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THE 200th anniversary of the Luddites has brought this important part of Huddersfield history back into the spotlight.

And to commemorate the landmark anniversary Honley Civic Society has brought out a booklet called Trouble At T’Mill, The Luddites and Honley.

It features several illustrations in watercolour, pen and ink by artist Andrew Jenkin of events that ended in murder.

Huddersfield Art Society member Andrew was head tutor at North Light Gallery in Armitage Bridge and moved to north Wales in 2010.

The story of the assassins and their leader George Mellor is told in great detail and includes quotes from contemporary newspapers.

Mellor, 21 in March 1812, worked at John Wood’s cropping shop in Longroyd Bridge and heard about the framework knitters in Nottingham who were angry at the prospect of lower pay so were attacking their machines with hammers.

The croppers in Yorkshire who hand finished woollen cloth with enormous cropping shears weighing up to 50lbs began to fear their jobs would be threatened by the introduction of cropping machines.

At a meeting in Halifax attended by Mellor and others they resolved to attack two masters – William Cartwright’s Rawfolds Mill near Cleckheaton and William Horsfall in Marsden.

The Cartwright attack failed as the mill was well defended by the army and Mellor’s friend, John Booth, was killed. Furious, Mellor vowed instant revenge by targeting William Horsfall at Ottiwells Mill in Marsden which employed 400 people. Horsfall had encouraged other mill owners in Marsden to install cropping machines.

As the victim rode home from Huddersfield town centre on April 28, 1812, he was shot dead close to the Warren House pub at Crosland Moor and died from his wounds just over a day later.

The four attackers fled and two went for a drink at the Coach and Horses Inn at Honley. It took a while to gather evidence against them – but one, Benjamin Walker, turned King’s evidence – and they were arrested in October 1812, tried at York early in January 1813 and Mellor was accused of being the murderer with two others, William Thorpe and Thomas Smith, charged with aiding and abetting him to commit the crime. All were found guilty by the jury.

They were hanged in York on Friday, January 8, when it was reported that: “George Mellor spoke with great apparent fervency and devotion, confessing in general the greatness of his sins but without any admission to the crime for which he suffered.’’

Eight days later five more Huddersfield men were executed for the attack on Rawfolds Mill.

Benjamin Walker claimed a £2,000 reward and returned to work at Longroyd Bridge but was despised by his colleagues.

Peter Marshall, leader of Honley Civic Society History Group, said: “We felt that the anniversary should not go past without recognising the Luddite connection with our village. We are thrilled that Andrew Jenkin has produced such evocative pictures.’’

Apart from the murder, further Luddite activity in and around the Honley district during the early 19th century is also told in the 20-page booklet when there was a spate of thefts of firearms and attacks on woollen manufacturers in the village and surrounding areas.

The booklet is available from Holme Valley News and Taylors Food Store in Honley, Holmfirth Tourist Information Office, Huddersfield Railway Station bookstall and other outlets and costs £3.50.

PEOPLE wanting more information about the Luddites have plenty to explore.

West Yorkshire Archive Service has produced a major display to mark the bicentenary.

This includes the response of the local people in authority such as Sir Joseph Radcliffe, key Luddite figures such as the informant Benjamin Walker and the personal suffering suffered by the widows and children of Luddites.

They were visited by the Quaker Thomas Shillitoe whose account of his visits has survived.

The display will be at various venues throughout the year, beginning at Huddersfield Library, Halifax Central Library and the Red House Museum, Gomersal this month. WYAS staff will also be attending other Luddite linked events this year, including a day school on Saturday, May 12, organised by Huddersfield University with talks by 10 speakers on a range of Luddite topics.

Graham Hebblethwaite, chief officer of West Yorkshire Joint Services, which oversees the work of the Archive Service, said: “This major project not only commemorates the Luddites but aims to promote and encourage discussion and research into their legacy.

“The events of 1812 brought the West Riding into the national spotlight and it is said that at one time there were more troops sent to quell the Luddites than were fighting Napoleon on the Iberian Peninsula.’’

WYAS collects a diverse range of records created by a variety of individuals, groups and businesses.

If you would like to discuss the possibility of depositing records or would like to give feedback on the types of records that you would like to see contact the Collections Team (archives@wyjs.org.uk).