Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum

The Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum tells the harrowing tale of the Martyrs arrest, trial and punishment, leading to the foundation of modern day trade unionism.
The museum has been re-designed into a modern, informative, and educational exhibition, using interactive touch screen displays new graphic panels telling the story in text and images. The museum sets out the Martyrs’ story in four sections: Before the arrest, The Oath and Betrayal, Transportation, and the Homecoming. A new Book and
CD-ROM have also been produced, all sponsored by trades unions and organisations.

The museum evolved out of the library which formed part of the Tolpuddle Martyrs Memorial Cottages, built in 1934 to mark the Centenary of the Martyrs’ conviction. The library, meant for use by the workers living in the cottages, soon became a depository for various artefacts, documents and memorabilia relating to the history of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Over the years, a rather ad hoc display telling the story of the Martyrs had evolved into the Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum.

The new Museum opened Saturday 1st April 2000, it has finally become an appropriate place of pilgrimage for visitors from the UK and around the world, for young and old alike.

Visitors can now discover for themselves how the Tolpuddle Martyrs changed the face of social history and, through their beliefs and actions, made such an impact on trade unionism today.