County of Monmouth list of claims made in the wake of the 1911 Tredegar Riots for Tredegar, Ebbw Vale, Rhymney, New Tredegar, Cwm (Blaenau Gwent), Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Liverpool, Bridgwater, Pontnewydd and Abertillery, August-October 1911

Description

A document listing the damage claims made in the wake of the 1911 Tredegar Riots. A total of 98 claims made between August and 31 October 1911 are listed in the document. Each claim is for a different property or business affected. The locations that these claims relate to are as follows: Tredegar, Ebbw Vale, Rhymney, New Tredegar, Cwm (Blaenau Gwent), Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Liverpool, Bridgwater, Pontnewydd and Abertillery.

Tredegar.

Thirty-three of the claims were made by individuals and companies in Tredegar.

Seven of these claims were made by the following companies: the business Hills Stores; the business Briggs and Company; the company J. Baker and Sons Limited that saw damage to its plate glass; the Star Tea Company; Tredegar Industrial and Provident Society Limited that saw damage to its plate glass window; David Cohen and Son; and A. E. Matthews (his business was written down but it is difficult to decipher).

A number of clothiers, drapers, boot makers and outfitters also made claims. The following clothiers and drapers made claims: H. Broder whose windows and fittings were damaged; Joseph Cohen; Philip J. Cohen; and Abraham Craimer. The clothier Lionel Harris; the clothier and boot maker A. Samuel; and the outfitter Legal Insurance Company Assured; Mrs Samuels also made claims.

Two pawnbrokers made claims: J. Louis Harris who saw structural and window damage to his property and William Time.

Furniture dealers, furnishers and cabinet makers also made claims: the furniture dealer Aaron Wolfson; the furnisher Harry Cohen who saw damage to his plate glass window; and the cabinet makers B. L. George and Son who had to have some of their windows boarded up.

Three jewellers made claims: J. Smith Norris; Isaac Goldman (also a dealer of other unspecified goods); and Marks Cohen (also a general dealer).

The butchers Eastmans Limited made a claim after their windows were damaged during the riots.

Ten residents of Tredegar who were also affected by the riots made claims: W. J. Harris; A. Cohen; Michael Cohen; B. Cohen; A. Samuel; R. Rosenbaun; Samuel Wolfson; Jon Jackson; Lewis Bernstein; and Simon Cohen.

Ebbw Vale.

Twenty-seven claims were made by business in and residents of Ebbw Vale.

A number of drapers, clothiers, boot makers and dyers made claims. Claims were made by the following drapers: M. Averbuch; J. Amiel; Israel Joseph; and G. Abrahams. Claims were also made by the draper and clothier Harris Pech; the boot makers Briggs and Company who saw damage to their plate glass window and a sign (the type of sign is noted but the handwriting is hard to decipher); and the dyers Johnson Brothers that was owned by Roskin and had its plate glass windows damaged.

Furnishing dealers, furnishing companies and decorators also made claims: the furniture dealer Jacob Wiselman; the decorator J. L. Booth; and Mon (the rest of the word is hard to decipher) Furnishing Company.

Claims were made by the tobacconist C. Pech; the hairdresser and tobacconist H. Morgan; the grocer J. Harrison who saw window damage; and the butcher A. Taylor (the entry in the claims column seems to say 'Filled for Artitillery' but it is hard to read; most probably it should read 'Abertillery') whose claim was crossed out so possibly not followed through.

The following companies made claims: London and Provincial Bank Limited that saw damage to its plate glass window; J. Harrison and Son; the London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Company for Messrs Pegler and Sons that saw damage to its window; and Evans Bros.

Nine claims were made by residents of Ebbw Vale who were affected by the riots: Simon Tidle; Rachel Lyons; T. Edwards; H. O'Connor; A. Jones (C. C.) who saw their plate glass windows damaged; D. Jones (C. C.) who also saw their plate windows damaged; Dewi Hy Evans; Chas Goldblatt; and Harry Goldblatt.

Rhymney.

Eighteen claims were made by residents of and companies in Rhymney.

Two companies made claims: Cambrian Plate Glass and Pegler and Son.

The following grocers made claims: G. Williams who saw damages to their plate glass windows and goods; J. H. Griffiths; and W. J. Hopkin. Two grocer-related organisations also made claims: Rhymney and (word that is not clear enough to read) Grocers Association and Jones and Hancock Imperial Accident Insurance’s grocery.

Claims were also made by the L & P Bank; the tobacconist A. E. Glencross whose plate glass, window and window blind were damaged; and the business Times Limited (the handwriting is hard to decipher).

Eight claims were made by the residents of Rhymney who were also affected by the rioting: Ephraim (the handwriting is not clear so the first name may be different) Abrahams; Israel Fine (the handwriting is not clear so the name may be different); Ellen Jeffreys; D. W. Evans; J. Edwards; W. D. Thomas; W. B. Jones; and D. Morgan.

New Tredegar.

Seven claims were made by the following in New Tredegar: L. Carozzi who saw damage to their windows; J. Rubinstein; Representatives of the late George Rogers whose plate glass window was damaged; New Tredegar and District Co-operative Society Limited which saw damage to its plate glass window; the grocer William Thomas Morgan; the confectioner E. Dymond; and the jeweller J. Rubenstein.

Three claims were made by the following residents of Cwm, Blaenau Gwent: the boot maker and draper W. Goldblath; the tobacconist L. Levin; and the furniture dealer F. Levin. Three claims were also made by the following businesses with properties in Cardiff: Royal Insurance Company (the handwriting is hard to read); Guardian Assurance Company Limited; and Commercial Union Assurance Company Limited that saw damage to its plate glass window.

Two claims were made in Merthyr Tydfil: one from a resident of Dowlais – Isaac Alfred Freedman and the other from the company U. D. C. Rhymney.

The remaining five claims were each made from different locations by the following: London and Liverpool Insurance Company that saw damages to their plate glass window (in Liverpool); Second Equitable Permanent Building Society (in Bridgwater); the grocer Thomas Titley (in Pontnewydd); the draper W. Davies who saw damages done to his plate glass window (Commercial Street Arcade in Abertillery); and Liverpool and London Insurance Company (in Ebbw Vale and Rhymney).

Background information.

The rioting began in Tredegar on 19 August 1911 at midnight when a crowd of approximately 200 to 250 angry young men and women took to the street. Contemporary newspaper reports describe that the target of the first attack was a Jewish residence in Salisbury Street. This was followed by looting and arson attacks on Jewish businesses and properties. They would last for a week. While a 2011 BBC News Article reports that there were no deaths or injuries as a result of the rioting, it emphasised how the army had to be sent in to restore order.

As a number of non-Jewish businesses were also attacked, the extent to which the riots were antisemitic has been debated by historians.

According to the cover page of the document, the claims were made in accordance with the Riot (Damage) Act of 1886. It is described as 'An Act to provide Compensation for Losses by Riots' in the original version of the Act.

Sources.

- Alderman, Geoffrey, 'When the "pogrom of the valleys" erupted in Wales', The Jewish Chronicle, 21 July 2011 [accessed 2 October 2020]

- legislation.gov.uk, Riot (Damages) Act 1886 (1886) [accessed 2 October 2020]

- Lewis, Anna, ‘The stark photos of the anti-Jewish riots that spread across South Wales’, Wales Online, 22 February 2019 [accessed 2 October 2020]

- Prior, Neil, ‘History debate over anti-Semitism in 1911 Tredegar riot’, BBC Wales News, 19 August 2011 [accessed 2 October 2020]

Depository: Gwent Archives.