Ned Ludd is the legendary person to whom the

Luddite The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver ...

s attributed the name of their movement. In 1779, Ludd is supposed to have broken two

stocking frame A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589. Its use, known traditionally as framework knitting, was the first major stage in the mechanis ...

s in a fit of rage. When the "Luddites" emerged in the 1810s, his identity was appropriated to become the folkloric character of Captain Ludd, also known as King Lud or General Ludd, the Luddites' alleged leader and founder.

Origin of the name Ludd

It has been claimed that the name 'Ned Ludd' came from an 'Edward Ludlam' who was buried at St Mary's Church, Anstey.

History

Supposedly, Ludd was a weaver from Anstey, near

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. In 1779, after either being whipped for idleness or taunted by local youths,Chase, Alston (2001) ''In a Dark Wood'', Transaction Publishers, , p. 41 he smashed two knitting frames in what was described as a "fit of passion".Alsen, Eberhard (2000) ''New Romanticism: American Fiction'', Routledge, , p. 43George Gordon Lord Byron (2002) ''The Works of Lord Byron. Letters and Journals'', Adamant Media Corporation, , p. 97 This story can be traced to an article in ''The Nottingham Review'' on 20 December 1811, but there is no independent evidence of its veracity. John Blackner's book ''History of Nottingham'', also published in 1811, provides a variant tale, of a lad called "Ludlam" who was told by his father, a framework-knitter, to "square his needles". Ludlam took a hammer and "beat them into a heap".Traill, Henry Duff & Mann, James Saumarez (1902) ''Social England. Vol. V'', Cassell & Co, p. 841 News of the incident spread, and whenever frames were sabotaged, people would jokingly say "Ned Ludd did it". By 1812, organised frame-breakers became known as Luddites, using the name King Ludd or Captain Ludd for their mythical leader. Letters and proclamations were signed by "Ned Ludd".

In popular culture

Music

*The character of Ned Ludd is commemorated in the folk ballad "The Triumph of General Ludd".

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () were a British rock band formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. Other singles include "Amnesia", " Enoug ...

recorded a version of this song on their 2003 release, '' English Rebel Songs 1381–1984''. * The Fall's song "Ludd Gang" (the b-side to "The Man Whose Head Expanded") is about Ned Ludd. *

Robert Calvert Robert Newton Calvert (9 March 1945 – 14 August 1988) was a South African- British writer, poet, and musician. He is principally known for his role as lyricist, performance poet and lead vocalist of the space rock band Hawkwind. Early lif ...

wrote and recorded another song "Ned Ludd", which appeared on his 1985 album ''Freq''; which includes the lyrics:

They said Ned Ludd was an idiot boy
That all he could do was wreck and destroy, and
He turned to his workmates and said: Death to Machines
They tread on our future and they stamp on our dreams.

Steeleye Span Steeleye Span are a British folk rock band formed in 1969 in England by Fairport Convention bass player Ashley Hutchings and established London folk club duo Tim Hart and Maddy Prior. The band were part of the 1970s British folk revival, and we ...

's 2006 album ''

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'' has a five-part section on the subject of Ned Ludd. *The

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song "The Final March" has a direct reference to Captain Ludd. *

Alt-country Alternative country, or alternative country rock (sometimes alt-country, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative), is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that differ significantly in style ...

band

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affectionately refer to Ned Ludd as "Uncle Ned" in the song "Luddite Juice" from their 2009 release, ''Haymaker''. *The Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts sings of Ned Ludd in his song "Ned Ludd's Rant (For World Rebarbarised)" on his 2009 album, ''Spoils''. *San Diego punk band

The Night Marchers The Night Marchers are an American alternative rock band formed in 2007 in San Diego, California, United States. The band is composed of singer/ guitarist John Reis, guitarist Gar Wood, bassist Tommy Kitsos, and drummer Jason Kourkounis. Rei ...

included a song called "Ned Lud" on their 2013 release ''Allez, Allez''. * Neil Hannon of

The Divine Comedy (band) The Divine Comedy are a pop band from Northern Ireland, formed in 1989 and fronted by Neil Hannon. Hannon has been the only constant member of the group, playing, in some instances, all of the non-orchestral instrumentation except drums. The ...

references Ned Ludd in the song "You'll Never Work in This Town Again" on their 2019 release, ''Office Politics''.

