On this day in 1836, six English workers who had been sentenced to penal labor in Australia after forming a trade union were pardoned, following years of mass working class protests on their behalf.

The "Tolpuddle Martyrs" - George and James Loveless; James Hammett; James Brine; Thomas and John Standfield - had previously formed the "Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers" to organize around their shared interest as farm workers. Their arrests took place during a crackdown on protest and worker agitation by the British ruling class following the Swing Riots of 1830.

The six men were charged with "taking an illegal oath" under the Mutiny Act of 1797, as they had sworn each other to secrecy in order to avoid repression by authorities. The prosecution was driven by their boss, local landowner James Frampton, who also sat on the jury during their trial.

All six men were sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia in March 1834, sparking outcry from the organized labor movement. On April 21st, 1834, 30,000 people gathered in modern day King's Cross to present an 800,000-strong petition on the men's behalf. Home Secretary Lord Melbourne avoided the workers by hiding behind a set of curtains.

After the government attempted to provide conditional pardons in June 1835, the unions continued to push further, compelling the state to give full, unconditional pardons to all six men on March 14th, 1836. The men finally returned home from Australia between 1837 and 1839.

The case of the Tolpuddle Martyrs became an important milestone and a success for the early English worker movement. Today, this working class victory is commemorated with a museum and annual July festival in the village of Tolpuddle.