Robert Owen was a man who lived about 200 years ago. He was a successful
businessman in the textile industry.
Owen thought that ordinary working people should be able to enjoy education,
good health, decent living conditions, and recreation.
Robert
Welcome
Owento
Day
His ideas were not popular amongst many other businessmen at the time who
were only concerned with making as much money as possible out of their workers.
Owen tried lots of schemes to improve the lives of his workers – some of these
were more successful than others! Co-operatives and trade unions, for example,
are still helping people today.
And his idea of ‘sustainable communities’ is becoming popular again in days when
we need to be more aware of our impact on the environment.
Robert Owen’s story is one from the past which may help us to solve the problems
of today and the future.
Today you will learn more about Owen’s life and his ideas.
We hope you will have fun too!
1
Owen’s story begins …
Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small town
in Wales, in 1771. His father ran the local saddler
and ironmonger shop and was also the town
postmaster.
At the age of seven, Owen had learned everything
he could from the local schoolmaster and started
to use his knowledge to help teach the younger
children.
2
Childhood days
Owen almost died at the age of 6 or 7 after falling off his
horse crossing a narrow bridge.
He also injured his stomach eating scalding hot
flummery, a type of porridge.
“On my hastily taking a spoonful of it I found it was quite
scalding hot, the body of it retaining all its heat. The
consequence was an instant fainting from the stomach
being scalded. In that state I remained so long that my
parents thought life was extinct.”
3
Starting work
The Industrial Revolution made a big impact on the lives of ordinary people. People
who had previously lived in small, rural towns had to move to the expanding cities for
new work opportunities.
At the age of 10, Owen was given forty shillings and sent to London in search of work.
He stayed with his brother until he was offered a job as a draper’s apprentice in
Stamford in Lincolnshire. He worked in Mr McGuffog’s drapers shop for three years.
Owen later moved to Manchester where he worked at Satterfield’s wholesale
drapery. When he was 18, he set up his own business making cotton-spinning
machines. In 1792, he became manager of Bank Top Mill in Manchester.
4
Life in the mills
Working life changed dramatically during the
Industrial Revolution. Rather than working in
their own home or outside on farms, people
were forced to work in dangerous and
crowded mills. Many workers were unhappy
with the new conditions.
Whilst managing a mill in Manchester, Owen
helped found the Manchester Board of Health,
which carried out inspections in mills. They
discovered terrible living and working
conditions.
5
New Lanark
Owen became a mill manager at New Lanark in 1800. His enlightened management
techniques improved life for the workers there and New Lanark soon became a
model village. His system of reforms became famous and over 20,000 people visited
the site.
Owen paid close
the health
welfare
of the
New
villagers,
Drunkenness
andattention
theft wastocommon,
butand
Owen
believed
that
byLanark
improving
the
unlike manyformill
conditions
hisowners.
workers he would be rewarded with a staff of hardworking and
dedicated employees. He improved the educational and recreational facilities,
encouraging workers to attend evening classes and go for walks in their spare time.
New Lanark is now a World Heritage Site and can still be visited today.
5
6
Working children
By the start of the 19th century, lots of children
were working in mills all over the country.
Many of them were orphans who were
supposed to be given food, clothing and access
to education rather than wages. But by the
time they had worked all day in the mills they
were too tired to study in the evenings.
Owen refused to let children under the age of
10 work in the mills. Older children could only
work up to 14 hours a day and he gave them
time off for meals. This was unpopular with
other mill owners, but Owen further reduced
working hours to 12 hours per day in 1816.
6
Working children
In 1816, he also opened the
Institute for the Formation of
Character. It taught similar
subjects to those taught in
schools today – history,
geography, reading, writing and
arithmetic. Owen also helped
mothers by establishing the first
infant school in Britain. Owen
believed learning should be
pleasurable, so there were no
punishments or rewards, and
there were weekly concerts.
