Loveless, George (1797-1874), was a British farmworker and the leader of the Tolpuddle martyrs, a group of agricultural laborers in Dorset, England. The Tolpuddle martyrs attempted to form a trade union but were punished by the government for doing so. See Tolpuddle martyrs .
Loveless was born in the village of Tolpuddle, in Dorset, on Feb. 9, 1797. He became a farm laborer, and he worked to improve the lives of his fellow workers. In 1830, he approached the local landowners to try to gain an increase in wages, but he was not successful. In 1833, Loveless and some of his coworkers formed the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers in Tolpuddle. The society was peaceful and law-abiding, similar to a modern trade union. Following the repeal of a set of laws called the Combination Acts in 1824-1825, the legal ban on such organizations was no longer in force. But a group of influential landowners, including William Lamb, Viscount Melbourne, who later became prime minister of the United Kingdom in 1834, feared a rising tide of discontent among rural workers. The friendly society was outlawed, using an old law prohibiting the administration of oaths.
Loveless and his associates were arrested, tried, and found guilty of administering oaths, and sentenced to seven years’ transportation. The sentence meant that the men were sent as prisoners to Australia under conditions of great hardship. The sentence caused a public outcry, and Loveless and his friends became known as the Tolpuddle martyrs. In 1836, the British government was compelled to pardon the Tolpuddle martyrs, and Loveless and his group returned home. In 1837, Loveless wrote an account of the affair, including the time spent in Australia. In 1846, Loveless and his wife and family immigrated to Canada, and settled near London, Ontario. George Loveless died on May 6, 1874.
