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You are here: UK History > Industrial Revolution > The Luddites
The word Luddites referred to a group of British textile workers who objected to the introduction of machinery, as it posed a threat to their livelihoods. After not receiving any support from the government, they took matters into their own hands, sparking a series of riots across Northern England.
Luddites have been portrayed as being against progress, mostly because they destroyed machines and other tools to protest against what they believed to be a method of ruining their trade. At the time, textile workers were actually very skilled and well trained middle class workers. They trained for centuries maintaining good relationships with their clients. They felt that the introduction of machinery would bring in the use of low skilled and poorly paid labourers and would be disastrous for...Read More
The word Luddites referred to a group of British textile workers who objected to the introduction of machinery, as it posed a threat to their livelihoods. After not receiving any support from the government, they took matters into their own hands, sparking a series of riots across Northern England.
Luddites have been portrayed as being against progress, mostly because they destroyed machines and other tools to protest against what they believed to be a method of ruining their trade. At the time, textile workers were actually very skilled and well trained middle class workers. They trained for centuries maintaining good relationships with their clients. They felt that the introduction of machinery would bring in the use of low skilled and poorly paid labourers and would be disastrous for the trade.
Initially the Luddites sought to negotiate terms of working conditions, including bringing in a minimum wage and labour standards, as well as creating a pension which upset the factory owners. The more violent aspect of the movement emerged when these attempts of negotiation failed and their concerns were not addressed. At the time, the Napoleonic Wars had already negatively impacted many of Britain’s new factories and working conditions because of lack of funds, which the Luddites exacerbated. As the Industrial Revolution reached its peak, discontent began to rise among workers. The Luddite movement became typical for the period, where workers were trying to find a position where they could negotiate for better conditions and wages while not losing their place in the chain of production.
The first Luddite riots occurred in 1811. Their intention was to put employers under pressure to listen to their concerns by destroying machinery and equipment. The movement soon swept across the country and in 1811 alone, hundreds of machines were destroyed or broken. In some cases, factory owners responded by shooting the protesters, while the rioters hoped that by causing damage to the machines, the government would stop using so many of them, but instead, they made breaking a machine punishable by death. The wealth of the factory owners meant that the government were more responsive to them than the workers, even sending the army into some areas, forcing the Luddites to battle against soldiers but the riots continued to escalate.
In April 1812, an intervention by the army in Yorkshire saw a number of the rioters being shot and the others being rounded up to be transported to Australia or hanged. The harsh response was enough to supress many of the rioters, and by the following year, activities had dwindled and the Luddites began to disperse.
The last recorded Luddite activity was carried out by Jeremiah Brandreth who led the Pentrich Rising.
It is said that the name Luddite came from an apprentice called Ned Ludd who destroyed a machine in 1779. The groups that followed him claimed they were following his example, though there is no evidence that someone called Ned Ludd ever existed. It would seem that he was more of a mythical figure than a real one.
Today, the term is still in use and is applied to people who do not like new technology.
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