Luddites were workers who attacked textile factories and wrecked machinery in Britain between 1811 and 1816. They were active in Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. The Luddites received their name from their mythical leader, Ned Ludd. They believed that the introduction of new textile machines in the early 1800’s had caused unemployment and lowered the textile workers’ standard of living.
In 1811, bands of masked workers attacked factories in Nottingham and destroyed lace and stocking frames. The movement soon spread to other counties. The government replied with repressive measures. A mass trial at York in 1813 sentenced many Luddites to hanging or to transportation. Transportation involved being sent to another country. Machine breaking flared up again in 1816, during a depression that followed the Napoleonic Wars. The movement disappeared only when improved trade resulted in increased wages and employment for more workers.
