Robert Owen and New Lanark

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	Time: 12 hours Level: Intermediate

	Introduction Introduction Resource Robert Owen (1771–1858) (see Figure 1) was one of the most important and controversial figures of his generation. He lived through the ages of Enlightenment and Romanticism and was personally touched by...

	1 A New View of Society 1 A New View of Society Resource Some of Robert Owen's ideas were confirmed by personal experience as a philanthropic employer who strongly emphasised the importance of environment, education and, ultimately, cooperation in improving...

	2 Progress and the economy 2.1 The cotton industry Resource Owen personified one of the key Enlightenment notions of belief in progress. Economic progress, as anticipated by Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (1776), arose partly from industrialisation. Britain was... 2.2 David Dale and New Lanark 1785–1800 Resource Although New Lanark was not the first, it became one of the largest and most important cotton mills of its period. It was planned and developed near the Falls of Clyde in 1785 by David Dale (1739–1806)...

	3 Politics: Radicalism and reaction 3 Politics: Radicalism and reaction Resource Although ambiguous in his political views, Robert Owen could hardly avoid politics. As we shall see, he assiduously cultivated politicians or anyone else in authority who might be persuaded to support...

	4 The making of a social reformer 4.1 Environment and education: Wales 1771–c.1782 Resource Owen had a remarkable career even before he reached New Lanark. His kin and upbringing at Newtown in mid-Wales were highly influential. His parents were shopkeepers and his father was also the postmaster... 4.2 Apprenticeship in retailing c.1782–c.1789 Resource Owen's apprenticeship coincided roughly with the initial development of New Lanark. Leaving home when he was ten or eleven years old, by his late teens he had already gained extensive experience in textile... 4.3 Business and enlightenment: Manchester 1789–99 Resource Manchester's dynamic business environment, particularly that of the new cotton industry, presented many opportunities for enterprise, even to those with modest capital. By 1790 Owen had joined John Jones,... 4.4 Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society and Board of Health Resource In the meantime Owen joined the town's social and intellectual elite, which like its politics was largely dominated by Dissenters. They were prominent in the Manchester Literary & Philosophical Society... 4.5 Owen at New Lanark 1800–c.1812 Resource At New Lanark Owen quickly initiated changes, some of which he describes in the Second Essay. As in Manchester he placed much emphasis on environmental improvements such as street cleansing, better domestic... 4.6 New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde Resource Let us take a moment to consider another aspect of New Lanark that was potentially of great importance to any propaganda campaign built around it. Big factories employing large numbers of youngsters were...

	5 The background to the essays 5.1 The essays in context Resource Owen's public career effectively began in 1812, when he started to promote his ideas about popular education. He may have been thinking about this for some time. In 1810 he had evidently contacted Lord... 5.2 Owen in London 1812–14 Resource Owen's visits to London, where he worked on the essays, coincided with the vital closing years of the Napoleonic Wars. He arrived in the metropolis to find it seething with news of momentous events on... 5.3 Further enlightened influences: Godwin, Place and Mill Resource What transpired during the first of many visits to London helps to explain the background to Owen's writing of the essays and shows how he set the concept of character formation into a larger frame, drawing...

	6 The essays 6.1 Overview Resource Having looked at the contexts and background, let us turn now to the essays themselves. I have used the edition of 1837, which was based on the second edition of the complete work, dating from 1816. However,... 6.2 The dedications Resource Let us start with the dedications, which are both intriguing and of considerable interest. 6.3 First Essay Resource The earliest essay, written under the nom de plume of ‘one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of Lanark’ (if intended to provide Owen with anonymity this was a thin disguise, given the... 6.4 Second Essay Resource As a preliminary to the Second Essay, Owen says that he will enhance further his discussion of his underlying principles and then begin to explain to his readers how they can be applied in practice. Notice... 6.5 Third Essay Resource By the time Owen got round to writing Essays Three and Four, probably at the end of 1813 or the beginning of 1814, events had moved on, particularly the success of his new partnership in purchasing the... 6.6 Fourth Essay Resource Having discussed the relationship between environment and character formation in individuals and in society, shown the application of these principles using New Lanark as a test-bed, and described future...

	7 New Lanark as showpiece and text 7 New Lanark as showpiece and text Resource Owen's partnership of 1814, consisting of Bentham and other enlightened individuals, mainly wealthy Quakers, paved the way for the rapid implementation of the innovations spelled out in the Statement of...

	8 Impact of the essays 8 Impact of the essays Resource While there was much in the essays that enlightened persons could endorse, Owen's publication attracted considerable criticism. William Hazlitt, the essayist and critic, for one, abhorred the style and...

	9 The factory reform movement 9 The factory reform movement Resource Owen's participation in the movement for factory reform was clearly much influenced by views expressed in the essays. This showed his continuing concern, first evidenced in Manchester, about the impact...

	10 Working-class distress and planned communities 10 Working-class distress and planned communities Resource Meanwhile Owen's views on the problem of poverty were also much influenced by his experience at New Lanark and had particular relevance to the difficult era that opened up after the Napoleonic Wars. Economic...

	11 Conclusion 11 Conclusion Resource Any assessment of Robert Owen is bound to be partial, because there are some gaps in our knowledge about both the man and his agenda. But we have seen the close links between his personal experience as...

	12 Glossary 12 Glossary Resource Millenialism (or Millenarianism): the belief and practices, religious and/or political, which seek a comprehensive, salvationary solution for social, political, economic and personal issues. Although originally...

	References and Acknowledgements References Resource Acknowledgements Resource

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Topic outline

Introduction

1 A New View of Society

2 Progress and the economy

3 Politics: Radicalism and reaction

4 The making of a social reformer

5 The background to the essays

6 The essays

7 New Lanark as showpiece and text

8 Impact of the essays

9 The factory reform movement

10 Working-class distress and planned communities

11 Conclusion

12 Glossary

References and Acknowledgements

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