Documents on the Luddites
Luddism was a resistance movement mounted by skilled
textiles workers in the English midlands and north between
1811-1816. The Luddites, so-called after the possibly legendary folk
hero and machine breaker Ned Ludd whose name they frequently used,
were not afraid of machines or technological progress as they have
often been portrayed, and indeed many of them were accustomed to
using machinery in their labor. The stockingers, wool croppers, and
cotton weavers engaged in this rebellion did not object to
technology itself, but rather to the way in which employers of their
era were using new machines to produce low quality goods, suppress
their wages, degrade their working conditions and to replace them
with unskilled workers on the cheap. Forbidden from forming trade
unions and other forms of more peaceful protests by the
Combination Acts of 1799, the Luddites engaged in attacks of
industrial sabotage, breaking machines and attacking factories in
order to make their views known. The Luddite rebellion was gradually
crushed by the British Army at the behest of a Parliament which had
allied itself with the capitalist class, but not before they had
left an indelible mark on the history of the modern world.
"The machines, or frames ... are not
broken for being upon any new construction ... but in consequence of
goods being wrought upon them which are of little worth, are
deceptive to the eye, or disreputable to the trade, and therefore
pregnant with the seeds of its destruction." The Nottingham
Review, 6 December, 1811
[A letter to Mr. George Smith, a resident of Huddersfield and
prominent user of the new frames (Feb/Mar 1812)]:
Sir,
Information has just been given in that you are a holder of those
detestable Shearing Frames, and I was desired by my men to write to
you and give you fair warning to pull them down, and for that
purpose I desire that you wil understand I am now writing to
you. You will take notice that if they are not taken down by
the end of next week I shall attach one of my Lieutenants with at
least 300 men to destroy them, and furthermore take notice that if
you give us the trouble of coming so far we will increase your
misfortunes by burning your Buildings down to ashes, and if you have
the impudence to fire at any of my Men they have orders to Murder
you and burn all your Housing....
By the General of the Army of Redressers,
Ned Ludd, Clerk
[To] all Croppers, Weavers &c &
Public at large:
Generous Countrymen. You are rquested to come forward with
Arms and help the Redressers to redress their Wrongs and shake off
the hateful Yoke of a Silly Old Man and his Son even more silly and
their Rogueish Ministers, all Nobles and Tyrants must be brought
down. Come let us follow the Noble Example of the brave
Citizens of Paris who in sight of 30,000 Tyrant Redcoats brought A
Tyrant to the Ground. By so doing you will be best aiming at
your own Interest. Above 40,000 Heroes are ready to break out,
to crush the old Goverment and establish a new one.
Apply to General Ludd Commander of the Army of Redressers.
[19 April 1812]:
In justice to humanity We think it our Bounin Duty to give you this
Notice that is if you do Not Cause those Dressing Machines to be
Remov'd Within the Bounds of Seven Days ... your factory and all
that it Contains Will and shall Surely Be Set on fire ... it is Not
our Desire to Do you the Least Injury But We are fully Determin'd to
Destroy Both Dressing Machines and Steam Looms Let Who Will be the
Owners....
General Justice.
The Luddite Oath
I of my own free will and A Coard declare and solemly sware that I
will never reveal to aney ... Person or Persons aney thing that may
lead to discovery of the same Either in or by word sign or action as
may lead to aney Discovery under the Penelty of being sent out of
this World by the first Brother that May Meet me further more I do
sware that I will Punish by death aney trater or trators should
there aney arise up amongst us I will persue with unseaceing
vengeance, should he fly to the verge of Statude.* I will be
gust true sober and faithful in all my deailings with all my
Brothers So help GOD to keep this my Oath Invoilated Amen.
[*"Statude" may be a corruption of "Nature" which appeared in one
written version of the original oath. The Luddite Rebellion by
Brian Bailey, p. 83.]
THE KING
against
George Mellor,
William Thorpe,
and Thomas Smith
Wednesday, 6th January 1813.
THE JURY were charged with the Prisoners in the usual form, upon an
Indictment, which alleged that the Prisoner Mellor, on the 28th of
April last, fired a pistol loaded with bullets, &c. at William
Horsfall, by which firing he received a mortal wound on the left
side of the belly, of which wound he languished till the 30th of
April and then died; and that the Prisoners Thorpe and Smith, were
present aiding and abetting Mellor to commit the said Felony; and
that so the three Prisoners wilfully murdered the said William
Horsfall....
