Writings of The Luddites

310 Pages·2004·2.029 MB·English

by  Kevin Binfield

Writings of the Luddites
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Writings
of t h e
Luddites
edited by
Kevin Binfield
TJohhensJoHhonpskHinospUkinnisvUernsiitvyerPsriteyssPress
baltimore and london
©© 22000044 JoThhnes JHohonpskiHnso pUkninivseUrsnitiyv ePrrseitsysPress
Allrightsreserved.Published2004
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaonacid-freepaper
Johns Hopkins Paperback edition, 2015
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Johns Hopkins University Press
2715NorthCharlesStreet
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www.press.jhu.edu
ThefacsimilesoftheLudditedocumentsfromtheHomeOffice
PapersandreproducedhereinareunderCrownCopyright.
Theyhavebeenincludedinthisvolumewiththepermissionof
theNationalArchives,UnitedKingdom.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition of this
book as follows:
WritingsoftheLuddites/editedbyKevinBinfield.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn 0-8018-7612-5(hardcover:acid-freepaper)
1.Luddites—Sources. 2.Sabotageintheworkplace—
England—History—19thcentury—Sources. 3.Textile
workers—England—History—19thcentury—Sources.
4.Riots—England—History—19thcentury—Sources.
5.GreatBritain—History—1789–1820—Sources.
6.Regency—England—Sources. I.Binfield,Kevin.
da535.w75 2004
942.07'3—dc22 2003017426
Acatalogrecordforthisbookisavailablefrom
theBritishLibrary.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4214-1696-0
ISBN-10: 1-4214-1696-4
Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this book. For
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Contents
ListofDocuments vii
Foreword,byAdrianRandall xiii
Preface xix
NoteonTextsandCitation xxiii
n
Introduction 1
MidlandsLuddism,19
NorthwesternLuddism,32
YorkshireLuddism,47
n
Midlands Documents 69
n
Northwestern Documents 167
n
Yorkshire Documents 199
Notes 239
Bibliography 267
Index 273
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List of Documents
v midlands
M1 November1811:Posted‘‘Declaration;Extraordinary’’by‘‘ThosDeath’’to‘‘Edward
Ludd,’’Nottingham(H.O.42/119;FacsimileCinRussell,‘‘TheLuddites’’),70
M2 8November1811:Threateningletterfrom‘‘NedLud’’atNottinghamto‘‘MrH’’at
‘‘Bullwell’’(H.O.42/118),73
M3 27November1811:‘‘AddressofthePlainSilkStocking-MakerstotheGentlemen
HosiersofNottingham’’(NottinghamReview,29November1811;alsoH.O.42/117),
74
M4 28November1811:‘‘AnAddressfromtheFramework-KnitterstotheGentlemen
HosiersoftheTownofNottingham’’(NottinghamReview,29November1811;also
H.O.42/117),77
M5 16December1811:Proclamation,‘‘NedLudGivesNotic,totheCoperation,’’
Nottingham(FacsimileDinRussell,‘‘TheLuddites’’),78
M6 20December1811:AddressofthePlainSilkHandsofDerby(NottinghamReview,
20December1811),79
M7 21December1811:Letterfrom‘‘NedLud’’atNottinghamtotheCorporation
CommitteeatNottingham(Transcript3inRussell,‘‘TheLuddites’’61),84
M8 23December1811:Postedproclamationsigned‘‘ByorderofKingLudd,’’
Nottingham(H.O.42/118;Transcript2inRussell,‘‘TheLuddites’’60),85
M9 27December1811:AddressoftheFrameworkKnittersofMelbourne(Nottingham
Review,27December1811),86
M10 1January1812:Postedproclamationtitled‘‘BytheFrameworkKnitters,A
Declaration,’’NottinghamshireArchivesversion(NottinghamshireArchivesM429,
pp.31–32)andHomeOfficeversionwithDouglas’semendations(H.O.42/119),87
viii v ListofDocuments
M11 [Before5]January1812:Solicitationletterfrom‘‘EdwardLud’’to‘‘GentlemenAll,’’
Loughborough(GilbertversioninH.O.42/119),91
M12 10January1812:‘‘AddressofthePlainSilkHands,totheGentlemenHosiers,’’
Nottingham(NottinghamReview,10January1812),93
M13 [Before14]January1812:Postedproclamationby‘‘MrPistol,’’Nottingham
(H.O.42/119;FacsimileAinRussell,‘‘TheLuddites’’),94
M14 [Before27]January1812:Songtitled‘‘GeneralLudd’sTriumph,’’Nottingham
(H.O.42/119),95
M15 LateJanuaryorearlyFebruary(?)1812:Threateninglettersigned‘‘RememberNedd
