The Rebecca Riots, an uprising of oppressed peasantry against the burden of tollgates in west Wales, began in the summer of 1839. After only a few months, they ceased as suddenly as they had started and for three-and-a-half years, the countryside was undisturbed. Then, in the winter of 1842, rioting broke out again--with greater violence. This study explores the deep-seated roots of these uprisings.