The Ascott Martyrs

A story of 19th century rural oppression in England when sixteen women and two babies were imprisoned in Oxfordshire, leading to a national scandal and a partial pardon by Queen Victoria. 

This unusual history book, written by national academic leaders and local historians, puts the sixteen women who came to be known as the Ascott Martyrs at the centre of a story that until recently was largely lost to history. 

The book examines the political, agricultural, religious, educational and social environment surrounding this event, acknowledging the hardships and inequalities that these women and their families faced. It consists of ten essays on different historical themes, each of which sheds a particular light on the Ascott Martyrs locally and the national context. The book is edited by distinguished social historian Professor Keith Laybourn.