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Everyone loves a good cheese riot! GIVE US CHEESE!
The disturbance happened when a crowd of people prevented a consignment of cheese from being loaded onto a ship docked at Carmarthen.
A second attempt was made two days later, this time, however, not only were the goods stopped from going on board, the vessel was also ransacked. Cheese had become a vital part of many people's diet as a substitute for meat as a source of protein. To see it being sent for export instead of being made available to the people of Carmarthen was the flashpoint for the riot. Order was only regained when the merchants decided to distribute the cheese locally.
The background to this incident lay in the difficult and challenging economic situation at the time, which was impacted by many issues.
The Enclosure Acts which had been introduced since 1750 resulted in bigger privately owned estates and the only way for the vast majority of people to continue farming was through tenancy. By the 19th century approximately 90% of agricultural land was being farmed this way. The arrival of farm produce from Europe increased dramatically following Britain's victory in the Napoleonic Wars.
This resulted in a decrease in the price of Britain's home grown produce which combined with a series of poor harvests and the additional financial burden of toll-gates and Church tithes drove many tenant farmers into poverty and resulted in a shortage of food.
From - The History of Wales
The disturbance happened when a crowd of people prevented a consignment of cheese from being loaded onto a ship docked at Carmarthen.
A second attempt was made two days later, this time, however, not only were the goods stopped from going on board, the vessel was also ransacked. Cheese had become a vital part of many people's diet as a substitute for meat as a source of protein. To see it being sent for export instead of being made available to the people of Carmarthen was the flashpoint for the riot. Order was only regained when the merchants decided to distribute the cheese locally.
The background to this incident lay in the difficult and challenging economic situation at the time, which was impacted by many issues.
The Enclosure Acts which had been introduced since 1750 resulted in bigger privately owned estates and the only way for the vast majority of people to continue farming was through tenancy. By the 19th century approximately 90% of agricultural land was being farmed this way. The arrival of farm produce from Europe increased dramatically following Britain's victory in the Napoleonic Wars.
This resulted in a decrease in the price of Britain's home grown produce which combined with a series of poor harvests and the additional financial burden of toll-gates and Church tithes drove many tenant farmers into poverty and resulted in a shortage of food.
From - The History of Wales
