Big Pit National Coal Museum is hosting a free lecture this Saturday at 1.30pm (November 12) entitled ‘The Story of Frost, Williams and Jones – Three Welsh Transported Political Convicts’.

Les James will be talking about his book ‘Render the Chartists Defenceless’ which relates to the treatment of the three Welsh Chartist leaders following their trials at Monmouth. The talk will focus on their voyage to Van Diemens Land aboard the ‘Mandarin’ convict ship, the efforts of the authorities to thwart 16 years of campaigning to secure their freedom and how the press and government silenced John Frost on his return in 1856.

Les carried out his research at Gwent Archives, Newport Library, National Library and the National Archives at Kew and used Australian and British sources available via the internet, such as newspapers, home office and colonial papers, census and family history records.

Much of this ground breaking work is the result of teaming up with others, such as the recent discovery of what seems certain to be the original ‘Confession’ letter written by Zephaniah Williams aboard the ‘Mandarin’ in 1840.

Les will also share some of his work on a ‘prequel’, due to be published in 2017, about John Frost’s life in Newport.