The Perils of Literacy

[Wexflyer]

Not a request for family research, just an interesting story.

A relative of mine back in the day was not just literate, but given to writing poetry.

He wrote a poem about the undoubted perils of lead poisoning.

Which he dedicated to his landlord.

He won a free, all expenses paid trip to the Antipodes!

A letter he wrote while awaiting trial was one of the principal pieces of evidence used to convict him.

[Erato]

What was his crime, slandering the landlord?

[Wiggy]

 

[Wexflyer]

What was his crime, slandering the landlord?

What crime, he was innocent, innocent!

His perfectly factual verse about the perils of lead poisoning and his touching concern for the health and wellbeing  of his landlord was somehow misconstrued as a threatening letter. Typical British colonialism.

[frostyknight]

 

[Wexflyer]

Wasn't very funny for poor Martin, who died a prisoner in Van Diemen's Land. 

[Viktoria]

A bit  like The Tolpuddle  Martyrs ,ag labs who formed a secret union because their wages were so low.
Someone leaked info so their employer found out and cut their wages further.
Fearful there might be something like the zFrench Revolution the government had banned meetings and groups  etc. so they had committed treason .

They were condemned to seven years transportation .
There were only seven men involved so badly mass insurrection!
Viktoria.

[Ghostwheel]

I have heard that the vast majority of conflict was between the middle class and landlords.

I think poetry might go along with that to a certain extent.  (But maybe not if it were in Irish?)

More tenuous in a way, but I can tell a vaguely similar story.

The only poetess I know married the only murder suspect I know.  That is, suspect in the murder of a land agent.

He was held for only a very few days along with two other men.  One was his brother, who was also let out soon.  The other was a neighbor who was held for several months, but never put on trial, I think.

I am not quite exactly sure why they nabbed him, other than they seem to have grabbed all the nearby big farmers (relatively) with guns.

The first night they might have grabbed quite a few men, but I am not sure of the number.

[Viktoria]

A bit  like The Tolpuddle  Martyrs ,ag labs who formed a secret union because their wages were so low.
Someone leaked info so their employer found out and cut their wages further.
Fearful there might be something like the zFrench Revolution the government had banned meetings and groups  etc. so they had committed treason .

They were condemned to seven years transportation .
There were only seven men involved so hardly mass insurrection!
Viktoria.

P.S. I noticed a spelling error in my first post ,so corrected it.V.