Ian Donnachie

Historic tourism to New Lanark and the falls of Clyde 1795-1830. The evidence of contemporary visiting books and related sources.

New Lanark and the falls of Clyde, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, show the coincidence of picturesque and industrial tourism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Made famous by Robert Owen (1771–1851), the social reformer, the factory village of New Lanark attracted many visitors from Britain and abroad. This article examines early visitor data, typologies, origins, occupational profiles, motivations, and visitor experiences. A high proportion of visitors, it concludes, were interested in social and educational reform, as well as seeing romantic scenery. It also suggests that in line with Owens agenda, the interpretation of the site for modern visitors is strongly influenced by similar social, educational, cooperative and environmental concerns.

The New Lanark Highlanders: migration, community, and language 1785-c.1850

Abstract This article discusses an example of Highland-Lowland migration in the early stages of industrialization. It addresses the origins, timing and quantity of Highland migration to New Lanark and in doing so highlights some migratory mechanisms, including temporary, step-wise, kin and chain migration. Moreover, it explores how Gaelic language and culture, together with religion, were sustained over a considerable period after this migration. In doing this, it notes how David Dale and Robert Owen adopted different attitudes to language. While lack of concrete evidence means that some of the conclusions must remain speculative, this example of interdisciplinary enquiry raises new questions about the migration of communities and their maintenance at their points of destination.

The Scottish Country Miller, 1700-1900: A History of Water-Powered Meal Milling in Scotland

The history of Scotland has often been the history of its aristocracy, lawyers, and clergy, but recent years have brought growing interest in the lives of ordinary country people and the domestic craftsmen who formed an essential role in the life of the community. Until the industrialization of the towns and depopulation of the countryside -- which took place at widely differing pace in different regions of the country -- the miller was of vital importance in the community. His product was the chief element of the diet of all Scottish people until Victorian times. The mill was shop as well as manufacturer and was the only source of what people ate most of the time. This fascinating study discusses in detail the origins of milling, the social context and daily life of the miller, as well as the technical aspects of the industry.

Industrial Archaeology in the British Isles

A comprehensive survey of industrial archaeology in which the authors emphasise two vital points: that industrial archaeology cannot be separated from its historical, economic and social context; and that it cannot be constrained to the period after 1700. It covers a wide range of topics and features: an introduction to the subject, its scope, sources and techniques; power - water, steam, etc; agriculture and processing; textiles; metallurgy and engineering; mining and quarrying; chemicals, ceramics and glass; transport - roads, canals, railways, shipping; public services and utilities, including recreation; social archaeology, including housing. Examples are drawn from all over England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland for which a country by country gazetteer of industrial heritage is provided.

‘We must give them an education, large, liberal and comprehensive’. Catherine Vale Whitwell: teacher, artist, author, feminist and Owenite communitarian

ABSTRACT This article was provoked by the author’s conviction that its subject was a great deal more significant than a marginalised woman on the fringes of Owenism, the reformist movement promoted by Robert Owen during the early nineteenth century. It examines the life of Catherine Whitwell, formally identified in studies of Owen and in histories of education as teacher cum artist in the school at New Lanark, Owen’s factory community in Scotland, and also one of several women writers on astronomy. Otherwise little was known of her activities or the contexts in which they occurred. There are many gaps in the record and her footprint is often illusive, but much new information in widely dispersed archives, periodicals, digitised newspapers and secondary sources helps cast further light on her background, a career embracing work as proprietor of girls’ schools, author of works on astronomy and mathematics, promoter of sciences for women, advocate of women’s education, artist and communitarian. The context of Whitwell’s work is reviewed with reference to recent relevant literature and followed by a case study explaining her association with Owen, speculating on her role in visualising his plans for communities of co-operation designed to relieve distress and create greater equality, then describing her teaching career both at New Lanark and later at Orbiston, the first British Owenite community near Glasgow. The study concludes with a brief review of her post-Owen work running girls’ schools and an assessment of her role in the development of education and disseminating knowledge, particularly for young middle class women and working class children in the first half of the nineteenth century.

