Martyred Wives

Most people have heard of the Tolpuddle Martyrs of 1834, but what of their wives, the women behind the men in that troubled strife? This is the story of those women, who watched and worried as their husbands banded together to try to get a fair wage, and were then left behind to suffer and manage as best they could when the men were savagely sentenced to seven years' transportation. As one of the wives says, "Martyrs suffer, but they are remembered and honoured for it... 'tis a cold and comfortless thing to be a martyr's wife." The play is easily staged and the simple scenes in cottage and courtroom are linked by a singer.