The descendents of the Newport Chartists who marched on the town back in 1839 in an attempt to spark a national rising gathered at the weekend for a series of activities to mark the event.

The South Wales Argus reports that those in Newport for the celebrations included descendents of John Frost (who was transported for life, but subsequently returned to Wales), John Patridge, James Horner, William Farraday and Wright Beatty.

Also present was local Labour MP Paul Flynn, who blogged about the day’s events (scroll down past the photos to see what he has to say).

Newport has probably done more to commemorate the Chartists than anywhere else in Britain, with statues erected to commemorate the 20 or more who died storming the Westgate Hotel, and a mural showing the march.

A video clip from Youtube showing the mural can be seen below. It was posted as part of the Newport Chartist Mural Project.