Editing Ned Ludd

{{Short description|Fictional figurehead of the Luddites}}
{{Distinguish|Ned Ludd (restaurant)}}
{{redirect|General Ludd|the television episode|General Ludd (The Blacklist)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Luddite.jpg|thumb|upright|Engraving of ''Ned Ludd, Leader of the Luddites'', 1812]]

'''Ned Ludd''' ({{IPAc-en|n|ɛ|d|_|l|ʌ|d}})<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pronounceitright.com/pronunciation/ned-ludd-10659|title=How to pronounce Ned Ludd|website=PronounceItRight|access-date=15 February 2024}}</ref> is the legendary person to whom the [[Luddite]]s attributed the name of their movement.<ref name="Chambers">{{cite book|editor-last=Chambers |editor-first=Robert |editor-link=Robert Chambers (publisher, born 1802) |year=1888 |title=The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar |url={{GBurl|id=NDwIAQAAMAAJ|p=357}} |volume=1 |location=London; Edinburgh |publisher=W. & R. Chambers |page=357 |access-date=7 March 2021}}</ref>

In 1779, Ludd is supposed to have broken two [[stocking frame]]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.

==History==
Supposedly, Ludd was a weaver from [[Anstey, Leicestershire|Anstey]], near [[Leicester]], England. In 1779, after either being whipped for idleness<ref name="Hammond">{{cite book|last1=Hammond |first1=J. L. |author-link1=John Lawrence Hammond |last2=Hammond |first2=Barbara |author-link2=Barbara Hammond |year=1919 |title=The Skilled Labourer 1760–1832 |url=https://archive.org/details/skilledlabourer00hammiala/page/259/mode/2up |location=London |publisher=Longmans, Green, and Co. |page=259}}</ref> or taunted by local youths,<ref name="Chase">{{cite book|last=Chase|first=Alston |year=2001 |title=In a Dark Wood |publisher=Transaction Publishers |page=41 |isbn=0-7658-0752-1}}</ref> he smashed two knitting frames in what was described as a "fit of passion".<ref name="Alsen">{{cite book |last=Alsen |first=Eberhard |year=2000 |title=New Romanticism: American Fiction |publisher=Routledge |page=43 |isbn=0-8153-3548-2}}</ref><ref name="Byron">{{cite book|last=Byron|first=George Gordon |author-link=Lord Byron |year=2002 |title=The Works of Lord Byron. Letters and Journals |publisher=Adamant Media Corporation |page=97 |isbn=1-4021-7225-7}}</ref> 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".<ref name="Traill">{{cite book|editor-last1=Traill|editor-first1=H. D. |editor-link1=Henry Duff Traill|editor-last2=Mann|editor-first2=J. S. |year=1902 |title=Social England |volume=V |publisher=Cassell & Co |page=841}}</ref> News of the incident spread, and whenever frames were sabotaged, people would jokingly say "Ned Ludd did it".<ref name="Alsen" /><ref name="Byron" />

By 1812, organised frame-breakers became known as [[Luddite]]s, using the name King Ludd or Captain Ludd for their mythical leader. Letters and proclamations were signed by "Ned Ludd".<ref name="Alsen" />

