The Story | Who were the Ascott Martyrs? | Contact Us
About the wider context
The Revolt of the Field – Arthur Clayden 1874
Rural Discontent in Nineteenth Century Britain – J. P. D. Dunbabin 1974
Sharpen the Sickle: The History of the Farmworkers’ Union – Reg Groves 1949
Over the Hills to Glory: Radicalism in Banburyshire 1832 -1945 – J.R. Hodgkins 1978
Poor Labouring Men: Rural Radicalism in Norfolk, 1870 – 1923 – Alun Howkins 1985
From Ploughtail to Parliament: An Autobiography – Joseph Arch 1898
Joseph Arch (1826-1919): the Farmworkers’ Leader – Pamela Horn 1971
The Martyrs and the Chipping Norton Incident
The Ascott Women S.G. Baker. Top. Oxon. No.6 Spring 1961
Defiant Women – Wendy Pearse. Journal of the Wychwoods Local History Society No.23 2008 here >>> (opens in new tab)
The Ascott Martyrs: Sixteen Women from Ascott-under-Wychwood who were sent over the hills to glory – Beverley McCombs 2016
May 1873 Ascott Martyrs 2018. Booklet about the commemorative textile hanging created in 2017-18
Oxfordshire’s Tolpuddle? The case of the Ascott Martyrs – Mark Curthoys Oxoniensia Vol.86 2021 here >>> (opens in new tab)
The Ascott Martyrs: Why did the rural establishment imprison sixteen women and two babies in 1873? – Edited Keith Laybourn 2023 visit https://tolpuddletothecotswolds.co.uk (opens in new tab)
Copies of Beverley McCombs’ book and the booklet about the commemorative textile are on sale in the village shop in Ascott. Beverley McComb’s book can also be bought online here >>> (opens in new tab)
Fictional works inspired by the Martyrs’ story
Riding to Jerusalem – Elspeth Sandys 1996 : (A novel based on the events surrounding the Chipping Norton Incident. Written Ascott Martyrs by a former resident of the village now living in New Zealand)
Over the Hills to Glory – A play by Ascott resident Doris Warner 1953
Research Material
An extensive archive of electronic and hard copy material relating to the Chipping Norton Incident and the Ascott Martyrs was gathered in the course of their research by members of the Ascott Martyrs Educational Trust. This material is now being cared for in the Wychwoods Local History Society’s Archive and can be viewed by appointment. Contact Us
Original documents
The Oxfordshire History Centre cares for the original surviving documents related to the Chipping Norton Incident, many of which have survived amongst the documents of the Clerk of the Peace Records. This material is identified by the reference CPZ 16 and can be accessed by visiting the History Centre in Oxford. For further information about planning your visit please go here >>> (opens in new tab)
The Story | Who were the Ascott Martyrs? | Discover More | Contact Us
