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LUDDITES

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 111 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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LUDDITES , the name given to organized bands of See also:

English rioters for the destruction of machinery, who made their first See also:appearance in See also:Nottingham and the neighbouring districts to-wards the end of 1811. The origin of the name is given in Pellew's See also:Life of See also:Lord See also:Sidmouth (iii. 8o). In 1779 there lived in a See also:village in See also:Leicestershire a See also:person of weak See also:intellect, called Ned Ludd, who was the See also:butt of the boys of the village. On one occasion Ludd pursued one of his tormentors into a See also:house where were two of the frames used in See also:stocking manufacture, and, not being able to catch the boy, vented his anger on the frames. Afterwards, whenever any frames were broken, it became a See also:common saying that Ludd had done it. The riots arose out of the severe See also:distress caused by the See also:war with See also:France. The See also:leader of the riotous bands took the name of " See also:General Ludd." The riots were specially directed against machinery because of the widespread See also:prejudice that its use produced a scarcity in the demand for labour. Apart from this prejud oe, it was inevitable that the economic and social revolution implied in the See also:change from See also:manual labour to See also:work by machinery should give rise to See also:great misery. The riots began with the destruction of stocking and See also:lace frames, and, continuing through the See also:winter and the following See also:spring, spread into See also:Yorkshire, See also:Lancashire, See also:Derbyshire and Leicestershire. They were met by severe repressive legislation, introduced by Lord See also:Liverpool's See also:government, a notable feature in the opposition to, which was Lord See also:Byron's speech in the House of Lords. In 1816 the rioting was resumed, caused by the depression which followed the See also:peace of 1815 and aggravated by one of the worst of recorded harvests.

In that See also:

year, although the centre of the rioting was again in Nottingham, it extended over almost the whole See also:kingdom. The rioters were also thoroughly organized. While See also:part of the See also:band destroyed the machinery, sentinels were posted to give warning of the approach of the military. Vigorous repressive See also:measures, and, especially, reviving prosperity, brought the See also:movement to an end. See G. Pellew, Life and See also:Correspondence of H. Addington, isf See also:Viscount Sidmouth (See also:London, 1847) ; See also:Spencer See also:Walpole, See also:History of See also:England, vol. i. (London, 189o) ; and the See also:Annual See also:Register for 181I, 1812 and 1816.

End of Article: LUDDITES

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