From Manchester to Burnley: sir James kay-Shuttleworth and his contribution to the moral and physical welfare of the poor in the periods 1828-1835 and 1842-1877

This study presents evidence that the noted Victorian educationalist, Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth, was willing and able to implement a number of his own theories designed to improve the moral and physical welfare of the poor. The thesis compares the time Kay-Shuttleworth spent in Manchester as a physician to the poor, and his own effort at social investigation that resulted in the publication of the pamphlet, The Moral and Physical Condition of the Working Classes Employed in the Cotton Manufacture in Manchester, with evidence from his activities in Burnley and Padiham, Lancashire, where he became a member of the landed elite due to his marriage. It is argued that after his retirement from public duties in 1849, Kay-Shuttleworth was able to fulfil the role of a paternalistic landowner, and attempted to use his own theories to improve the condition of the poor. He used his newly acquired disposable wealth to build upon the public recognition that his professional career had helped him to establish in order to interact with the poor. He consistently argued that educational provision was the most effective means of working class improvement. Kay-Shuttleworth also remained involved with issues in Manchester after he had moved away, becoming particularly active with the distribution of relief during the cotton famine. A continued involvement in national educational matters also later diverted Kay-Shuttleworth's attentions away from Burnley and Padiham, although he remained active in the improvement of the poor until his death in 1877.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

mphil

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Central Lancashire

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Shutt, Catherine Janet

Language dc:language

en