Rethinking Luddism in Nottinghamshire

September 22, 2012 14:00

Date Published: September 09, 2012 14:38 by People's Histreh |

Published by group: Group

People's Histreh
Tagged as: culture history local_communities

The Sparrows' Nest (St Ann's - Nottingham)

For directions please email peopleshistreh [at] riseup.net

Places: nottingham nottinghamshire

Poster

A talk by Dr. Matthew Roberts
Senior Lecturer in Modern British History, Sheffield Hallam University

This talk revisits the Luddism of the Nottinghamshire framework knitters. As is well known, the epicentre(s) of Luddism was not in Nottingham itself but in the surrounding villages. Many of these villages were still essentially rural communities. The Luddism of the villages was part of a repertoire of protest acts (arson, poaching, even robbery and attacks on rural property), the origins of which were to be found in the traditions and customs of the English rural community. The Luddites were not semi-professional criminals divorced from their wider community. Rather, Luddite cells grow organically from kinship, neighbourhood and trade connections. The talk will also challenge the view that Luddism in Nottinghamshire was constitutional and moderate.