An imaginary captainSourced
Protest letters carried the name of a fictional leader
During the Swing Riots of 1830, agricultural workers in England protested low wages, harsh conditions and machinery that displaced work. Attacks included the destruction of threshing machines. Threatening letters to farmers and others were often signed with the name Captain Swing, a fictional figurehead.
A shared signature did not identify one real captain.
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Swing Riots · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-10