Slide 1 of 7 · Settling starter · History · Year 9
5 minutesEvaluating Tone and Purpose in Two Accounts of the Rebecca Riots
In 1843, disguised Carmarthenshire farmers known as Merched Beca (Rebecca’s Daughters) tore down turnpike tollgates. Today you will compare a magistrate’s letter to the Home Office with a Welsh farmer’s petition, and calculate how much of a farmer’s weekly income went on road tolls.
While the register is called: write your name, class and date on your worksheet, then read Section 1 and Section 2 on the stimulus sheet.
Starter question: Why did upland Welsh farmers need to haul cartloads of lime every week, and what was a “side-bar”?
Slide 2 of 7 · Today’s brief and key words · History · Year 9
5 minutesAudience, Purpose, Tone and Digital Sourcing
Every historical writer chooses words to suit their audience (who is reading) and their purpose (what action they want the reader to take).
| Term | Meaning in History and Literacy |
|---|---|
| Purpose | The outcome the writer wants (for example, getting troops sent vs winning legal reform of toll charges). |
| Tone | The attitude and emotion in the writing (for example, alarmist and outraged vs humble and pleading). |
| Vested interest | A personal or financial stake in an issue (Colonel Wyndham was himself a Turnpike Trustee). |
Slide 3 of 7 · Step 1: Compare tone, vocabulary and purpose · History · Year 9
10 minutesStep 1: Analyse Source A and Source B
Read Source A and Source B carefully on the stimulus sheet and complete the comparison table in Step 1 of your worksheet.
Worked comparison row (How the farmers / protesters are described):
Source A (Colonel Wyndham): Calls them “a lawless midnight rabble of disguised conspirators” and “fanatics” to frighten Whitehall into sending cavalry.
Source B (Dafydd Evans): Calls them “humble, industrious tenant farmers ground down by intolerable exactions” to win the Commissioners’ sympathy.
Slide 4 of 7 · Step 2: Toll calculations and digital sourcing · History · Year 9
10 minutesStep 2: Calculate the Toll Burden and Check Digital Search Queries
Use Section 3 of the stimulus sheet (Dafydd Evans’s weekly income is 10 shillings = 120 pence) to complete Step 2(a), then evaluate the two digital search queries in Step 2(b).
Toll Percentage Formula
Weekly cost = Gates per week × Toll per gate.
% of income = (Weekly cost ÷ 120) × 100
Market cart example: 18d ÷ 120 × 100 = 15%.
Digital Search Operators
"..." searches an exact phrase.
OR finds either keyword.
site:library.wales restricts results to the National Library of Wales.
Slide 5 of 7 · Step 3: Write a two-sided historical explanation · History · Year 9
12 minutesStep 3: Write a Balanced Two-Sided Historical Explanation
Write a two-paragraph explanation in Step 3 answering: “Why do Source A and Source B give such different accounts of the 1843 Carmarthenshire tollgate protests, and how do the toll figures help us test their claims?”
- Paragraph 1 (Colonel Wyndham · Source A): Explain his audience (Home Secretary), purpose (requesting Dragoon Guards), vested interest (Turnpike Trustee) and alarmist language.
- Paragraph 2 (Dafydd Evans · Source B & Toll Table): Explain the farmers’ audience (Royal Commission), purpose (lawful toll reform), respectful tone, and prove their claim using your 40% lime toll and 75% total toll statistics.
Slide 6 of 7 · Step 4: Rewrite a biased sentence and self-check · History · Year 9
5 minutesStep 4: Rewrite for an Objective Museum Website
In Step 4, rewrite Colonel Wyndham’s one-sided claim so that it is balanced, objective and suitable for a museum website for Year 9 pupils. Then tick the success criteria checklist.
Check your writing:
Did you replace emotive labels like “lawless rabble” with neutral historical terms and include the 48d (40%) lime toll figure?
Slide 7 of 7 · Plenary quick check · History · Year 9
3 minutesPlenary Quick Check Before Hand-In
Check your key figures and source analysis before handing in your worksheet:
| Question | Correct answer |
|---|---|
| Weekly lime toll cost and % of 120d income | 8 gates × 6d = 48d → (48 ÷ 120) × 100 = 40% of weekly income. |
| Total weekly tolls (lime + market + coal) | 48d + 18d + 24d = 90d → 75% of the farmer’s 120d weekly income. |
| Why did Colonel Wyndham exaggerate the threat? | As a magistrate and Turnpike Trustee, his purpose was to persuade the Home Secretary to send Dragoon Guards immediately. |