LUDDITES, the name given to organized bands of English rioters for the destruction of machinery, who made their first appearance in Nottingham and the neighbouring districts towards the end of 181r. The "Ludds" or Luddites were generally masked, and operated at night. Their leader, real or imaginary, was known as "General Ludd" from a probably mythical "Ned Ludd" of whom various stories were current. Great distress had been caused by the dismissal of handicraftsmen in the areas in which textile machinery was introduced ; and even those handicraftsmen who did not lose their employment suffered considerable worsening of conditions owing to competition. The riots began with the de struction of stocking and lace frames, and, continuing through the winter and the following spring, spread into Yorkshire, Lanca shire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. The riots were directed not merely against reductions of wages but also against the poor quality goods (especially stockings) produced by the new ma chines. The rioters were supported by local public opinion, and they abstained from bloodshed or violence against living beings, until in 1812 a band of them was shot down by soldiers on the request of a threatened employer, Horsfall, who was afterwards murdered. They were met by severe repressive legislation, intro duced by Lord Liverpool's government, a notable feature in the opposition to which was Lord Byron's speech in the House of Lords. The organization was temporarily broken up by a mass
trial at York in 1813, which resulted in many hangings and trans portations: somewhere among the victims was probably the real "King Ludd," for the elaborate organization suddenly collapsed. In 1816 similar rioting was resumed, caused by the depression which followed the peace of 1815 and aggravated by one of the worst of recorded harvests. In that year, although the centre of the rioting was again in Nottingham, it extended over almost the whole kingdom. The rioters were also thoroughly organized. While part of the band destroyed the machinery, sentinels were posted to give warning of the approach of the military. Vigorous repressive measures, and, especially, reviving prosperity, brought the movement to an end.
G. Pellew, Life and Correspondence of H. Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (1847) ; the Annual Register for 1811, 1812 and 1816; J. L. and B. Hammond The Skilled Labourer (1919). E. Toller, The Machine Wreckers (1923) is a dramatic pres entation of the story. Ben a' Bills by D. E. E. Sykes (Huddersfield, n.d.) is a "novel" in which is concealed much genuine history written from the Luddite point of view. See also the Home office papers in the Record Office.