11 March: Luddites

On this date in 1811, Luddites began destroying factory machinery in protest at being replaced by machines. 10 things you might not know about Luddites:

1. The original Luddites were skilled weavers and textile workers, mainly from Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire. Most were trained artisans who had spent years learning their craft and objected to the fact that they were being replaced by unskilled machine operators. They feared for their livelihood.

2. The name Luddites derived from the name Ned Ludd, originally an apprentice called Edward Ludham who smashed two frames for weaving stockings back in 1779 after being told off by his employers.

3. There’s no evidence that Ned Ludd ever existed. He was said to live in Sherwood Forest and always carry a weapon. He had the power to summon Luddites to his aid whenever he needed them.

4. Nevertheless, the Luddites claimed to be following his orders when they smashed up machines and even sent threatening letters signed with his name and attributed their pamphlets to him. Sometimes they even gave him a title, like “General Ludd” or even “King Ludd”.

5. That said, there was a Welsh king called Lludd, who, it is claimed, founded London and is buried at Ludgate.

6. The movement was organised and effective, with bands meeting on the moors at night to practise drills and manoeuvres.

7. While the Luddites were taking out their wrath on machines rather than people, some did send death threats to their employers and where employers tried to defend their property injuries and deaths did occur.

8. The Luddites hoped factory owners would be put off installing expensive machines that would only get trashed, but what happened was that the government stepped in and made vandalism of machinery punishable by deportation or death. All this was happening during the Napoleonic Wars; yet more men were deployed fighting Luddites in England than were fighting Napoleon in Spain.

9. The last major initiative of the Luddites occurred in 1817 when an unemployed stocking maker called Jeremiah Brandreth led the Pentrich Rising.

10. The term Luddite is still used today for people who dislike technology. Neo-Luddism is more a passive resistance to technology than people smashing up computers. However, followers of the movement can still cause disruption, but ironically, they’ll often use machines or software such as computer viruses to achieve their aims.