Chartism and Framework Knitters
Evington History and Heritage Group’s January 2025 Meeting
The speaker, Steve Marquis, gave an illustrated talk on ‘Chartism and Framework Knitters’ particularly focussing on the early 19th Century, which he described as ‘A descent into Hell’.
Steve explained how Luddism (a movement against mechanisation) lasted much longer in Leicestershire than generally thought.
The background to the unrest throughout England as well as Leicestershire were to do with the rapid changes. There had been the American War of Independence (1776-1782), the French Revolution (1789-1792) which had severely disrupted trade. Then enclosures of the common land added to the misery of the ordinary working man, and at that time there were a lot of framework knitters..
Framework knitting had been around since 17th Century and grew rapidly. In Evington, for example, there are some Stockinger cottages, which would have contained weaving looms.
These gave a living that could be supplement by the tenants, who also had access to common land. The framework knitters had enough time to grow their own food as well as knit.
In the late 17th Century riots had started with protests against mechanisation in spinning. This was followed by a bad harvest in 1795. This was just the beginning! The Luddite Revolt in 1811 was organised in Nottingham and spread. Protection for workers was taken away with the repeal of the 1563 Statute of Labourers.
The tragedy was that the workers did not have a clear strategy, so they reacted from Luddite attacks, strikes, political campaigns and lobbying. It was bound to fail, said Steve.
This was politically a time when only 11% of adult males had the vote.
The extent of Luddism in Leicestershire has been understated because it came late.
Steve’s opinion is that the framework knitters were forced into a forty year long war that they had little chance of winning and therefore adopted – not by considered choice, but out of sheer desperation – whatever strategy, whether, economic, political or even insurrectionary, that appeared to offer the best outcome at any particular time.
