John Standfield was only 21 years old when he was arrested and brought to Shire Hall, charged with swearing an illegal oath to form a trade union. Along with six other men, including his father Thomas, John was marched over 13 km wearing a heavy iron chain and held in Dorchester Gaol.

A poor labourer on a small farm in Tolpuddle, his trial would have been the first time John had seen the inside of a courtroom. Standing in the dock in front of Judge Baron Williams, there was little chance that any of the men would see a fair trial.

Unsurprisingly, John was found guilty and given the harshest possible sentence: seven years’ transportation to Australia.

The arrest and trial of the Tolpuddle Martyrs became significantly important in the history of trade unions, both nationally and internationally. To learn more about this remarkable moment in Dorset’s history, click here.

Following their sentencing, five of the men were moved to a prison hulk in Portsmouth before being sent to the ‘Surrey’, a convict ship, to make their 111-day journey to Australia.

They arrived in Sydney on 4th September 1834. John was assigned to his master Richard Jones, who had him working on large farms around Balwarra, Maitland. It was while working here that John discovered that his father had been assigned to a farm only three miles away.

Thomas Stanfield suffered horribly while working in Australia. Working as a shepherd, he was charged with moving over 600 sheep in the blistering Australian sun. After a day’s work, he would then have to make a long, four-mile journey to receive his rations, consisting of salted meat and biscuits.

John would later write about the harsh conditions his father faced in Australia:

“It frequently happens that prisoners, when first assigned, lose themselves and their flocks in the bush… On their return the sheep are counted… Should one be missing the shepherd is almost certain to get flogged…”

Thomas was described as being a “dreadful spectacle” by John, “covered with sores from head to foot, and weak and helpless as a child”.

Fortunately, John’s master was a reasonable man. He was granted leave to visit his father regularly and provide him with well-needed care. Thomas was eventually moved to a smaller farm along the William’s River, to receive easier work.

After two and half years, the Tolpuddle Martyrs were given an unconditional pardon and allowed to return to England, after mounting protests across the country. John and his father left Sydney in September 1837, and would finally return to Plymouth on the 17^th March 1838, nearly four years to the day of their trial at Shire Hall.

They returned to find that the London Dorchester Committee (who had been protesting for the men to be pardoned) had raised funds through public support to buy leases on farms in Essex for the men to run as their own.

The leasehold on these farms lasted seven years before needing to be renewed. When this time came, however, the Standfields made a change. Emigrating to Canada, John and his new wife, Elizabeth Thurgood, left in 1846. His father joined him, making the long journey by ship, aged 57.

It was in Canada that John would make a name for himself, becoming well-established in the London Township where he emigrated. Building a homestead, which he named ‘Dorset Hall’, both John and his father worked two large farms just outside of the town.

John’s financial situation once again improved when he purchased two stores at the crossroads at Bryanston, becoming a local merchant and the town postmaster for over ten years. The contacts John made in the town encouraged him to get involved with municipal affairs, and in 1877, he was elected the Reeve (mayor) of the East London Township.

Emigrating to Canada gave the Martyrs a chance at a fresh start, which John took full advantage of. In his later years, he became a hotel proprietor and choirmaster for the Bryanston Choir, which supposedly enjoyed a strong reputation within the London Township.

John passed away at the age of 85 and was buried in the London Township, where he had become such a strong part of the community. A complete turnaround from the struggles of his past, John created a life in Canada that would have seemed impossible for a poor labourer in Dorset.

His legacy remains today, not only as a founding trades unionist but as an individual who defied the odds and created a fresh start for himself, his family, and those he cared for.