‘Anything You Want It to Mean’? Scotland’s Changing Heritage Landscape

This chapter examines some features of Scotland’s diverse heritage, tangible and intangible, and which are vital to the tourist industry and the national economy. First, it looks at those who run Scotland’s heritage; traditional agencies, the changes that they have experienced, and their respective roles in defining strategies. Second, it examines natural heritage, highly significant in tourism, but strangely detached from the mainstream. Third, it identifies other heritage interests, notably the influential National Trust for Scotland. Fourth, it looks at funding and collaboration within the sector. Fifth, it examines the ‘new’ industrial heritage which formed the basis of Robert Hewison’s classic critique. Sixth, it reviews World Heritage in Scotland, what it has achieved and its benefits, especially to tourism. Lastly it examines some heritage issues and strategies for the future. More questions arise, but the most central is this: while heritage plays an enormous role in the tourist industry and economy, what ethos and ideology does it present to the world at large, are these appropriate to the country’s past, and what does the future hold for the heritage industry?

People, Places and Spaces: Education in Robert Owen’s New Society

During the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries popular education, formal and informal, developed slowly in various contexts, though with perennial debate about its purpose and content. Formal education expressed in the limited curricula of the time is readily identifiable, informal less so, but nevertheless much in evidence in this chapter. It is clear that Robert Owen (1771–1858), eschewing books for younger children, attached great importance to informal experiential learning and to play and other activities promoted by the great Pestalozzi. While acknowledging the activities of other practitioners, Andrew Bell (1752— 1832) and Joseph Lancaster (1778–1838) among them, this contribution focuses on Owen’s educational thinking and achievements central to his social reform agenda. It examines the significance of environment on his educational thought, the places, personalities and ideas which influenced his work in Britain and elsewhere, with special emphasis on teaching and the curriculum in the School for Children and in the Institute at New Lanark and briefly in other Owenite communities. A variety of spatial processes and themes can be identified, including the cultural and linguistic geography of mid-Wales, migration from Wales and from the Scottish Highlands, the economic and social geography of London, Stamford, Manchester and Glasgow, the location of New Lanark on a prime water power site, the relatively small, material scale of the institute and school relative to the community they served.

From Owenite Socialism to Blairite Social-ism: Utopia and Dystopia in Robert Owen and New Labour

In this paper we explore some of the enduring themes that arguably characterise Owen and Blair and their respective followers. While Owen and Blair are separated by two centuries, there is a considerable degree of coincidence in their approaches and agendas. New Labour sees itself as constructing a new Britain, a new welfare system and a Third Way approach to politics and the state, which is constructed as new in that it purports to ‘go beyond’ both ‘Old’ Labour and the Conservatives. As with Blair and New Labour, for Owen constructing a particular vision of ‘new’ society was an important objective. This ‘newness’ is reflected in his most famous icon, New Lanark, as well as in his ideas for a ‘new Society’ and a ‘New Moral World’. For both Owen and the Owenites, and Blair and New Labour, there is a shared effort to distance themselves from ‘past failures’ while projecting an image of the future, an attempt to construct a model or vision of what a ‘good’ society should look like. Here ideas of utopia and dystopia come into focus. Indeed we find ourselves concurring with Engels and Marx who suggested that utopian visions by their very nature actually created dystopias in their wake. However, as we will argue, Blairs vision of a social-ist society is very much at odds with the vision of progressive socialist society constructed by Owen, though both undoubtedly generated dystopian outcomes from utopian agendas.

A History of the Brewing Industry in Scotland.

A detailed review of the economic, buisness and social history of the industry extending from the 17th century to the present day. Major themes include: growth during industrialization; agriculture, raw materials and brewing; the brewers and their workforce; techniques, markets, capital and companies; new products; amalgamtions and changes. Appendices list brewers, breweries, and brands. There is an extensive bibliography including all major business records, parliamentary papers, trade journals, scientific and technical works relating to brewing.