Other Links

A simple definition of luddite at dictionary.com. Other definitions are available.

1993 article sympathetic to the Luddites by Suzanne Jeffrey. Published in The Socialist Review.

A quite detailed but concise account of Luddism including the bigger picture. 

Site of the 1967 television production of Phyllis Bentley's Inheritance. The series was based not only on Dr Bentley's Inheritance but also on her later works The Rise of Henry Morcar and A Man of His Time. It was filmed around the Calder Valley area of West Yorkshire and, commencing with the Luddite risings, traced the history of the fictional manufacturing family the Oldroyds until the death of Sir Winston Churchill. John Thaw, James Bolam and Michael Goodliffe were the main protagonists.

Article of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Insights series. The 200th anniversary of the outbreak of Luddism coincides with the OECD's 50th. The article argues that the modern interpretation of the Luddites does not do them justice and that today's world could learn much from their experience. 

Richard Conniff examines Luddism arguing that 'The label now has many meanings, but when the group protested 200 years ago, technology wasn't really the enemy.' Conniff argues that the Luddites had fears that are just as relevant today of the place of technology in our lives.

A useful website which features 17 pages on the Luddites.
See page 16 - Luddites In The News for transcriptions of news reports from the Leeds Mercury and other regional newspapers at the time of the Luddite uprising.

To mark the 200th Anniversary of the Luddite uprising a group called the Hammer and Shears Company have written a show called 'Among Those Dark Satanic Mills' which tells the story of the skilled Croppers and Weavers whose way of life was imperilled by the new machines being introduced in many Mills. The story is told in the form of words, music, pictures and song.

Jeff Horn's essay entitled 'Machine Breaking in England and France During the Age of Revolution' which includes discussion of the Luddites. 

Elaine Glaser's 'Lessons of the Luddites' article in The Guardian.

The National Archives Luddite page featuring primary sources and an accompanying worksheet.

The 'General Ludd Series' of etchings by Béla Uitz (Hungarian, 1887-1923) in the Yale University Art Gallery.

The Luddites in Marsden, including Letters to Joseph Radcliffe and 'The Road From York to Huddersfield' song.

The Lawrence Batley Theatre's new page on the Luddites, showcasing in-house and related events celebrating the bicentenary. As well as viewing events and information, users can sign up to add content, contribute to the blog, and subscribe to the mailing list.

On-line version of The Risings of the Luddites book by Frank Peel.

Articles relating to the Luddites in local newspapers.

Huddersfield Examiner.
Spenborough Guardian.
Mirfield Reporter.
Yorkshire Post.

To commemorate the bi-centenary of the Yorkshire Luddites in 2012, the Huddersfield Local History Society has published a revised and enlarged edition of Liberty or Death: Radicals, Republicans and Luddites 1793 to 1823 by distinguished local historians Alan Brooke & Lesley Kipling. 
Order & pay online or by post - details on the HLHS link below. 

William Horsfall's Last Journey Leaflet.

Home page of Professor Binfield at Murray State University in the United States.

The page has references to his research into Luddism including links to an overview of the history of the movement entitled, 'Luddites and Luddism' and to many primary texts.

Home page of Dr Katrina Navickas at the University of Hertfordshire.

Dr Navickas specialises in the study of popular movements in the North of England between 1760 and 1848. She has made several contributions on the subject of  Luddism both as particular studies and as part of integrated approaches to political and protest groups. The site includes a list of her publications.

Katrina's Blog.

Professor Randall (University of Birmingham) has carried out research into three closely related fields: labour organisation and the impact of new technologies in the Industrial Revolution, popular protest in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and the relationship between community and a growing market economy.

His includes the article 'The "'lessons" of Luddism', published in the Endeavour journal, volume 22, Issue 4  in 1998. 

Dr John A. Hargreaves has researched extensively into the history of Yorkshire,  in particular, that of Halifax and Huddersfield. He has written widely on the Luddite and Chartist movements and is the author of Halifax the acclamed history of the town. Dr Hargreaves has also published many articles on the religious history of the area. 

Professor Edward Royle is now Emeritus Professor at the University of York. His research has largely centred on York and Yorkshire from the mid-eighteenth century. He has written very extensively on radical movements and religion. He is the author of Modern Britain: A Social History 1750-1997, a publication both highly academic and highly popular.

Website of a group calling themselves Radical Histerians.  They are  interested in 'Nottingham’s long and turbulent history of dissent, unrest and rebellion.' Celebrates the 200th anniversary of Luddism in Nottinghamshire.

Site commemorating the 200th anniversary of Luddism with a detailed overview of the movement. The group aims to bring together technology activists from a wide range of areas to develop common perspectives on the politics of technology.

The Northern Anarchist Network (NAN) is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Luddite rebellion by creating a commemorative booklet. The group aims to document the daily events of the movement employing a variety of methods and sources including artefacts as well as written materials to enable this. The NAN calls for articles and seeks to collaborate with other groups in raising awareness of the real significance of the Luddites.

An interesting article about Luddism based upon a review of two books:

Rebels Against the Future by KirkPatrick Sale, (1995).

Who Killed Ned Ludd? and Industrialisation and Domestication, two essays by John Zerzan (1988).

 from Do or Die, a journal published by UK Earth First.

The Land Magazine is an occasional magazine about land rights. The current edition is a special issue about Luddism then and now, with 15 articles including Mr Lud's Song, Lessons from the Luddites, by Kirkpatrick Sale, Technology and Equity, and Four Reasons why technology Doesn't Save Time. Other articles cover Gandhi, synthetic biology and the material impact of cyberspace.