THE fame which marks the tumultuous life of John Frost and transportation for his role in the Chartist riots in Newport has eclipsed the conflict surrounding his duties as a magistrate.
Occasions when a justice’s behaviour is questioned by the Lord Chancellor for bring the magistracy into disrepute are thankfully very few, but Monmouthshire’s imprint on judicial history is forever characterised by the way in which John Frost’s term as a Justice of the Peace encompassed political intrigue, personal vendettas and false accusations.
There can be no doubt that the underlying factor behind the Lord Chancellor’s concerns was Frost’s role as a prominent figure in the Chartist movement and his steadfast advocacy for their objectives.
John Frost
His lectures on reforms and bitter criticism of the landed gentry were seen as unbecoming of a magistrate, though Frost always maintained it was his desire to see a powerful and prosperous society.
Lord John Russel had asked Frost if he was a member of the National Convention and if he had attended a meeting in Pontypool when violent and inflammatory language had been used. If this were true then the home secretary could recommend the Lord Chancellor to remove his name as a Justice of the Peace.
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In a review of the case David Williams in his Study of Chartism quotes Frost in a letter responding to that claim “whether or not your Lordship will retain my name is to me a matter of indifference for I set no value for its continuation not according to the mode in which duties are carried out but on the will of the secretary of state. Am I to hold no opinion of my own in respect of public matters.”
Furthermore, he declared that he had worked hard to obtain his objectives within the law and could not see how the Lord Chancellor was justified in removing his name.
A plaque remembering John Frost
He added, somewhat forcefully: “I have served for three years zealously and the opinions which I have formed as to the exercise of public authority teach me that they and not your Lordship ought to decide whether or not I ought to be struck off.”
Such outspoken observations were viewed as intemperate and certainly question the authority to which he was bound. However, Lord Russell in reply said he had no intention of interfering with Frost’s opinions and confirmed that “no immediate steps” would be taken regarding his duties as a magistrate.
So Frost appeared to have been given a reprieve.
However, events were to dictate a change.
Frost was one of 50 delegates to a National Convention and the only magistrate, which added status to the group.
The former Chartist mural in John Fros Square, which was controversially demolished in 2013
It was reported that 5,500 signatures had been secured for a petition and, as further evidence of support for the movement, it was asserted that 20 branches of the Workingmen’s Association had been formed in Monmouthshire.
The home secretary did not take kindly to these moves and issued a clear warning: if Frost acted as a delegate he could no longer be a magistrate.
Frost acted predictably and in defiant mood declared that if his name was removed “then the people would put it on”. This was a clear confirmation of his aim to seek elected magistrates.
He told supporters he would hold the office of Justice of the Peace “freely and independently or not at all”.
A sketch of Chartist leader John Frost on trial at Monmouth after the uprising
His fate was sealed. Pleas to the home secretary by supporters were of no influence and his name was removed after just three years on the bench.
At the time the Chartists' objectives were seen as being far too radical and even extremist - but their persistence ultimately yielded results.
Despite further petitions and references from many parts of Wales Frost’s duties as a magistrate were over. His resolve to strive for political reform remained undiminished and it is one of life’s ironies that his zeal in seeking to adhere to the maxim of keeping the peace should end in riot and bloodshed in the 1839 Chartists’ confrontation in Newport’s Westgate Square.
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