The Swing Riots were an uprising by the rural workers of the arable south and east of England in 1830. They sought higher wages and to halt to the introduction of threshing machines which threatened their livelihoods. They reinforced their demands with rick-burning, the destruction of threshing machines and cattle-maiming among other things.

Mystery surrounds the leader of the riots, Captain Swing, who is supposed to have written several of the letters sent to farmers and others. These were first mentioned by The Times on the 21st of October. Captian Swing has never been identified, although many people believe that he never existed and was created by the workers as a figurehead and fictional target for those they were against.