David Dale's House 2

David Dale*

David Dale, the son of a grocer, was born in Stewarton, Ayrshire, in 1739. After his apprenticeship as a weaver in Paisley, Dale travelled the country as an agent buying up homespun linen. In 1763, he set up his own business in Glasgow importing yarn from holland and Belgium. This was a success and in 1777 he married the daughter of an Edinburgh director of the Royal Bank of Scotland. After meeting Richard Arkwright in 1784, Dale decided to build his own cotton mill at New Lanark. The venture was a great success and further mills were constructed by Dale at Blantyre, Sutherland and Oban.

To work his spinning machines, Dale employed hundreds of pauper apprentices from workhouses in Edinburgh and Glasgow. In 1799, Dale's daughter, Caroline, married Robert Owen. With the financial support of several businessmen from Manchester, Owen persuaded Dale to sell the mills at New Lanark to him for the princely sum of £60,000. Dale retired to Cambuslang, just outside Glasgow, where he died in 1806.

ACTIVITY

1. Describe how Dale became involved in the textile industry.

2. Dale's success revolved around three successful partnerships. Name the partners and explain why each was so important.

*Image Copyright SCRAN used under Licence