To the Editor of The Cambrian.
Sir, — You may not have heard that the neighbourhood of Neath has lately been
the arena in which “Rebecca and her Children” have committed their midnight
depredations. The destruction of property has been really considerable,
scarcely a field or garden-gate has been left untouched, and many have been
carried away to a great distance from their own proper homes, and placed
against the doors and windows of the sleeping part of the community. Nor have
these mischievous young women confined themselves to gates alone:
balustrades, water-barrels, and every species of out-of-door movables
appeared to be considered general property, and appropriated accordingly. It
is extraordinary that, although these devastations have been perpetrated for
several successive nights, the offenders have hitherin entirely baffled the
vigilance of the police; in fact, these “guardians of property” are now the
laugh of all the neighbourhood, and looked upon as so many supernumeraries.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
Thomas L. Smith.
Britonferry, .
This certainly paints a different picture of what was going on, if it can be relied on. This letter-writer makes out the Rebeccaites to have been indiscriminate vandals. One of the weaknesses of the Rebeccaite movement was that its anonymity and lack of authoritative spokespersons or leaders made it easy for other people to impersonate “Rebecca” and easy also for people to misattribute to “Rebecca” things that had other causes. This might just be an example of that.
Here’s another article from The Cambrian:
Rebecca and Her Daughters.
Apprehension of Two of the Rioters.
On , in consequence of
information conveyed to the London policemen on duty in the neighbourhood of
St. Clears, three of their force
went in search of and apprehended two parties, on the ground of their being
concerned in the late daring outrages. The prisoners were taken before the
Magistrates, and on were
fully committed to Haverfordwest gaol, for trial at the ensuing Assizes. They
are said to be persons both of the name of Howell, one of them a respectable
farmer residing at Llwyndrissy, near Whitland, the other, the son of a miller
in the same neighbourhood. The particulars of the evidence against them,
taken before the justices, are not known; but it is reported that one of the
witnesses (a man named Lewis Griffiths, of Penty-park Mill, in the county of
Pembroke), swore that he saw the prisoners in the act of demolishing the
toll-house and gate at Trevaughan.
Thomas Howells and David Howells were later acquitted.
