Beginnings

Abstract

From his arrival at the head of the New Lanark cotton mills in 1800, Robert Owen saw the Scottish factory village as the ideal testbed for improving the condition of the working classes. Owen’s early association with Manchester reformist circles in the 1790s, and the legacy of his own father-in-law David Dale were highly influential. After having established New Lanark in 1785, Dale had garnered national fame thanks to his enlightened business ethos and his extensive industrial welfare policies. Even though Owen was always reluctant to acknowledge his predecessor’s legacy, the latter’s focus on quality amenities and community bonds played a major part in his son-in-law’s take on industrial paternalism. All these themes are covered in this chapter.