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1812 Luddite Rebellion
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‘Chant no more your old rhymes about bold Robin Hood,
His feats I but little admire,
I will sing the Achievements of General Ludd
Now the Hero of Nottinghamshire’
Let the wise and the great lend their aid and advice
Nor e'er their assistance withdraw
Till full-fashioned work at the old fashioned price
Is established by Custom and Law.
You heroes of England who wish to have a trade
Be true to each other and be not afraid
Tho' Bayonet is fixed they can do no good
As long as we keep up the Rules of General Ludd.
1812 Luddite Rebellion
What happened?
The British Army clashed with the Luddites many times.
-More British soldiers fighting Luddites than there were fighting Napoleon
-Mass trial at York in 1813. Over 60 men were charged.
-Punishments included execution and deportation.
What happened?
-Threatening letters were signed by ‘General Ned Ludd and the Amy of Redressers’
-Met at night outside industrial towns .
-Rebellions spread to Lancashire and Yorkshire and then to the rest of England
-Attacked factories, smashed machines and killed the owner of a cotton mill
-Clashed with the British Army at Burton's Mill and Westhoughton Mill, both in Lancashire
-Destroying machines became a capital crime
-Many Luddites were executed and deported to Australia
-Lord Byron defended Luddites
Who were the Luddites?
Luddites were textile artisans (skilled wool and cotton workers) who rioted and broke machinery in protest against the use of mechanised labour, between 1811 and 1818.
Impact on Australia and the world
-No significant impact on Australia
Although the Luddites were defeated, their actions showed that political action, to benefit workers and improve the conditions that they were forced to endure, was necessary.
In hindsight, the conditions of the time still included large amounts of unemployment.
The direct impact on England at the time was that a significant proportion of the frames and textile industry’s machinery in England had been destroyed.
Organised Luddism ended in 1813
What happened?
The Luddites caused the first violent reaction to the Industrial Revolution in Britain in 1811.