The Luddite Trials: Radical Suppression and the Administration of Criminal Justice

A fter reviewing the historiography of the Luddite rebellions, this article details the process of criminal justice administration at the time of the rebellions. The various legislative acts that comprised the "Bloody Code" are identified and the associated history of capital charges and executions in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries are examined. Relying on trial records and newspaper and other accounts, results of the Luddite trials are presented and compared with the execution and pardon rates for Assize trials in England and Wales. Providing details of occupations, ages, and charges for those at risk of the mass executions at the Luddite trials reveals the extent of the repressive measures used to thwart Luddite disturbances. Seeking further insight into how the repressive trial outcomes were obtained, Home Office correspondence and other sources relating to the York Special Commission are reviewed to assess trial outcomes during the tenure of Lord Sidmouth as home secretary.