Yorkshire Luddism:  Fiction and commentary 6: Rawfolds Mill: The Attack

With hindsight the attack on Rawfolds Mill has been seen by historians and novelists as the beginning of the end for the Luddites.     The attack proved that a well-led body of around 200 men could not break into a fortified stone mill even if it was held by a weak garrison, some of whom lacked motivation to defend the property.  The ‘garrison’ consisted merely of the owner Cartwright, three workers, five soldiers of the Cumberland militia and a 14 year old boy (Reid, p 107).  There were also two guards outside with blunderbusses but they were easily surprised, disarmed and tied up at the start of the attack (Reid, p 111).  Possibly they had no enthusiasm for their task.  Certainly Cartwright found some of his soldiers equally reluctant.  One did not fire and the other stood by the fireplace refusing to shoot at ‘his brothers’ (Reid, p 112/127).

The attackers met at the Dumb Steeple around 10 pm, drilled in a field near by and set off in parties across Hartshead Moor to attack Rawfolds at midnight.

       As observed in 'Fiction and Commentary' 5 this is a later                 At the time of the attack it might have looked more

                    and larger version of Rawfolds Mill.                                                             like this mill in Roe Head.

The greater power provided by steam engines enabled larger mills to be built. 

Shirley parts from history in having the assault take place not in a cold April but 'in that dim June twilight which does not wholly fade,' (Chp XIX, p 265).    Shirley and Caroline find themselves witnessing the attack from behind the attackers.   Charlotte’s tone is ambiguous; Shirley and Caroline are half appalled and half proud of hearing ‘a West-Riding-clothing-district-of-Yorkshire rioters’ yell,’ (Shirley, p272).  The attack proceeds like a macho game:

‘ “To the counting-house!”  was the order again.

“Welcome! – We shall have you there!” was the response,’ (Shirley, p 272).

In this version the narrative never enters the mill to show the defenders but, even after the event, Moore does not complain of their lack of enthusiasm.   Instead both attackers and defenders fight keenly, caught up in an encounter that is made to sound primal and ‘animal’ not industrial and political: ‘they could guess that the fighting animal was roused in every one of those men there struggling together’ (Shirley, p272).   

In Sad Times there is a similar ground view but the tone is less ambiguous: ‘such a shriek as oh heaven! We hope may never be heard amongst Yorkshire hills and dales again,’ (Chp XIII,  p 139).  The sinister, anonymous Luddite leader throws his men against the mill until he realises ‘his men would be slaughtered and no point gained,’ (Chp XIII,  p 140) and withdraws defeated.    In the Toils of the Luddites promises similar scenes when it shows the attackers setting off but the narrative follows Jim’s flight from the Luddites not the assault itself.    This is simply reported in conversations during the next chapter (Chp VI/VII)

Banks adopts a technique that anticipates the cinema, cutting between the attackers and the defenders of what she renames ‘Greenfold’s Mill’, defended by a ‘woefully small garrison’ (Bond Slaves, Bk III, Chp 3 p291).   Her version quotes but depoliticises the soldier’s remark ‘I might injure a brother if I fired!’(Bond Slaves, Bk III, Chp 3 p294).  In Bond Slaves the soldier is literally the brother of Wat Hartland who he fears is amongst the attackers.  Where Shirley presented the attack as an event that ambiguously thrills the two female witnesses, Banks manipulates readers’ sympathies by ending the chapter looking at the threat to Mrs Wainwright and her children in the house next to the mill.   Mary, Wat’s daughter hides the Wainwright children whilst Mrs Wainwright stands ready with a gun: ‘Brave as a lioness in defence of her young,’ (Bk III, Chp 3, p298).   Given Mr Wainwright’s description of the Luddites as ‘savages’, (Bk III, Chp 3, p298), this makes her look like a pioneer woman defending her house against attacking Native Americans.   This is as far as the challenge to gender stereotypes goes; the Luddites run off before it is discovered whether she can shoot to kill.       

Henty alters the chronology of events to have the shooting of Horsfall reported before Rawfolds Mill is attacked.  In Through the Fray the fictitious Ned hurries over to help the real Cartwright and his force defend the mill.  In this version no soldier is disobedient or sympathises with his brothers outside.  

In Ben O’ Bill’s the attack is seen through the eyes of the hero Ben, who is wounded making his way round to attack the back of the mill (Ben O’ Bill’s, Chp VIII, p 189).  The wound prevents him from taking any further part in Luddite activities, especially the assassination of Horsfall.

Inheritance, surprisingly, omits the attack entirely.  Bentley’s Luddites move straight from being thwarted by the installation of machines into a determination to kill the machines’ owner, (Inheritance, Bk I, Chp 3).    It is not until 1967 that Bentley addresses the incident.    Her children’s novel Ned Carter in Danger presents glimpses of the assault as seen through the eyes of a young teenager, Ned, who’s keeping lookout for the military as the Luddites attack.   

In 2016 all that is left where Rawfolds Mil stood is a name and a cleared site.