dorchester, the county town, and west of Poole. The estimated population in 2013 was 420. The village was home to the Tolpuddle Martyrs, ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, England to Thomas Loveless and his wife Dinah. From childhood he worked as a ploughman and, by 1830, had become a prominent community leader and

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

preacher.

Tolpuddle Martyrs

In the early 1830s he represented agricultural labourers from Dorchester in discussions with farmers, who agreed to raise wages to ten shillings a week. However in Tolpuddle, farmers only agreed to pay nine shillings, and later reduced wages to seven shillings and threatened a further cut to six shillings. As a consequence, in October 1833 Loveless formed a Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. Although trade unionism was not illegal, Loveless and his five co-leaders were found guilty of administering unlawful oaths, a felony under an Act of 1797. Loveless and his co-defendants (his brother James, their brother-in-law Thomas Standfield, their nephew Thomas Standfield, James Hammett and James Brine) were found guilty at Dorchester Assizes in March 1834, and sentenced to transportation for seven years to the Australian colonies. On 25 May 1833 Loveless was taken to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and set sail for

Van Dieman's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

, arriving on 4 September 1833.Nigel Kelly, Rosemary Rees, Jane Shuter. Britain, 1750-1900 Heinemann, 1998, p.25 He was sent to work on the domain farm at New Town as a shepherd and stock-keeper. He was later employed by Major William de Gillern at Glenayr. On 21 April 1834, more than 50,000 people marched in London to protest the treatment of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. In March 1836 the British government gave a full pardon to all six of the Martyrs. On hearing the news, Loveless refused immediate free passage back to Britain as he had some months previously written to his wife requesting that she join him. Once he had confirmation that she was not travelling to him, he departed on 30 January 1837 to Britain and arrived in London in June.

Later life

On his return, Loveless settled on a firm near Chipping Ongar in Essex. He became an active Chartist and wrote ''The Victims of Whiggery'', an account of his experiences. In 1844 he emigrated with four of his fellow martyrs to the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

. Loveless and his brother James settled in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

where George took out a mortgage on a 100 acre farm. He later moved to a farm at Siloam. Loveless died on 6 March 1874 at his farm at Siloam, and was survived by his wife Elizabeth and five children. He is buried at Siloam cemetery alongside one of his fellow martyrs, Thomas Standfield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loveless, George 1797 births 1874 deaths People from Dorset Convicts transported to Australia British trade unionists Methodist local preachers