==In popular culture==
{{in popular culture|date=March 2023}}

===Music===
*[https://nottsmusicarchive.com/ned-ludd/ Ned Ludd] was a Nottingham based blues rock band circa 1974/77 featuring Ian Belton (Guitar/Vocals), Chris Syson (Bass), Paul “Beano” Summers (Keyboards) Vince Noonan (Drums) later Billy Hammond (Drums).
*The character of Ned Ludd is commemorated in the folk ballad "The Triumph of General Ludd". [[Chumbawamba]] recorded a version of this song on their 2003 album, ''[[English Rebel Songs 1381–1984]]''.
* [[The Fall (band)|The Fall]]'s song "Ludd Gang" (the B-side to "The Man Whose Head Expanded") is about Ned Ludd.
*[[Robert Calvert]] wrote and recorded another song "Ned Ludd", which appeared on his 1985 album ''[[Freq (album)|Freq]]''; which includes the lyrics: <blockquote>They said Ned Ludd was an idiot boy<br />That all he could do was wreck and destroy, and<br />He turned to his workmates and said: Death to Machines<br />They tread on our future and they stamp on our dreams.</blockquote>
*[[Steeleye Span]]'s 2006 album ''[[Bloody Men]]'' has a five-part section on the subject of Ned Ludd.
*The [[Heaven Shall Burn]] song "The Final March" has a direct reference to Captain Ludd.
*[[Alt-country]] band [[the Gourds]] affectionately refer to Ned Ludd as "Uncle Ned" in the song "Luddite Juice" from their 2009 album, ''Haymaker!''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Coe|first=Jonathan|date=20 January 2009|title=The Gourds |url=http://media.www.dailygamecock.com/media/storage/paper247/news/2009/01/20/TheMix/The-Gourds-3589038.shtml |newspaper=[[The Daily Gamecock]]}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
*The Scottish folk musician [[Alasdair Roberts (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]] included a song called "Ned Lud" on their 2013 album ''Allez! Allez!''.
*[[Neil Hannon]] of [[The Divine Comedy (band)|the Divine Comedy]] references Ned Ludd in the song "You'll Never Work in This Town Again" on their 2019 album, ''[[Office Politics (album)|Office Politics]]''.
*Italian Hardcore punk band based in Rome [[Ludd Rising!]] <ref>{{cite web|title=Ludd Rising |url=https://www.discogs.com/it/artist/2675157-Ludd-Rising}}</ref>

===Literature===
*[[Edmund Cooper]]'s alternative-history ''The Cloud Walker'' (1973) 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]], 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]]''.
*The novel ''[[The Monkey Wrench Gang]]'' (1975), by [[Edward Abbey]], is dedicated to Ned Ludd.
*''[[Ecodefense|Ecodefense: A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching]]'' (1985) was published by Ned Ludd Books. Much of the content came from the "Dear Ned Ludd" column in the newsletter of the group [[Earth First!]].
*In the 2013–14 comic book miniseries ''[[Superman Unchained]]'', a terrorist group called Ascension opposing modern technology uses the image of Ludd in its broadcasts.<ref>{{cite comic|writer=[[Scott Snyder|Snyder, Scott]]|penciller=[[Jim Lee|Lee, Jim]]|inker=[[Scott Williams (comics)|Williams, Scott]]|story=The Fall|title=[[Superman Unchained]]|issue=2|date=September 2013|publisher=[[DC Comics]]}}</ref>
*The Luddites were the inspiration for the 1922 play ''The Machine Breakers'' (''Die Maschinenstürmer'') by the German playwright [[Ernst Toller]].
*Ned Ludd is a character in the 2011 novel ''The Twelfth Enchantment'' by [[David Liss]].

===Television===
*In ''[[The Blacklist]]''{{'s}} episode 8 of season 1, "[[General Ludd (The Blacklist)|General Ludd]]", 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.
*On the [[Amazon Prime]] show ''[[Upload (TV series) |Upload]]'', Ludds are a group generally opposed to technology including, for some, the “upload” tech.
*In '[[Horrible Histories]]{{'s}} episode 8 of season 4, the parody song "Luddites!" references Ned Ludd.
*In [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]]’s ''[[Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]'' episode 9, season 3, Rosalind says to [[Phil Coulson]] “You’re such a Luddite!” when he says he doesn’t understand what “swiping left” means.

=== Other ===
* [[Ned Ludd (restaurant)]] in Portland, Oregon
* The Ned Ludd, a craft beer pub on Friar Lane, [[Nottingham]], is named after Ned Ludd.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ned Ludd, Nottingham|url=https://whatpub.com/pubs/NOT/512/ned-ludd-nottingham|website=WhatPub|access-date=2019-04-03}}</ref>
*The video game ''[[Starsector]]'' features a faction opposed to AI and advanced technology known as the "Luddic Church," with an extremist offshoot faction known as the "Luddic Path."

==See also==
*[[Captain Swing]]
*[[Rebecca Riots]]

==References==
{{reflist|40em}}

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