The Jury retired at half past seven, and returned at five minutes
before eight, finding
George Mellor - - - - Guilty.
William Thorpe - - - - Guilty.
Thomas Smith - - - - Guilty.
The prisoners being severally asked in the usual manner, by the
Clerk of Arraigns, if they had any thing to say, why sentence of
Death should not be pronounced upon them? answered,
Mellor--I have nothing to say, only I am not guilty.
Thorpe--I am not guilty, Sir; evidence has been given false
against me; that I declare.
Smith--Not guilty, Sir.
Mr. Justice LE BLANC immediately passed sentence of Death upon them,
in the following words:
"You, the several prisoners at the bar, have been tried and
convicted of wilful and deliberate Murder; under all circumstances
an offence of the deepest malignity, but under the circumstances
which have appeared in this case in particular, as far as one crime
of the same denomination can be distinguished from another, this may
be pronounced a crime of the blackest dye. In other cases, the
Court has been able to discover something which might work upon the
passions of mankind, and might induce them to commit an act, at
which, in their cooler moments, their minds would have
revolted. But, in the present case, the crime was committed
against a man, who appears to have given no offence to any one of
you, expect that he was suspected of having expressed himself with a
manly feeling against those who had set up a right to violate all
property, and to take away the life of any man who had been supposed
to encourage others to do, (what I trust there are still men
sufficient in this country to do) to stand manfully forward in
defence of their property. For that reason, he was marked out
by you as an object of the most cowardly revenge. You,
attempting to associate with yourselves such men as you could
prevail upon to join in your wicked purposes, way-lay him at the
moment when he is returning home, almost in mid-day, with a boldness
which one has scarcely ever witnessed in trying offences of this
description. But in the course of your trial, proceedings have
become before the Court, at which human nature shudders. That
the national character should be so debased; that men, who ought to
boast of their character as Britons, should have dared to hold
forth, in the language in which you have held forth, and with so
little discretion, that assassination and destruction of property
were instruments in your hands, to be exercised at your pleasure,
and against any person who had happened to offend you--independently
of this, that you should have dared to take into your hands the Holy
Scriptures, and to administer an impious oath to those who were
cognizant of your offence, calling the Almighty as a witness (that
Being whom you were conscious you had offended in the highest
degree,) calling upon Him for vengeance upon the heads of those who
should discover your crimes--these are circumstances which have
appeared in the course of this trial and which have scarcely ever
appeared in the course of any trial which has been brought before a
court of justice.
"It is not upon the testimony of one, or of two, or of three
witnesses, that your guilt depends; and let me advise you not to lay
that balm to your souls, that you have been deprived by false
accusation, and by false oaths, of your lives. A chain of
circumstances has been discovered in the course of this trial, which
does not depend upon the oath of any one, or two or three men, whom
you may denominate even as bad as yourselves. But even from
the testimony of those, who, if they had not been honest to a
certain degree, would have given a different evidence, it is clear
that two at least of you were guilty; and as little doubt remains,
from other evidence upon the guilt of the third of you.
"In the shop where you have worked, some of you appear to have
gained such an ascendance over the minds and over the consciences of
the workmen, who were in some degree under your control, that you
could mould and fashion them to any wicked purpose you yourselves
might imagine. Their eyes, I hope, will be opened by the fate
which awaits you; they will see, that though for a short time the
career of the wicked may continue, yet the law is sure at length to
overtake them.
"To you, the unfortunate persons who stand at the bar, (for every
man who has disgraced his character as you have, must be deemed
unfortunate) to you the only kindness I can offer, is in the advice
to prepare, as speedily as you can, for that execution of this
sentence, which must shortly await you; to make the best use you can
of the period still allotted to you in this world--longer far than
was allowed to the unfortunate person who was the object of your
revenge; that you will take the opportunity of making your peace
with that Almighty Being whom you have offended; that by the
sincerity of your repentance, the fulness of your confession, and
the acknowledgment of your offences, you may endeavour to obtain
that forgiveness in the world to come, which I cannot hold out to
you any hopes of obtaining in this world.
