Reading the Riot Act

In this episode, the focus is on the ‘Luddite’ movement of 1811-12 when machine-breaking actions proliferated in the English cloth-making counties of Nottinghamshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire. In discussion with Katrina Navickas, a historian of British popular protest in the North who lectures at the University of Hertfordshire, the origin of the movement and the nature of the attacks on textile machinery are explored. We will also think about the communities and localities in which these episodes took place as well as the official response to Luddism.

This series takes a look at British protests in the late 18th and early 19th century which have been dubbed ‘riots’. Each episode seeks to understand what sparked a particular outbreak of collective disturbance, who exactly was involved, how disorder was handled by those in authority, the way in which riots were talked about and reported on, and what changed in their wake. Artistic and literary responses to protest will also be explored. Thought will also be given to how riots have been remembered in official accounts and popular memory and the way in which historiographical approaches to outbreaks of protest have changed over time. These aspects will be tackled in discussion with historians and scholars of art, literature and culture who work in the field.