How does the Welsh perspective shape the story of crime and punishment?
The Welsh perspective on crime and punishment: the Rebecca Riots of the 1840s as a Welsh protest crime, the Merthyr Rising of 1831 and Dic Penderyn, the impact of poverty and industry on crime in Wales, and how the Welsh context illustrates the wider themes of change and continuity.
A focused answer on the Welsh perspective in the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering the Rebecca Riots, the Merthyr Rising and Dic Penderyn, and how the Welsh context illustrates the wider themes of change and continuity.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers the Welsh perspective on crime and punishment, which is compulsory in WJEC's Unit 3. You need to explain the Rebecca Riots of the 1840s as a Welsh protest crime, the Merthyr Rising of 1831 and Dic Penderyn, the impact of poverty and industry on crime in Wales, and how the Welsh context illustrates the wider themes of change and continuity.
The Rebecca Riots
The Merthyr Rising and Dic Penderyn
Poverty, industry and crime in Wales
How Wales illustrates change and continuity
Try this
Q1. What were the Rebecca Riots? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. A Welsh protest crime of the 1840s in which tenant farmers in west Wales, angered by tolls on the turnpike roads and by poverty, destroyed toll-gates by night, disguised in women's clothing and led by figures called "Rebecca".
Q2. Explain how the Merthyr Rising illustrates crime and punishment in Wales. [Short explanation]
- Cue. In 1831 ironworkers rose against wage cuts and debt; the rising was crushed by troops and Dic Penderyn was hanged for a wounding he probably did not commit, showing industrial protest, harsh punishment and contested attitudes to justice.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC Wales (Unit 3)4 marksDescribe two features of the Rebecca Riots.Show worked answer →
The thematic-study describe question (AO1), with the Welsh perspective. Reward two distinct, developed features, each with one supporting detail.
Feature one. In the 1840s, Welsh tenant farmers, angry at high tolls on the turnpike roads and at poverty, attacked and destroyed toll-gates in west Wales, often by night.
Feature two. The rioters disguised themselves in women's clothing and called their leaders "Rebecca", taking the name from a Bible verse, which is why the protests are known as the Rebecca Riots.
Top marks. Two distinct features, each developed with precise detail.
WJEC Wales (Unit 3)8 marksExplain why protest crimes such as the Rebecca Riots happened in Wales.Show worked answer →
The thematic-study explain question (AO1 and AO2), with the Welsh perspective. Reward a developed analysis of reasons, each with precise support.
Reason one. Poverty and hardship: Welsh tenant farmers faced low incomes, high rents and bad harvests, and the tolls on the turnpike roads added to their burden.
Reason two. A sense of injustice: people felt the tolls and the Poor Law were unfair, and saw direct action as the only way to be heard when they had no vote.
Reason three. Industrial tensions, as at Merthyr in 1831, where workers rose against wage cuts and debt, show similar pressures in industrial Wales.
Top band. Connect each reason to why protest crime occurred in Wales, and judge which mattered most.
Related dot points
- The new crimes of the early modern period (vagabondage, witchcraft, smuggling and heresy), the continuing reliance on amateur law enforcement, the harsher and more public punishments, and the influence of religion and economic change, c.1500 to 1700.
A focused answer on the early modern section of the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering new crimes (vagabondage, witchcraft, smuggling, heresy), amateur law enforcement, harsher public punishments, and the influence of religion and economic change.
- Crime and punishment in the industrial period c.1700 to 1900: the Bloody Code and its decline, the end of public execution and the rise of the prison (Pentonville and reformers such as Elizabeth Fry), transportation to Australia, and the creation of the first professional police force, the Metropolitan Police of 1829.
A focused answer on the industrial-period section of the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering the Bloody Code and its decline, the rise of the prison and reformers, transportation to Australia, and the creation of the Metropolitan Police in 1829.
- Crime and punishment in the modern period c.1900 to present: new crimes (cybercrime, terrorism, hate crime, driving offences), the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, the move towards rehabilitation and alternatives to prison, and the modernisation of policing with science and technology.
A focused answer on the modern section of the WJEC Crime and Punishment thematic study, covering new crimes such as cybercrime and terrorism, the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, the move towards rehabilitation, and the modernisation of policing.
- The long-term change and continuity in law enforcement (from amateur constables and the watch, to the 1829 Metropolitan Police, to modern scientific policing) and in the purpose of punishment (from deterrence and retribution, through prison, to rehabilitation), and the factors that drove change.
A focused answer on the long-term change and continuity in law enforcement and the purpose of punishment across the whole WJEC Crime and Punishment study, and the factors (such as religion, government, attitudes and technology) that drove change.
Sources & how we know this
- WJEC GCSE History (Wales) specification (3100) — WJEC (2017)