"It remains only for me to pass upon you the sentence of the
law. That sentence is, That you, the three prisoners at the
bar, be taken from hence to the place from whence you came, and from
thence, on Friday next, to the place of execution; that you be there
severally hanged by the neck until you are dead, and your bodies
afterwards delivered to the surgeons to be dissected and anatomized,
according to the directions of the statue. And may God have
mercy upon your souls."
The Leeds Mercury
The Execution of these unhappy men took place yesterday, at nine
o'clock, at the usual place behind the Castle wall, every precaution
had been taken to make a rescue impracticable. Two troops of
Cavalry were drawn up at the front of the drop and the entrances to
the Castle were guarded by Infantry. At five minutes before
nine o'clock, the prisoners were upon the fatal platform.
After the ordinary had read the accustomed forms of prayer on these
occasions, George Mellor prayed for about ten minutes; he spoke with
great apparent fervency and devotion, confessing in general. the
greatness of his sins, but without any admission to the crime for
which he suffered. He prayed earnestly for mercy, and with a
pathos that was affecting. The surrounding multitude were
evidently affected. William Thorpe also prayed, but his voice
was not so well heard. Smith said little, but seemed to join
in the devotion with great seriousness. The prisoners were
then moved to the front of the platform, and Mellor said:
"Some of my enemies may be here, if there be, I freely forgive them,
and all the world, and I hope the world will forgive me."
William Thorpe said, "I hope none of those who are now before me,
will ever come to this place." The executioner then proceeded
to perform his fatal office, and the drop fell. Some
alteration had been made to the drop, so that all the whole body was
visible when they were suspended; in former executions only the feet
and head could be seen by the spectators. They were executed
in their irons. They appeared slightly convulsed for a few
moments.
REFLECTIONS ON LUDDISM.
George Beaumont, 1813
IT will, no doubt, be gratifying to some Readers, to be made
acquainted with the origin of Luddism. From the enquiries I
made in Nottinghamshire, where Luddism originated, I learnt the
following particulars, namely, That a good many years ago, there
lived a poor man at Longborough, in Leicestershire, about fifteen
miles from Nottingham, whose name was Edward Ludd: this man
was not one of the brightest cast, in regard to his intellects; and,
as is commonly the case with such characters, was of an irritable
temper. This Edward Ludd, called by his neighbours Ned Ludd,
was by trade a Frame Work Knitter: or in plainer language, and
which is all the same, a Stocking Weaver. This man, being
irritated, either by his Employer, or his work, or both, took the
desperate resolution of avenging himself, by breaking his Stocking
Frame. As the value of a common Stocking Frame is
considerable, being not much less than Forty Pounds, Ned's exploit
was much more admired for its temerity than its utility.
However, the consequence of this affair was, a Bon Mot: for,
whenever any Stocking Weaver was out of patience with his Employer
or his Employment, he would say, speaking of his Frame, "I have a
good mind to Ned Ludd it:" meaning, I have a good mind to break it,
&c.
About the latter end of the year 1811, the Stocking and Lace Weavers
of Nottingham, having been for a long time harrassed by abridged
wages, and want of employment, in whole or in part, and consequently
with want of bread, entered into a combination, (as report says,
upon oath) to break certain proscribed Frames. But it should
here be observed, that the interdicted Frames were not all of a
new-invented kind, there being many destined to destruction for the
sake of their owner; the owner having rendered himself notorious by
abridging the workmen's wages, and underselling other
manufacturers: therefore many Frames of an ordinary
construction were broken.
These Frame-Breakers assumed the name of their proto-type Ned
Ludd. Hence when they entered a house in order to break
Frames, they would say Ned Ludd or General Ludd, commands us to
break these Frames, &c. These men, collectively, were
therefore called Luddites, and their system was, and is, called
Luddism.
This system has been communicated to thousands; and as rumour says,
to hundreds of thousands, and is still in existence. But it
does not always exist where report places it; for every thief and
highwayman now takes the name of Ned Ludd in his mouth when he is
about to commit his depredations; and News Printers seem very
willing to have it so; most of them caring very little about the
difference betwixt truth and falsehood; their drift too commonly is,
to enhance the value of their Papers, by saying something that will
surprise and astonish their readers. The old and stale names
of thief, highwayman, and robber, will not now adorn the great news
columns of those Papers which are ever seeking to treat their
Readers with a mess of Wonderment! Therefore Ned Ludd being a
new character, is made to bear the heat and burden of the day; for
whatever enormities are committed in the counties where Ned lives,
they are, for the most part, very carefully ascribed to him.
