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Zephaniah Williams (1795-1874) was a collier and innkeeper, prosecuted for his part in the Chartist Rising at Newport, Monmouthshire in 1839. Known as the "Blackwood Infidel", he had a reputation as a political radical, and as an individual prepared to settle disputes in less conventional ways. Some histories refer to his having been prosecuted at Usk in 1833 for blowing up a coal mine in a dispute with the owner. Other histories refer to him having been an atheist who vigorously promoted his views. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted and he was transported to Australia for life. He died in exile, after having made his fortune discovering coal in Tasmania.