Claiming the Streets: Processions and Urban Culture in South Wales c. 1830-1880

In Wales during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries an enormous number of public processions were held by benefit societies. This dense network of organizations paraded the streets during festivals and bank holidays to demonstrate their respectability, orderliness, and sobriety. Claiming the Streets examines these processions, and in doing so, provides an invaluable key to unlock the secrets of the urban culture during this period.