7
A decent place to live
Owen wanted
People
neededtoencouragement
improve this atto
New
takeLanark.
up work
Workers’
in mills,houses
rather were
than continuing
very
to work outside
different
there. Sewage
on farms.
was
One
removed
of the ways
each mill
day owners
and the attracted
streets innew
the village
employees
were
cleaned
was
regularly,
by providing
helping
housing
improve
for the
workers.
healthIt of
was
villagers.
often very
Eachcrowded,
family had
there
an
extra
wasroom.
usually only one room for each family and many people shared the
primitive bathroom facilities.
However, there were new rules and regulations. Houses had to be cleaned at
least once a week and the villagers were banned from keeping animals in the
houses. At first, the villagers, especially women, protested against having their
homes investigated by officials, who became known as the bug hunters.
8
Community and
democracy
Owen wanted to encourage community
responsibility at New Lanark to improve the
village and ensure it was a peaceful place to
live.
Owen set up a committee of democratically
elected individuals representing each
neighbourhood, which met once a month.
This was the villagers’ chance to suggest any
changes and improvements.
People were also taught how to budget, and
all the profits from the village store were
used for the benefit of the community.
9
New Harmony
Owen was passionate about sustainable communities, believing that society could
be improved if people lived in small communities like New Lanark. They would be
arranged in large squares with agricultural land, schools, workshops, communal
kitchens and places of worship.
Encouraged by his success at New Lanark, he began to write on the subject and
gave regular lectures. In 1825 he sold New Lanark and moved to America where
he bought a settlement in Indiana.
9
New Harmony
There, he set up the utopian community
New Harmony with his partner William
Maclure. However, the project ended in
failure. It attracted lots of people with
good ideas, but few people had practical
skills in construction of farming. Housing
was overcrowded and there were real
food shortages.
10
Trade Unions
A
trade
union
is an organisation
The
Grand
National
Consolidatedof
workers
whowas
haveformed
come together
with
Trade Union
just before
a
common
goals
to meant
try to improve
trade slump
that
business
conditions.
Owen
that
slowed down
and believed
employers
cutif
working
people
formed
tradestrikes
unions,
wages. The
Union
organised
in
they
would have a better chance of
response.
protecting themselves from the evil of
industry.
In 1833,
he helped
In 1834, Owen
helped
lead aset up the
Grand
National
Consolidated
Trade
procession
to the
Prime Minister
in
Union.
grew
quickly
and
protestMembership
at the sending
of six
Dorset
at
its workers
height the
union
had half
a
farm
(the
Tolpuddle
Martyrs)
million
members.
to Australia.
They were defeated and
the government disbanded the union.
11
Labour exchange
The notes
Owen
encouraged
allowed the
workers to buy
establishment
and
sell their goods
of thebased
National
on the
Equitable Labour
manufacturing
time
Exchange
and theincost
London
of
the materials
in 1832, and
to help
it worked
workers
sell their
well
at first.
products
However,
in aeventually
more
profitable
the
systemmanner.
lapsed due
Theto
members
pricing
of the exchange
disputes
over thewere
valueencouraged
of
to use labour
products
and the
notes
time
instead
takenofto
moneythem.
make
in all Cash
their was
transactions.
exchanged
for labour notes, which saw the
values of the notes decrease.
12
Owen’s ideas live on
His followers, known as Owenites, set up the
It
hasco-operatives.
taken almost One
200 years
for some of
first
early co-operative
Owen’s
dreams
to come
true.Pioneers
He believed
was started
by the
Rochdale
in
that
should
school rather
than
1844,children
and grew
into be
theatCo-operative
which
working
in in
factories.
manytoday.
parts There
of the are
has stores
the highInstreet
world
children
still have tomembers
work andin
aroundtoday
one billion
co-operative
miss
education.
over out
100 on
countries
today.
Although
he didn't persuade
The environmental
problems all
of the other
21st
factory
at the
time,people
Owen to
didexplore
start to
centuryowners
are causing
many
get
businesses
thinking
about their social
Owen’s
ideas about
sustainable
responsibilities
– people
andbeing
planet
– as well
communities and
plans are
developed
as
forprofit.
a number of new ‘eco towns’ around the
UK.