Of the fourteen unfortunate men who were executed at York, on the
15th Jan. 1813, not one-half of them, as I am informed, were in
reality Luddites. Either five or six of them were Luddites,
who were convicted of entering houses and demanding fire-arms, or
breaking, or attempting to break machinery' part of them upon one
charge, and part of them upon the other. As to the rest of the
fourteen, they were, as I am informed, utter strangers to the system
of Luddism: but knowing something of Luddism by popular
rumour, they had designated themselves Luddites. Wherefore on
entering a house they would preface their demand of money, by
telling the people General Ludd was come: or that Ned Ludd had
sent them to make such and such a demand. Information of the
transaction soon reached the ears of a News Printer: who, glad
enough of something fresh to tell his Readers, soon laid it before
the public: his fellow Newsmen would copy his statement, and
thus this wonderful news which was half true and half false, ran, in
the compass of a week, all over the three kingdoms.
With regard to the conduct of the Luddites in breaking Machinery, I
wholly disapprove of it: it is altogether condemnable:
for in my opinion, Machinery ought to be encouraged to any extent
whatever. It is also my opinion, that every man that invents
any thing that will lessen human labour, is a benefactor to mankind,
and ought to be rewarded, not by a patent, as is commonly the case,
but out of the national purse, in order that he an others may be
encouraged to new exertions, and the public benefitted by the free
use of such inventions!
I pity the poor, and should hardly think myself innocent if any man
felt more for them than I do; but the remedy for their grievances,
lies not in the destruction of machinery. They are oppressed
exceedingly, but not by Machinery. Those who accuse Machinery
of causing any part of the distresses of the poor, have very
contracted views and narrow minds, and see but a little way.
They do not seem to consider that almost every thing was new
Machinery once. There was a time when corn was ground by the
hand; and when Corn Mills and Wind Mills were first invented they
were New Machinery; and therefore why not break and burn these as
soon as any other kind of Machinery; for if they were all stopped,
and corn again ground by the hand, there would be plenty of
employment for many hands! Much the same observations might be
made respecting every other kind of Machinery, and I have asked this
question in order to shew the silliness of the practice....
With regard to labourers and mechanics, and poor men in general,
their case is evidently very deplorable; but I think it is much
worse in reality than in appearance....
About two years ago, the Cotton Weavers of Manchester, and its
vicinity, having long had their wages abridged in an extreme degree,
were reduced by excessive labour, and half maintainance, nearly to
skeletons. They were also become ragged and forlorn: and
those who had wives and children, as many of them had, had the
mortification to see these natural dependents as ghastly and
wretched as themselves. Even single men, in general, found it
impossible by all their exertions, to procure for themselves a
sufficiency of the necessaries of life. The patience of the
Weavers under these severe privations, was worthy of
admiration. Disinclination to turbulence, and expectation of
better times, induced many to hold their patience until they lost
their lives, and when they had done, but few rich people cared a
straw for them....
Here then, reader, a brief recapitulation will give thee a distinct
view of this grievous business:--In the first place, the Weavers
were long impoverished by abridged Wages, even until their existence
became a burthen--they then took the prudent measure of sending
Delegates to represent their condition to Government, and to implore
redress; and this they did more than once: but this mode was
ineffectual, as the Masters failed not to counteract their efforts,
either openly or secretly. They then called upon the Masters
to meet them and enter into fair discussion on the subject; they
also called upon the Magistrates to join both parties, and act as
Mediators in the business: but the Masters would never enter
honestly and unanimously into conditions with those whom habit and
commercial policy had taught them to keep at a distance; and the
Magistrates, being more nearly allied to the Masters by rank and
fortune, and also more familiar with them by convivial interview,
dealt in the business with but a slack hand. It may be added,
likewise, that some of the Magistrates had been Masters
themselves: and to all the rest it must be super-added, that
there is no existing law against the practice of abridging Wages!
