This is an excellent gateway into the topic. The website is accessible, colourful and interactive and includes all the vital details. It’s a great taking-off point into the more serious and nuanced aspects of the topic. You could ask students to explore the website and identify the page that they are most interested in, either as an individual or a group task, and (especially for groups) to develop the information into a short presentation. The website also has a dedicated page to help teachers teach about trade unionism (you will find this under the ‘Museum’ tab) which dovetails nicely with the next resource.

This is a fascinating re-examination of the Martyrs’ story and provides in-depth background and real insight into the contemporary experience. Including a wealth of historical images and modern photographs, it contextualises the topic and broadens the knowledge base in an easily accessible format. 

This article describes the original adoption of the ‘classic’ narrative of the Martyrs by the British trades union movement in 1934 (the centenary of the event). You could use this article to demonstrate how an event in history can come to be characterised in a certain and partial way and how the lives of individuals who lived in the past can be manipulated for purposes in the present. This can spark lively discussion around other events that have experienced similar treatment (for example, the ‘Glorious’ Revolution, Dunkirk and the Gunpowder Plot) and, possibly with more advanced learners, you could attempt to debate how current events might be interpreted in the future.

The Gazette is a very interesting source in its own right – it is the UK’s official public record and has been documenting history as it happens for 350 years. The page on the Martyrs is a fabulous resource – both a secondary and a primary source, it can be used interactively to access online copies of original sources such as the original Combination Acts of 1799 and 1800 that were used to prosecute and convict the Martyrs. The resource allows students to learn about the topic in general and then to explore the links to examine the actual original legislation. For example, students can follow the link to issue 18039 and see the expression used to pass the Combination Acts, and then look at the official announcements above and below that (for instance, the exemption for clergymen from a tax on riding for one hour per day, and waivers on the import duty on Elephant Oil!).

This clip shows how poor working conditions still exist in today's reality, in contrast with the human rights obtained by British workers through events like the Tolpuddle Martyrs episode.