In 1834 James Brine, James Hammett, George Loveless, James Loveless, Thomas Standfield and John Standfield were arrested, put on trial and sentenced to seven years' penal servitude. Their crime was to join a trade unon in the small Dorset town of Tolpuddle. Nation-wide campaigning resulted in a full and complete pardon for each of them. The Martyrs returned home.

The Marx Memorial Library holds a unique set of contemporary newspapers documenting this story and shedding new light on social and political attitudes and broader debate about workers' rights, trade unions, crime and punishment.

This project, with broad support from the British and Australian labour movements, brings these newspapers to life, publishing them online, in a travelling exhibition and in a related publication.

The exhibition will be launched at the 2017 Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival.

Exhibition dates:

27 Nov - 12 Jan 2018, Islington Museum, St John Street, London

22 Jan - 16 Feb 2018, Working Class Movement Library, Salford

19 Feb - 24 March 2018, TUC Library, London Met University, London

21 May - 4 June 2018 TUC, Great Russell Street, London

3 - 20 Sept 2018, Mechanics' Institute, Manchester

24 Sept - 19 Oct 2018, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick