Radical John Frost who was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered for fighting for political reform

The mere mention of the name John Frost once invoked an array of emotions among both the higher and ordinary echelons of society.

Fast forward 142 years since his death and still Frost's – seemly eternal - presence can be felt right across Newport city. His name appears to be ubiquitous: John Frost Square and John Frost School are two of the most notable examples that hold his name.

This weekend would have marked Frost's 235th birthday. But who exactly was he and what is his relevance in the 21st century?

He was born in 1784 in Newport. His parents kept a pub – the Royal Oak – near the High Street.

After working in various cities, he returned to Newport aged 22 and worked in a draper’s shop.

Six years after his return, he married Mary, a wealthy widow, and over the next few years they lived above their High Street shop and raised a family of five daughters and two sons, as well as bringing up Mary’s two older children.

A sketch of John Frost when he was on trial

Despite becoming a successful businessman, his true calling was local politics.

Yet he was unable to take part in the politics of the town or country.

The fundamental freedoms that we enjoy today – such as the right to vote and to stand for public office - were denied to him and to the majority of people.

Political power across the country lay in the hands of major landowners. In this vicinity, the Morgan family – who owned Tredegar House and would later become the famed Lords of Tredegar – wielded such power and influence.

"This kind of behaviour made Frost incredibly angry and encouraged him to question the status quo," said historian Les James, who has studied Chartism for many years.

“Then in the 1820s Frost began writing pamphlets attacking the political situation.

“It was these injustices that the Chartist movement sought to end.”

Les James delivering a lecture on Chartism

Frost’s aim of getting into politics became a reality in 1836. The 1835 Municipal Reform Act established that in all ancient boroughs, including Monmouthshire, councillors were to be elected by all ratepayers. Thus the legislation gave Frost the opportunity to be elected to Newport Town Council and later as Mayor of Newport.

But the maverick was fully aware that, while prosperous individuals like him had been granted a say in politics, the vast majority were still shut out.

Mr James said: “Before the charter in 1838 the Chartists did not exist—but despite this Frost was still very well known.

“Frost was an enthusiastic supporter of the People’s Charter to fulfil the aims of Chartism.

"He became something of a national figure at this time.”

In 1838, a group of men – who then became known as the Chartists - drew up a charter with ‘six points’ which demanded: universal male suffrage, the removal of the property qualification for MPs, annual elections, equal constituency sizes, payment for MPs and secret ballots in elections.

Back in Newport, the arrest of Henry Vincent and three other prominent Chartists only exacerbated an already tense climate in the country.

And on November 4, 1839, Frost led enraged Chartists from Blackwood to Newport.

The attack on the Westgate Hotel

Thousands of people marched to the Westgate Hotel - where Vincent and the other Chartists were incarcerated - in Newport that day. The protesters demanded for Vincent and other imprisoned Chartists to be “released”. The soldiers then open fired, killing 22 of those gathered.

“Frost believed in mass action, not violence,” said Mr James.

“For all these years he had been walking a tight rope.

"He was never intending to use force.”

A photograph taken a few years ago of the Westgate Hotel

Those who were arrested that day were charged with high treason.

The following year, Frost, with fellow leaders William Jones and Zephaniah Williams, were tried at Monmouth's Shire Hall.

The authorities badly underestimated the growing popularity and admiration for Frost during the trial, though.

News of the Chartist leaders to be hanged, drawn and quartered ignited a wave of protests throughout Britain, causing the authorities to lessened the sentences to transportation to Van Diemens Land (Tasmania).

Campaigns continued for the next 16 years, calling for Frost’s full pardon.

Upon his return, crowds poured to Newport, London and elsewhere to see and hear their ennobled champion.

Frost in his latter years

"But there was a campaign by the Morgan family against him coming back to live in Newport," Mr James explained.

"As a result, he went with his wife to Stapleton, near Bristol.”

He died in 1877, aged 93.

Over the years the legacy of the Chartists did not fade away, resulting in politicians passing Reform Acts in 1867 and 1884.

By 1918 five of the Chartists' six demands had been implemented by the Government - only the stipulation of annual parliamentary elections was unfulfilled.

Mr James stressed that people across Britain need to be aware of Frost’s lasting legacy.

He said: “He was important, not just locally, but nationally.

“He was apart of laying the foundation of our modern political system.”

The radical politician proved to be the fuel which propelled the explosive Chartist movement that would change the political landscape of Britain forever.

His and other Chartists' contributions towards achieving the freedoms we enjoy – albeit at times take for granted – will long be remembered through the ages.