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In the 1870s rural west Oxfordshire was amongst the poorest parts of the country. The majority of the population were employed in agriculture, where the wages and conditions were poor. This enabled Joseph Arch’s newly formed National Agricultural Labourers Union to gain a large membership in the Wychwood villages. One of the key aims of the new Union was to increase wages and in 1873 they began to push for a 2shillings a week rise.
The seven women imprisoned for 10 days with hard labour were: Martha Maria Smith aged 45, Rebecca Smith aged 25, Mary Moss (alias Smith) aged 17, Charlotte Moss aged 39, Ann Susan Moss aged 25, Ann Moss aged 22 and Fanny Honeybone aged just 16.
The nine women sentenced to 7 days imprisonment with hard labour were: Elizabeth Pratley, aged 29, Mary Pratley aged 33, Ellen Pratley aged 25, Lavinia Dring, aged 44, Amelia Moss aged 36, Martha Moss, aged 33, Caroline Moss, aged 18, Jane Moss aged 31 and Mary Moss aged 35.
Two children also ended up in prison with their mothers, Thomas Pratley (son of Mary) aged 10 weeks & Eli Pratley (Son of Elizabeth) aged 7 months.
The Martyrs Tree and Benches
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