Chartist descendants mark uprising

12:43pm Monday 5th November 2007

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By Jane Helmich »

TERRY Frost Jones bears the name of an important figure not just in the history of Newport but also in the fight for democracy.

He is descended was John Frost, one of the Chartists whose protest led to him being charged with treason.

Mr Jones, who now lives in New Zealand, was in Newport on the weekend at a "meet the ancestors" event in St Mary's Institute to mark the uprising.

And he was joined by others who have good reason to be proud of their ancestors who marched together to mark that momentous day in November 1839.

There were also relations of people on the other side of the battle outside the Westgate Hotel, including cousins Olwen Williams and Pam Matthews who have a family link to the then mayor of Newport, Sir Thomas Phillips.

But more than 20 Chartists were shot dead, three leaders - including John Frost - were transported to Australia, while others had their lives ruined.

Mr Jones used to live in Monmouth and remembered being "held up as a history lesson" when he was a child.

Standing next to Mr Jones on Saturday was Bill O'Keefe whose own Chartist great-great-great-great grandfather, Newport printer John Partridge, was a close friend of John Frost and tried to hide him from the soldiers.

Patricia Horner, of Maindee, described her ancestor, James Horner, as "one of the most extraordinary ordinary men of Newport".

He promoted Chartism before the uprising and bravely continued afterwards despite being warned by the magistrate about behaving in the future.

Rhys Jenkins, who travelled to the event from Buckinghamshire, only found out about his ancestor, William Farraday who was shot and killed, when researching his family history in the 1990s.

Cousins Sylvia Taylor and Valerie Gordon talked about their ancestor Wright Beatty who was accused of firing a gun at the mayor and soldiers. Mrs Morgan's late husband Graham was also a descendant of John Patridge.