Commemoration service for Kintbury 'Swing Riot' leader William Winterbourne, executed in 1831
The annual commemoration at St Mary's Church recalls a terrible time in West Berkshire's history.
William Winterbourne — the only Berkshire man killed for his part in the 'Last Labourer's Revolt' of 1830 — will be remembered at a small ceremony by his graveside on Wednesday, January 11. The ceremony will take place at noon, around the same time as his hanging at Reading Gaol on January 11, 1831.
In years past, the event has drawn crowds of local trade unionists, villagers, historians and family members of William Winterbourne.
The Swing Riots broke out across Southern England in the summer of 1830, sparked by bad harvests, widespread unemployment, poor working conditions and harsh winters. The result of these brewing tensions was a vicious class struggle between wealthy landowners and common labourers.
The rioters were eventually dispersed by an armed force of lancers and yeomanry before they could reach Newbury. Some managed to flee, but were soon captured by bounty hunters.
The Kintbury mob — or 'congregation' depending on your allegiance — was reputed to be the most extreme in Berkshire. A delegation of rioters stormed a council meeting at Hungerford Town Hall, demanding relief.
Following their apprehension, 25 Kintbury men were sentenced to penal transportation to Australia or Tasmania, some for up to 14 years. Winterbourne, for some reason, was not afforded the same 'mercy'.
He received word of his execution the same day it transpired. Spectators scaled the ruins of Reading Abbey to see the grisly spectacle that was his untimely demise.
During this period, a communal grave within the prison walls resembled the final resting place for executed criminals.
However, quite unusually, the Reverend Fulwar Craven Fowle, once a reviled figure in Kintbury, arranged for Winterbourne's body to be buried at Kintbury Cemetery, under his mother's maiden name of 'Smith' to avoid further scandal.
Across the nation, 19 rioters were executed and more than 600 were sentenced to varying forms of imprisonment.
