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David
Dale
1739-1806
Ayrshire-born
David Dale started out as an apprentice to a Paisley weaver.
After completing his appprenticeship, he spent some time as
a weaver's agent, delivering yarns and collecting cloth from
weavers around the country, before moving to Glasgow. There,
he set up a business trading in imported Dutch and French
linen yarns.
In
1783, having developed an interest in the cotton industry, he
invited Richard Arkwright - inventor of the "spinning frame",
a machine for spinning cotton - to visit the city. Dale and
Arkwright went into a brief partnership, and together they built
the New Lanark Mills on the banks of the Clyde, which opened
in 1786. Dale continued on his own and by 1793, following numerous
extensions, the mills had become the largest water-powered spinning
mills in Britain, with over 1300 employees.
Dale's
attitude to his workforce was a revolutionary one. His approach
was to provide education and care for his workers - very unusual
for the time. These included a number formerly destitute men
and women, for whom Dale provided shelter, food, and training,
and an additional 400 or so pauper children.
Visitors
from all over Europe, Russia and America travelled to visit
Dale's model industrial village with its large mills, innovative
production techniques and forward-looking attitude to its workforce.
In
1799 Dale sold out to his son-in-law, Welshman Robert Owen,
at which time the mills employed between 400-500 pauper children
as well as the full workforce.
As
well as his mills, Dale was involved in many other activities:
When the Royal Infirmary was set up beside the cathedral in
1792, it relied on the support of the city's successful businessmen.
Dale was the first to provide financial assistance. In 1783,
Dale became the first agent and cashier of the Royal Bank of
Scotland's Glasgow branch. He was the director of the city's
poorhouse, and of the hospital.
He
was also responsible for his own religion! Having broke away
from the established church, Dale set up the "Old Scotch
Independants". (His church gained the nickname Caun'le
Kirk, because it's erection was financed by a candlemaker friend
of his.) He acted as preacher for 37 years, teaching himself
Greek and Hebrew along the way.
Despite
his rather "rounded" figure (comparisons with a Toby
Jug were common, and not unreasonable!), he had reached the
age of 66 before he died in 1806.
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