One of the most controversial figures in South Wales' history was born this day in 1784. John Frost , Mayor of Newport and leader of the Chartist uprising has been hailed as a hero, criticized for his poor leadership qualities and even denounced as a traitor to his cause by some of his co-conspirators.

Whatever your estimation of his role in the events of November 4th 1839 it is undoubtedly true that he was a tragic figure. It seems likely to this armchair general that Frost's heart was in the right place but that he had no idea of the power of the elemental political rage that he was harnessing to his cause. In the end he found himself completely out of his depth. As he himself admitted he was not the man for the job.

Heres his wikipedia page:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Frost_(Chartist)

And here is the wikipedia page for the Newport Uprising:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Rising

Some years ago John Humphries wrote an account of the roles played by several of the leading participants in the uprising including Zephaniah Williams and the extraordinary Welsh Texan John Rees ( a.k.a Jack the Fifer ). For our review of 'The Man From The Alamo' go to this page:- Remember, Remember The 4th of November!