Thursday 2 August 2012

2nd August 1812: Arms raid at Armley, West Yorkshire

Somewhere between the hours of 12.00 & 1.00 a.m. on Sunday 2nd August, the home of Edward Wright of Armley, near Leeds, was raided by Luddites looking for arms. The raiders told Wright that General Ludd had sent them for his musket, which he duly gave to them. They also told him they knew where to find all the arms in the village and that they were determined to have them all.

When the Luddites left, they fired 6 or 7 shots in celebration. The raid was all the more audacious because a party of troops was stationed at a nearby Gig Mill.

The musket was returned to Wright 2 days later: a note had been left in the barrel which complained that the weapon was not suitable, the barrel being too small for a bullet.

As reported in the Leeds Mercury of 8th August 1812 & the Lancaster Gazette of 15th August 1812.

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