Wednesday 11 May 2016

11th May 1816: Luddites destroy a frame in Rushes Street, Loughborough

The Leicester Chronicle of 18th May 1816 reported an action by Luddites that took place on Saturday 11th May 1816:
Frame-breaking.—On Saturday night last, some person or persons opened a sliding casement, and entered the workshop of John Bexon, (commonly called Serjeant Bexon,) framework-knitter, in the Rushes-street, Lougborough, and smashed to pieces the internal part of what is called a thirty plain guage frame, the property of Mr. Norton of that town, framesmith. There were in the shop at that time, a frame belonging to Messrs. Paget and Sons; and two belonging to Messrs. Middleton and Hall; but not the least mischief was done to any of them.—Why this injury has been done to Mr. Norton, seems a little mysterious, for he had nothing at all to do with the manner in which the frame was worked, and to the price, nature of the work, &c.; he was merely the owner of the frame, and is withal a person of such quiet and inoffensive habits as to feel totally unconscious of having an enemy of this much dreaded cast.
The Morning Post of 23rd May 1816 added the following:
A stout truncheon was found in the shop next morning, and also a bar of iron, placed behind the door, as if a resolute defence had been intended to have been made in case of interruption. It will cost near 10l to put the frame in repair again.

No comments:

Post a Comment