Thursday 19 January 2012

19th January 1812: Multiple Luddite attacks in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire villages

On the night of Sunday the 19th January, a number of Luddite raids took place across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, in places by now familiar and unfamiliar with the Luddites.

Four frames were destroyed at New Radford, including a high quality silk frame. The Nottingham Review reported that this frame was employed in making silk stockings for the Price Regent. The rentier of the frame complained to the Review that he was not working for low prices (i.e. wages) and had been making stockings for 20 years.

At Ruddington (nowadays home to a Framework-knitting museum), up to 3 frames were destroyed.

At Linby, expectations of an attack were high, so much so that a group of stockingers had agreed to keep watch in the village. But at midnight, and with no signs of anything taking place, they decided to go home. Not long after, the Luddites chose to make their attack, and up to 20 men entered the house of a Charles Shipley. 3 men stood over him, two with pistols and one with a sword whilst the others destroyed the 10 warp lace frames (2 of which belonged to him) in his workshop within 10 minutes. The Luddites also took away the pieces of cloth being worked on, and destroyed some of Shipley's crockery and furniture. The cost of the broken frames was estimated at £200.

At Cotmanhay in Derbyshire, up to 9 plain cotton frames were destroyed, and at Swanwick in the same county, 11 similar frames were destroyed.

As reported in the Derby Mercury of 30th January 1812 (quoting the Nottingham Journal of 25th January 1812) and the Leeds Mercury of 1st February 1812 (quoting the Nottingham Review of 24th January 1812). Charles Shipley was apparently bankrupted 16 years later in 1828.

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