The Weavers seeing no prospect of any help from others, began now to
think of helping themselves. They accordingly began to
assemble in large bodies in the open air, and in the day time.
They adopted strong measures; one of which was to work no more
at all until their Wages should be augmented. They also
spoiled the Work of those Weavers who entered not into their
combination. They were then seized by Dragoons and Constables,
and sent in groups to prison; besides being loaded with foul
epithets, and disgraceful names, such as litigious fellows, movers
of sedition, mischief makers, disturbers of the public peace,
&c. for it is not the way of wealth and power in modern times,
to redress grievances and remove oppressions; but rather to stifle
complaints, and suppress remonstrances by Dragoons, Prisons,
Gibbets, and and [sic] Foul Names! And to complete the
miseries of the miserable, the News Printers generally echo the
language of authority, seldom or never having the manly fortitude to
state to the public what they really believe respecting the actual
condition of the poor....
The poor Mechanics of Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Cheshire,
Derbyshire, Yorkshire, and else where, finding themselves hemmed in
by multiplied oppressions of long duration, such as, War with all
its attendant evils; Provisions high; Taxes high; Wages low;
frequently work scarce; Law and Power nearly all on the side of the
oppressors; no Public Writers to state the case of the Poor, in a
just and impartial manner; News Printers, for the most part, either
Knaves or Cowards, who had courage enough to libel and defame the
Oppressed, but not virtue sufficient to defend them.
What then reader, was the consequence of all this? Why,
LUDDISM! Here then, is as plain a statement of the origin of
Luddism, as I am capable, with my present information, of
drawing. I am not able to say from certain information that I
have a personal acquaintance with any Luddite in the world. My
knowledge of the business has been picked up in an indirect way, and
partly from the Newspapers.
When the Luddites began first to break Machinery, the News Printers,
and especially those of London, abused them in the most unqualified
language, calling them infatuated men; deluded men; wicked men; and
ill-designing men. But I did not observe that any of these
"infatuated" Printers had the candour to call the Poor Luddites
empty-bellied men--ragged men--or worn-out, emaciated, half-starved,
dying men! A few words of this kind might have been slipped in
without any injury to the truth: though indeed it might have
been greatly detrimental to the interest of those who derive a
considerable revenue from the sale of truth and conscience, and who
make their fortunes by deceiving and poisoning the public mind, and
who are principals in bringing on national ruin; and who, strange to
tell, are paid for their villainy out of the hard earnings of those
whom they ruin!!!
I wholly disapprove of the conduct of the Luddites, as I have
already stated, in their breaking Machinery: they ought in no
wise to injure either persons or property, but then their real
grievances are not to be denied and disregarded, because they are
poor and imprudent. For if they be mad it is oppression that
has made them mad....
"The Hand-loom Weavers' Lament"
You gentlemen and tradesmen, that ride about at will,
Look down on these poor people; it's enough to make you crill;
Look down on these poor people, as you ride up and down,
I think there is a God above will bring your pride quite down.
Chorus:
You tyrants of England, your race may soon be run,
You may be brought unto account for what you've sorely done.
You pull down our wages, shamefully to tell;
You go into the markets, and say you cannot sell;
And when that we do ask you when these bad times will mend,
You quickly give an answer, "When the wars are at an end."
When we look on our poor children, it grieves our hearts full sore,
Their clothing it is worn to rags, while we can get no more,
With little in their bellies, they to work must go,
Whilst yours do dress as manky as monkeys in a show.
You go to church on Sundays, I'm sure it's nought but pride,
There can be no religion where humanity's thrown aside;
If there be a place in heaven, as there is in the Exchange,
Our poor souls must not come near there; like lost sheep they must
range.
With the choicest of strong dainties your tables overspread,
With good ale and strong brandy, to make your faces red;
You call'd a set of visitors--it is your whole delight--
And you lay your heads together to make our faces white.
You say that Bonyparty he's been the spoil of all,
And that we have got reason to pray for his downfall;
Now Bonyparty's dead and gone, and it is plainly shown
That we have bigger tyrants in Boneys of our own.
And now, my lads, for to conclude, it's time to make an end;
Let's see if we can form a plan that these bad times may mend;
Then give us our old prices, as we have had before,
And we can live in happiness, and rub off the old score.
http://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/bjbecker/SpinningWeb/week8d.html