David Dale

David Dale (1739 – 1806) is a remarkable example of the fluidity of Scottish society in the 18th century. He was born poor in Stewarton, Ayrshire, Scotland. He died very rich indeed, connected by marriage to the gentry and nobility of Scotland, as well as the burgeoning industrial "aristocracy" of a rapidly developing Great Britain.

Early career

He was the son of a grocer and was apprenticed to a Paisley weaver, subsequently working in Hamilton and Cambuslang. He then began preparing for an entrepreneurial career, travelling round the country buying up homespun linen. He later became a clerk to a Glasgow mercer, subsequently setting up his own business in 1768 importing linen yarn from the Dutch Republic.

Marriage and success

He married the Anne Caroline Campbell, the daughter of a John Campbell of Jura, a director of the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh and became the Glasgow agent of the Bank in 1783, opening the Bank's first Glasgow branch. He had become a key part of the Burgher Gentry of Glasgow merchants, living in style in a house in Charlotte Street designed by Robert Adam.

Partnerships and New Lanark

He had a brief partnership with Richard Arkwright, the cotton industrialist, to exploit Arkwright's new technology. The partnership failed partly because Arkwright had not managed to secure full ownership of the design of the spinning frame. However, Dale continued to set up cotton spinning factories. The one at Blantyre failed but he went on to set up the New Lanark Mills in 1786. One motivation for this (apart from profit) was the desire to provide alternative employment for destitute Highlanders who had been cleared from their crofts (perhaps from the estates of his Campbell of Jura relatives) as part of the Highland Clearances. Others thought he had taken a typical business opportunity when a ship-load of would-be emigrants to America were stranded at Greenock.

Religion

He seems to have taken a typical 18th century interest in matters theological - being (at least, according to his obituarist) capable of reading the Holy Scriptures in Hebrew and Greek. He left the Church of Scotland as one of the many Seceders of the 18th Century. He set up and became Pastor of a dissenting group of Christians - the Old Scotch Independents, a sort of Congregational church. He tried to apply Christian morality (as he interpreted it) to his business dealings as much as in his attitude to his workers. This involved great care and a highly directed generosity. (He had a reputation of never increasing his "servants'" salaries, even after he had promoted them).This tradition of a philanthropic approach to business he passed on to his son-in-law Robert Owen.

Caroline Dale Owen

His daughter Caroline married Robert Owen - a Welsh entrepreneur of a similar background to Dale. Part of the marriage settlement included selling the New Lanark Mills, village and lands - for £60,000 repayable over 20 years - to a partnership including Owen.

Retiral and death

Dale retired to his country retreat a few miles from Glasgow - "Rosebank" in Cambuslang, though he died at his house in Charlotte Street. A vast throng of the cream of Glasgow, Scottish and British society followed his funeral cortège in 1806 to St Davids Church (the Ramshorn Kirk), where his grave in the south east corner has the simple inscription "David Dale, Merchant".

Bibliography

Magnusson, M Chambers Biographical Dictionary, W & R Chambers, Edinburgh, 1990 ISBN 0-550-16040 X
Donnachie, I Robert Owen: Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony, John Donald Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh 2005 ISBN 0-859-76165-2

External links

http://electricscotland.com/history/other/dale_david.htm for an extensive 19th century appreciation.
http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/index.html for an account and picture of Rosebank House in Cambuslang.

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