A statue was commissioned by the TUC as a tribute to the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of impoverished agricultural workers who formed a trade union in 1834 in a bid to improve working conditions. The Martyrs were arrested after taking an oath of secrecy and sentenced to 7 years penal transportation. The sculpture, by Thompson Dagnall, is made from Portland stone and is designed for visitors to sit alongside George in front of the Martyrs Museum at Tolpuddle. On the back of the six seats are words from the trial at which George Loveless said: “We will, we will, we will be free.”
My husband is a retired trade-union leader.