Thomas Standfield (11 November 1789 – 19 February 1864) was an English agricultural worker, Methodist and trade union organiser.

Early life

Thomas Standfield 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 Robert and Elizabeth (née Baker) Standfield.

Trade unionism

George Loveless, Standfield, and other workers petitioned their employers for a wage increase to ten shillings per week, which was agreed by their masters and witnessed by the local Anglican priest. However, the employers soon reneged on the deal reducing their wage to 6 shillings per week, which was insufficient for a comfortable life. The workers then joined the nascent

Grand National Consolidated Trades Union The Grand National Consolidated Trades Union of 1834 was an early attempt to form a national union confederation in the United Kingdom. There had been several attempts to form national general unions in the 1820s, culminating with the National A ...

(GNCTU) and formed a local branch. As laws prohibiting trade unions had been repealed, the employers conspired with the authorities to use an obscure law forbidding secret oaths to arrest and prosecute the men. At a trial in Dorchester on 19 March 1834, Standfield and five other men were sentenced to seven years' transportation. There was a public outcry, and the six men 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 ...

Sentence, pardon, and later life

On 11 April 1834, the martyrs set sail from Plymouth on the Surry, bound in iron chains and headed for Australia. During the 111-day voyage, the convicts endured abominable conditions and were unable to lie down to sleep. On 17 August 1834, Standfield arrived in the Crown Colony of New South Wales to begin his sentence. Standfield was indentured on a farm near to

Maitland, New South Wales Maitland () is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle. It is on the New England Hi ...

In 1836,

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

was persuaded to issue a pardon to all six men, although it was not until March 1838 that they returned to England. After returning to England, the martyrs moved to farms in Essex - the Loveless family at

Greensted Greensted is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ongar, Essex, England, strung out along the Greensted Road approximately one mile to the west of Chipping Ongar. In 1961 the parish had a population of 711. Toponymy Greenste ...

and the Standfield family at

High Laver High Laver is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. The parish is noted for its association with the philosopher John Locke. History High Laver is historically a rural agricultural parish, pred ...

. They were not made welcome and eventually emigrated to Canada. The Standfields moved to

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 ...

in 1846. Thomas died in 1864 and was buried in Siloam Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Standfield, Thomas 1789 births 1864 deaths English trade unionists People from Dorset