07/06/2026
A gravestone of a relative of two of the Tolpuddle Martyrs which was discovered in an archaeological dig in Fordingbridge has been acquired by Fordingbridge Museum.
The gravestone was found in the 1980s during an archaeological dig on the site of the demolished Greyhound Pub in between Salisbury Street and Bridge Street in Fordingbridge. Next to a brick-built building, a brick lined well was discovered and this was capped by a broken gravestone. The stone commemorated Robert Standfield who was father and grandfather to two of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. They were Thomas Standfield, his son and John Standfield, his grandchild.
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural workers from Tolpuddle in Dorset who got together in 1834 to protest about their starvation wages of seven shillings a week. Although Trade Unions were legal, they were prosecuted under an obscure law that prohibited unlawful oaths. The magistrates were local landowners and found the six men guilty and sentenced them to seven years transportation to Australia. After a public outcry, the six men were pardoned and returned to England.
Phil Harding of Wessex Archaeology kindly offered the gravestone to the museum and delivered it personally. The gravestone was probably made locally but was broken in the manufacturing process and was repurposed to cap the well. The grave of Robert Standfield who died in 1832 can be found, with a complete headstone, in Verwood church yard.
Jane Ireland, Fordingbridge Museum Director said, “This gravestone is unique in that it is part of the history of Fordingbridge as well as being part of a wider national history. It also throws a light on the moral and social standards of the nineteenth century and those of today. It is on display now and will be of great interest to our visitors.”
