Cylchgronau Cymru

6,000 at the time of the 1801 Census. Frequent gatherings ( hundreds of people demanding corn alarmed the town early in 179 and pamphlets were circulated threatening all those who cheated th poor. On 2 February, a market day, a great crowd of peop] terrified farmers, merchants, and maltsters as they visited thei houses seeking corn. The climax of this discontent was probably reached two days late when an army of copper workers and others from the neighbourhoo< of Llangyfelach made a protest march to Swansea. On the way the raided farmhouses for corn and took the farmers as hostages. Whei the rioters came to a works they stopped, cheered, and invited th workers to join them. When they finally entered the town they stil continued searching for corn and threatened to pull down the hous< of one maltster unless he brought his corn for sale in the market or the following Saturday. The rioters then proceeded to the Guildhal and put their grievances before the portreeve and the magistrates.41 The civil power was unable to deal with the situation and ar appeal for military help was sent to William Pitt, the prime minister.5* A detachment of the Second Regiment of Dragoons was quickly ordered to the affected area.51 The government was obviously worried, and with good reason. Seditious activities were reported to be taking place in the county52 and at the same time there were corn riots in many parts of Britain.53 Two years later, however, Wales was overwhelmed by disturbances of far greater importance. This new outburst of corn riots lasted for over a year, therefore helping to give 1795 the atmosphere of a year of revolution. In the first four months of that year disturbances broke out in many parts of Wales. The colliers and poor people in the neighbourhood of the Conway and Bangor Ferry in Caernarvonshire stopped Liverpool-bound ships loaded with corn,54 and, at Aber- ystwyth, lead miners entered the town at night, breaking open storehouses and taking away the corn. 55 Farther south, corn riots broke out at Narberth56 and Bridgend.57 Troops were rushed to U Great Sessions Records. Glamorgan 1793. Gaol Files. Wales 4/628. 80 H.O. 42/24. Letter from the Sheriff of Glamorgan and others, 6 February 1793. 51 Ibid. Letter from J. Llewelyn. 10 February 1793. 63 H.O. 42/24. Extract of a letter from Cardiff, 28 February 1793, which stated that seditious papers were being distributed in the area and a man was translating Tom Paine into Welsh. 53 H.O. 42/24. Wales does not seem to have been affected as much as England. 5. Salopian Journal, 25 February 1795. 55 Ibid., 4 March 1795. Bye-gones, 1871-3, p. 44. 66 Salopian Journal, 4 March 1795. H.O. 42/34. Letter from T. Wyndham. 28 February 1795. H.O. 43/6. ff. 241. 248. Letters from the Duke of Portland, 3 March 1795 and from J. King. 6 March 1795.