Literature

* Edmund Cooper's alternative-history ''The Cloud Walker'' is set in a world where the Luddite ethos has given rise to a religious hierarchy which dominates English society and sets carefully prescribed limits on technology. A hammer – the tool supposedly used by Ned Ludd – is a religious symbol, and Ned Ludd is seen as a divine, messianic figure. * ''The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire'', a steam-punk trilogy by

Rod Duncan Rod Duncan (born 1962, Wales) is a British writer. He grew up in Aberystwyth. He was identified as dyslexic at the age of eight and made his way through the education system by avoiding writing as far as possible. Duncan went on to study Mining Ge ...

, describes a hypothetical world nearly 200 years after a successful Luddite revolution. The powerful and corrupt International Patent Office controls and restricts technological progress and Ned Ludd is given a similar status to Henry Ford in ''

Brave New World ''Brave New World'' is a dystopian novel by English author Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hiera ...

''. *The novel ''

The Monkey Wrench Gang ''The Monkey Wrench Gang'' is a novel written by American author Edward Abbey (1927–1989), published in 1975. Abbey's most famous work of fiction, the novel concerns the use of sabotage to protest environmentally damaging activities in the ...

'' (1975), by

Edward Abbey Edward Paul Abbey (January 29, 1927 – March 14, 1989) was an American author, essayist, and environmental activist noted for his advocacy of environmental issues and criticism of public land policies. His best-known works include '' Desert S ...

, is dedicated to Ned Ludd. *Anne Finger wrote a collection of short stories titled ''Call Me Ahab'' about famous disabled historical and literary figures, which included the story "Our Ned" about Ned Ludd. *'' Ecodefense: A Field Guide To Monkeywrenching'' was published by Ned Ludd Books. Much of the content came from the "Dear Ned Ludd" column in the newsletter of the group

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. *In the comic book series ''

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'', a terrorist group called Ascension opposing modern technology uses the image of Ludd in its broadcasts. *The Luddites were the inspiration for the play ''The Machine Breakers'' (''Die Maschinenstürmer'') by the German playwright Ernst Toller (1893-1939). *Ned Ludd is a character in the novel ''The Twelfth Enchantment'' by

David Liss David Liss (born March 16, 1966) is an American writer of novels, essays and short fiction; more recently working also in comic books. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in South Florida. Liss received his BA degree from Syracuse Universit ...

Television

*In NBC's ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...

'', episode 8 of season 1, an activist network that plans an attack on the US financial system is led by a man who calls himself General Ludd. *On the Disney Channel's '' Big Hero 6: The Series'', there is a recurring character named Ned Ludd who lives in the woods and abhors modern technology.

Games

* In Sarah Northway's ''Rebuild: Gangs of Deadsville'', one of the factions is a group called The Luddies led by a man dubbed King Ludd Owen. The group is described as "part hippie, part luddite" and is an obvious reference to Ned Ludd and the Luddites. * In the game

Starsector ''Starsector'' (formerly ''Starfarer'') is an upcoming top-down single-player indie role-playing game developed and published by Fractal Softworks for computers in 2011. Set in the year 3126, the player commands a fleet of spaceships and engages in ...

, a faction called the Luddic Church whose founding is based on the sacrifice of their quasi-mythical martyr, Ludd, and values are described in game as being a "life lived more simply, of agrarian virtue and humanistic values and prayer against the violence and technological alienation", and their extremist offshoot, the Luddic Path, who outright proscribe any use of higher technology were inspired by Ned Ludd and the Luddites.

Other

* The Ned Ludd, a craft beer pub on Friar Lane, Nottingham, is named after Ned Ludd. *A small American craft-kitchen restaurant located in Portland, Oregon, US, is called Ned Ludd. *A popular bookstore/winebar in Antwerp, Belgium is called 'luddites'.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ludd, Ned 18th-century English people Anonymity pseudonyms British weavers English folklore People from Anstey, Leicestershire People of the Industrial Revolution People whose existence is disputed