Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
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170<br />
THE LUDDITE RIOTS.<br />
in spreading throughout the country. The first indications<br />
of it wereat Nottingham. Among the numberless<br />
mechanical improvements of that inventive period, the<br />
stocking-loom was a principal object of hatred of the<br />
weavers. Mobs assembled, and with most uncontrollable<br />
violence and ferocity attacked the manufactories where<br />
the frames were used, one thousand framesbeingwrecked<br />
inNottingham alone. The mobhere again acted under<br />
the nominal command of a person whom they called<br />
General Ned Lud. FromNottingham the rioters spread<br />
over the county as far north as Mansfield, and thence<br />
gradually carried the agitation into the West Riding of<br />
Yorkshire, the great seat of fabric manufactures. The<br />
Luddites first attacked the mill of Messrs. J. J. and R.<br />
Thompson, at Rawdon. On the morning of the 24th<br />
March, 1812, the Luddites, armed with guns, sticks,<br />
etc., stole silently towards the mills, first capturing the<br />
watchman, and placing a guard over the cottages near,<br />
then entering the factory they completely wrecked the<br />
wholeof the machinery, and cut to pieces the manufactured<br />
webslying there.<br />
On the gth of the following April a party of 300 Luddites<br />
marched upon Wakefield, having a van and rearguard<br />
of horsemen, with drawn swords. They inspired<br />
so much terror that no resistance was made, and they<br />
destroyed numerous mills and other property in the<br />
neighbourhoodof Wakefield. The burning of mills also<br />
at Oaklands, near Leeds, and at Hawksworth, was attributed<br />
to them, and other depredations of a like nature<br />
werecommitted at Huddersfield,Dewsbury, Cleckheaton,<br />
Holmfirth, and Liversedge. The machinery of Messrs.<br />
Dickenson, Carr, and Shann,in Water Lane,Leeds, was<br />
destroyed, and a large quantity of finished cloth. The<br />
Ludditeorganisationnow began to extendits operations,<br />
the first intention of destroying machinery only being<br />
enlarged to a resolution to deprive the masters of their<br />
lives. The Luddites met on commons and moors in the<br />
middleof the night, and there they arranged whatmills