Rape of the Fair Country

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But the hotel is occupied by armed soldiers and their superior firepower forces the Chartists to retreat, with twenty of their number killed and at least another fifty wounded. It is a disaster for the movement, and it is not clear what happens to Iestyn Mortymer – but his likely fate may well have been the same as top Newport leaders like John Frost and Zephaniah Williams, both of whom are transported to Tasmania. Others receive lengthy prison sentences with hard labour. Alexander Cordell clearly put in a lot of research into Chartism to write this book and his in depth knowledge of the history of the movement can be found in every chapter. Aside from the general reader, it should also be on the shelves of every student of English and Welsh social and economic history.

But he was still. Quite still he lay in the fading light of the torches, and his hands were frozen to the musket he held. Conditions in the ironworks are equally appalling – many of the puddlers end up either blind or being ‘splashed’ by the molten metal. Iestyn’s father dies as a result of an explosion, and his brother Jethro is also ‘splashed’ and badly injured. I first read Rape of the Fair Country in the mid sixties, not long after it was first published. At the time I'd recently moved to South Wales and was puzzled by an iciness towards the English: I was nudged in the direction of Alexander Cordell's Rape of the Fair Country and The Hosts of Rebecca (the final part of the trilogy, Song of the Earth would not be published until the end of the decade) and soon understood why memories are long and forgiveness slow. There's an unflinching look at the hardships suffered, not just by the Mortymers but by all the workers and their families. Serious injuries and even death are commonplace. I live in Newport, and although this story is fiction it has a basis in the areas history, which makes it very interesting to me, but it is a great story for anyone, it is earthy and has humour, romance and gives an alternative view re the conditions suffered by the workersWhat does Matt Addis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book? Although the story exudes violence, the exploitation of a downtrodden workforce, sadistic floggings and bestial behaviour, it has its gentler and romantic moments. When Iestyn falls in love with his lovely Irish girl, Mari, there are delightful passages describing their courtship amongst the parts of the Usk valley which have yet to be destroyed by coal mines and ironworks. But for me, as a very proud Welshman, it can be a little anti-English in its sentiments at times. The author isn't Welsh, though he settled here eventually, and had an obviously very strong affinity with the country. But in his constant anti English rantings; It is a small village tale which is a part of a huge, ultimately worldwide movement - the birth of socialism, collective bargaining and universal suffrage. From the belly of my mother,” I said, talking the old language to please him. “She was born in Cyfarthfa long before Bacon puddled a furnace.”

I wish to God the English had stayed in England and ripped their own fields and burst their own mountains.” Violence in fact has a strong presence throughout the entire novel. Iestyn himself is involved in many fights, and tragedy strikes the family again when Iestyn’s sister Edwina is murdered and Morfydd’s fiancé, Richard, is killed in a riot. The Chartists’ commitment to violence is confirmed on the night of 3-4 November 1839 when support for the movement is at its highest. Several thousand marchers, including Iestyn Mortymer, go to the Westgate Hotel in Newport, expecting to seize the town and trigger a national uprising.The book centres around Iestyn Mortymer, growing up as a child labourer in the mines of the south Wales valleys - fighting, drinking, seducing and struggling under the watchful eye of his strict Calvinistic father. The attitude of “Dada” Hywel is played off against Iestyn’s older sister Morfydd, who clearly represents the reformist views which would come to prominence in industrial Wales. Those who accept their fates versus those who strive for more is always a compelling theme. The sights and sounds of his upbringing are well detailed as he tries to steer himself through this harsh life. Maybe it is because it is coming from the perspective of a young hot-blooded Iestyn, but it seems like every introduction of a female character begins with a description of her breasts and what they are doing (e.g. quivering, bouncing) which is always a bit weird if a woman isn't moving. For me, the best parts of this story were the details of everyday life, love and survival during a period when working people had few choices or freedoms. Cordell's prose often verges on the poetic to create a vivid picture of the life and times of Iestyn Mortymer. I was particularly interested in the story of Iestyn's older sister, Morfydd, who struggles against convention and suffers for her pioneering opinions on politics and the role of women Rape of the Fair Country ’is about the Mortymer family, who live in the Welsh valleys and toil in both of the latter industries. The story is narrated by one of the sons, Iestyn Mortymer, as he grows up in a village in South Wales – where the workers are at the mercy of callous and greedy coal owners and iron masters – who not only offer pitifully low wages but also control the shops for the workers, in which they regularly put up prices. It is clearly a toxic recipe for anger and unrest. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Welsh history, but even I only just managed to keep up with where Eames was leading. It all felt like there was too much ‘telling’; as though I’d turned up at a history lecture and needed a fast recap on last week’s notes. And that’s fine if you already know what’s going on, but if you are hoping for some kind of introduction to Welsh history, I’m afraid you are going to feel excluded by Eames’s adaptation, and this seemed to cater only for those already initiated.

When we refer to William Crawshay of Merthyr Tydfil we allude to a man who has done more for Glamorganshire, and perhaps for South Wales, than any other living individual. He was one of the few remarkable men who can give a character to a country and a tone to an age. In the extent of his speculations and unbounded enterprise, we cannot name another Cambrian who has done so much and so well or the Principality of Wales.” What I loved about the book was the simple but extremely powerful narrative style which Matt Addis captured brilliantly. As with anyone's life, there are moments of sheer joy coupled with the day-to-day 'slog' as well as huge, earth-shattering tragedies. I loved the fact that some of the most poignant episodes in the book are described so perfectly and then simply dismissed; life moves on and the shadow of the event lingers but the characters' lives continue onwards, as the need to survive dictates, without dwelling on the past.The whole book is an emotional journey! I was pleased and relieved when life and relationships went well for the Mortymer family, annoyed by some of the pig-headed opinions inflicted on it from within and without, and saddened by the people who were lost along the way