This evening in Abingdon there was a concert that combined folk singing and the history of the struggle of ordinary people for justice, equality and freedom. The concert was performed by the Sea Green Singers, based in Oxford and with seven people from Abingdon.

The first song came from the Peasant’s Revolt in 1381 – an early protest movement where the leaders were executed. There followed songs from the Diggers, and the Levellers through to Peterloo.

Songs gave us a people’s history lesson and took us at the end of the first half to the Chartist movement whose aim was to gain political rights for the ordinary people. The video above is the singing of the Chartist Anthem.

In the second half we heard protest songs from the start of the industrial revolution and Tolpuddle Martyrs, right up to the Greenham Common protests and the miners strikes.

Then at the end we were reminded that the struggle still goes on for many ordinary people. Money raised from the concert goes towards Host Abingdon.