In what year did the Luddite movement begin?

The Luddite movement began in 1811. It emerged among English textile workers protesting machinery and production practices that threatened skilled jobs, wages, and established standards of workmanship.

The first major outbreak began in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, on 11 March 1811, when workers attacked stocking frames used to produce knitted goods. The movement later spread to Yorkshire and Lancashire, where workers targeted different machines, including power looms, shearing frames, and gig mills.

The Luddites were not simply opposed to every new technology. Many were skilled textile workers who used machinery themselves; their protests focused on employers using machines to cut wages, bypass customary labour rules, or replace trained workers with cheaper labour. The name came from the legendary Ned Ludd, supposedly a rebellious apprentice.

Luddite activity was suppressed by troops, arrests, executions, and transportation. The movement is often confused with modern opposition to technology, but its original protests were organised campaigns about economic power and working conditions.