Ludd’’to‘‘MrHarvey,’’Nottingham(H.O.42/119;FacsimileBinRussell,‘‘The
Luddites’’),100
M16 7February1812:Letterfrom‘‘GeneralLud’’to‘‘UnknownStranger,’’Clifton
(NottinghamReview,7February1812),101
M17 11February1812:Advertisementformeetingofframeworkknitters,byGravener
Henson,Nottingham(H.O.42/120),102
M18 13February1812:Address‘‘TotheGentlemenHosiersConcernedinthe
ManufacturingofPlainSilkWork,’’Nottingham(NottinghamReview,14February
1812),103
M19 16February1812:Letterfrom‘‘JoeFirebrand’’at‘‘RobinHoodsCave’’to‘‘Mr.Trevit
BiddlesBowler’’atNottingham(Transcript1inRussell,‘‘TheLuddites’’59),106
M20 17February1812:Address‘‘TotheFramework-KnittersoftheBritishEmpire,’’
Nottingham(NottinghamReview,21February1812),107
M21 19February1812:LetterfromJamesRichardsonatNottinghamtoJamesKennedyat
Selkirk(H.O.42/122),110
M22 22February1812:Letterfrom‘‘GenlCLudd’’at‘‘ShirewoodCamp’’toSpencer
PercevalatLondon(H.O. 42/120),112
M23 March1812:Letter‘‘FromheadQuartersGenaralLud’’toGeorgeRowbottomat
Beaverlee(H.O.42/122)113;facsimile,113–14
M24 2March1812:PoembyLordByron,‘‘AnOdetotheFramersoftheFrameBill,’’
LondonandNottingham(NottinghamReview,6March1812),114
M25 6March1812:LetterfromThomasLathamatNottinghamtotheMayorof
Tewkesbury(H.O.42/122andNottinghamshireArchivesCA3984,I,22),116
M26 11March1812:Poemby‘‘APoorStockinger,’’titled‘‘Poetry,’’Nottingham
(NottinghamReview,20March1812),118
M27 16March1812:Lettersigned‘‘yourforGenlLudd’’to‘‘MrByrnny,’’Nottingham
(H.O.42/122),120
M28 17March1812:Postedpaperinscribedto‘‘Mrlud,’’Chesterfield(H.O.42/121),121
M29 8April1812:LetterwithpoembyThomasLarge,Nottingham(Nottinghamshire
ArchivesCA3984,I,44;RecordsoftheBoroughofNottingham,8:141–42),122
M30 [Midtolate]April1812:Letterfrom‘‘WBalfour,CaptainofDivision,’’atNottingham
toWilliamTrenthamatNottingham(H.O.42/120),124
ListofDocuments v ix
M31 24April1812:LetterwithpoembyThomasLarge,Nottingham(Nottinghamshire
Archives,CA3984,I,64),126
M32 [Late]April1812:Poemtitled‘‘WellDone,NedLud,’’NottinghamorMansfield
(NottinghamshireArchivesM297)129;facsimile,131–32
M33 [9]May1812:Poemtitled‘‘WelcomeNedLudd,’’Nottingham(H.O.42/123),130
M34 29May1812:Letterfrom‘‘N.Ludd’’mailedtoHenryWood,Leicester(H.O.42/124)
132;facsimile,134
M35 LateSpringorSummer1812:Songtitled‘‘HuntingaLoaf,’’Derbyshire(Broadsheet
Collection,DerbyLocalStudiesLibrary,box15),133
M36 4June1812:Letterfrom‘‘L..’’atNottinghamtotheprinceregentatCarltonHouse
(H.O.42/124),136
M37 7June1812:Letterfrom‘‘ThoJones’’atBristoltotheprinceregentatLondon
(H.O.42/124),138
M38 11June1812:Letterfrom‘‘apoorwoman’’at‘‘Lester’’toJamesStevensonat
Leicester(H.O.40/1/4),139
M39 16July1812:Circularletterfrom‘‘TheC--m---tee’’(H.O.42/125),141
M40 September1812:Encryptedletterandkey,‘‘TheCommittee’’(H.O.42/127),142
M41 May1814:Letterfrom‘‘WilliamTrueman’’toJohnBullockatNottingham
(H.O.42/139),143
M42 16June1814:LetterfromS.SimpsonatNottinghamtoanunknownrecipientat
Dumfries(H.O.42/140),144
M43 31August1814:Letterfrom‘‘APriest’’tothe‘‘EditoroftheNottinghamGazette’’
(NottinghamReview,9September1814),146
M44 5October1814:Letterfrom‘‘GeneralLudd’’to‘‘theEditoroftheNottingham
Review’’(NottinghamReview,14October1814),149
M45 17October1814:Letterfrom‘‘NedLud’’atBasfordtoWilliamBeeratDerby
(H.O.42/141),152
M46 12June1816:Letterfrom‘‘EdwardLudd’’atHinckleyto‘‘NeedhamandBrayand
Company’’atHinckley(H.O.42/151),153
M47 10March1817:LetterfromThomasSavidgeinLeicesterCountyGaoltohiswife
(Sutton,SomeParticulars4),153
M48 2April1817:LettertoE.Ward,Derby(H.O.40/5/2),155
M49 6April1817:LetterfromWilliamTowleatLeicesterCountyGaoltohisfather
(Sutton,FourAdditionalLetters1),156
M50 7April1817:LetterfromThomasSavidgeatLeicesterCountyGaoltohisfather
(SomeParticulars4–5),157
M51 8April1817:LetterfromThomasSavidgeinLeicesterCountyGaoltohiswifeand
children(SomeParticulars,5–6),158
M52 8April1817:LetterfromJoshuaMitchellatLeicesterCountyGaoltohisbrother
(SomeParticulars9),159