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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Luddites
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Rioters who in the early 19C smashed the textile machines which they saw as a threat to their livelihood; they struck at night and were usually masked. The attacks began in *Nottingham in 1811 and soon spread. The leader or leaders preserved anonymity by using the name King Ludd. The origin of the name is unknown, but an unsubstantiated account in 1847 traced it back to a simpleton, Ned Lud, who was supposed to have smashed two machines in Leicestershire in about 1779. Hangings and transportation seemed to have brought the movement to an end in 1813, but there was another outbreak in 1816.
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