Newport Chartists Vol.1, p.18

Description

18

It remains to be stated how far this plan was executed
Williams assembled his men after dark on a
Sunday armed and in great numbers on the mountain appointed and led
them through the Ebbw Vale- In his passage down the Vale to
the Welsh Oak he halted and was recognized at several
places but was too late for the attack on the Westgate & was seen only
near the entrance of the town.

On the morning of Sunday the 3rd Jones took horse & left
Pontypool for the purpose of going round the hills and beating up
the Chartists - He probably visited Frost at Black-wood for he was seen
at Pont Lan-fraith which is in that neighbourhood in the evening
meanwhile Gangs from the mountains above Pontypool moved forward
some of which altered & halted at Jones's House.

They were directed to go forward to the race course were they
would meet Jones- The race course is on the turnpike Road
to /n/ewport about 2 miles from Pontypool - accordingly Jones
was seen at the head of large numbers at the New Inn which
is near the race course from which house some of his party
seized a gun and he conducted them as far as Malpas ent[e]ring houses
and pressing the inhabitants. When they reached Malpas he turned
them off into a cross road leading to the Risca Road but in
their way thither intelligence was received of the defeat at Newport &
they seemed to have dispersed- Jones was afterwards seen with a few of
them at the High Cross Public house deploring their failure- Another
of the Gangs from Pontypool was that which fell in with and
arrested Mr. Brough and his companion & placed them under
guard until Frost ordered them to be released.

A third gang under the direction of the Def-t Britan [Briton] started late in the morning from Pontypool and reached cross-y-
ceilog & in their way thither compelled every one they met to join
their ranks Britan [Briton] & many of this party from the language
they held appear to have been fully apprised of the treasonable
object of their march but probably most of them did not reach
Newport.

Frost himself was on this evening at Black-wood at the
coach & horses at which place a main body of the insurgents from the

4 [encircled]

[Annotations in left margin:]

Williams

seen only at entrance of the Town

Jones

Gun seized

did not arrive at Newport

heard of defeat and dispersed

pressed the Inhabitants

Frost