John Frost

author

John Frost

1800–1859

A leading voice in the Chartist movement, he became one of the most closely associated figures in the fight for political reform in 19th-century Wales. His name is especially linked to the Newport Rising, a dramatic and tragic turning point in working-class protest.

3 Audiobooks

Heroes and Hunters of the West Comprising Sketches and Adventures of Boone, Kenton, Brady, Logan, Whetzel, Fleehart, Hughes, Johnson, &c.

Heroes and Hunters of the West Comprising Sketches and Adventures of Boone, Kenton, Brady, Logan, Whetzel, Fleehart, Hughes, Johnson, &c.

by John Frost

The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the Wigwam

The Indian: On the Battle-Field and in the Wigwam

by John Frost

History of the State of California From the Period of the Conquest by Spain to Her Occupation by the United States of America

History of the State of California From the Period of the Conquest by Spain to Her Occupation by the United States of America

by John Frost

About the author

Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, in 1784, John Frost built a career in business and local public life before becoming a major political reformer. He served as mayor of Newport, but his growing sympathy for radical causes and working people's rights pushed him into conflict with the authorities.

Frost is best known as a leader of the Chartist movement, which called for changes such as wider voting rights and fairer political representation. In 1839 he became the central figure in the Newport Rising, when thousands of supporters marched on the town; the confrontation ended in bloodshed and made him one of the best-known names in Chartist history.

After the rising, he was convicted of high treason and sentenced to death, though the sentence was commuted to transportation. He was later pardoned, and his life came to represent both the risks and the determination of early democratic protest in Britain.