The Martyrs Inn

The Martyrs Inn freehouse Call us to Book History 189 Years of village History The Tolpuddle Martyrs formed the first trade unions in 1834, and since that date, the village of tolpuddle has hosted the UK's largest trade union festival each July. In 1833, a group of six farm workers from the Dorset village of Tolpuddle were concerned that their wages had been reduced, so they formed a trade union to ask for guarantees that their wages wouldn’t be cut any further. Other farm workers wanted to join their trade union, and prospective members were asked to swear an oath and pay a fee to join.