The Merthyr Rising was the violent climax to many years of simmering unrest among the working class population of Merthyr Tydfil and the surrounding area. A large number of protestors gathered in Merthyr at the beginning of June 1831. Soldiers were ordered to protect the Castle Inn in the High Street where local employers and magistrates were holding a meeting. The workers marched there to demand a reduction in the price of bread and an increase in their wages but these requests were rejected. When the crowds refused to disperse, the soldiers were ordered to open fire on them, killing several of the crowd. The protesters then took over the town but within a few days the authorities had regained control through force. Twenty-six people were arrested and put on trial for taking part in the revolt; Dic Penderyn, a local miner, was wrongfully hanged for allegedly stabbing a soldier.
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 28 August 2008.