Agricultural History Review, Volume 59 Part 1 (2011), pp. 36–60

The role of the landed interest in nineteenth-century rural protest movements was largely marginalised in earlier works. In recent years, however, historians have been redressing the balance, moving the focus to the experiences of authority figures. This article describes the involvement of the landed interest of south-west Wales in the Rebecca Riots, concentrating mainly on the summer and autumn months of 1843. The theme of paternalism is discussed in relation to the riots, followed by case studies of attacks made upon the landed interest by Rebecca and her daughters. The particular methods of intimidation employed by the rioters are considered, as well as the response of the elite to these attacks and their attempts at suppressing Rebecca. Letters sent by landlords to the Home Office and newspapers accounts are used to shed more light on the experiences and responses of the landed interest. 

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