Difference between revisions of "Charles Booth" - New World Encyclopedia
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| + | [[Category:Politics and social sciences]] | ||
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| + | [[Category:Philanthropist]] | ||
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| + | '''Charles Booth''' ([[30 March]] [[1840]] - [[23 November]] [[1916]]) was an [[England|English]] philanthropist and social researcher, most famed for his work on documenting working class life in [[London]] at the end of the [[19th century]]- one of the most comprehensive social studies of London which has ever been undertaken<ref name=static>http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/2.html#iv</ref> . He was born in [[Liverpool]], the son of a corn merchant. Booth was concerned about social problems and recognized the limitations of philanthropy and conditional charity in addressing these problems. | ||
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| + | ==Family background== | ||
| + | Charles Booth was born into a wealthy [[Liverpool]] ship-owning company, in the mid-1880s he moved the company's offices to [[London]]. His father was also called Charles Booth and was a [[Unitarian]]<ref name=spartacus>http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRunitarian.htm</ref>. His mother was called Emily Fletcher. Unitarians believed that social evils such as [[poverty]] were inflicted by humans, not God, so social problems could be tackled by human efforts. This opinion is evident in his son Charles Booth's work on poverty. | ||
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| + | Booth attended the [[Royal Institution School]] in [[Liverpool]] before being apprenticed aged sixteen<ref name=static/>. When his father died when Booth was aged 22 Booth took control of his father's company to which he added a successful glove manufacturing business.<ref name=spartacus/> | ||
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| + | ==Early life== | ||
| + | By 1862 Booth was an orphan, his girlfriend Antonia Prange had also recently died. Booth entered the skins and leather business with his older brother Alfred. He was able to set up offices under the name [[Alfred Booth and Company]] in both Liverpool and New York using the money which he inherited from his father which amounted to £20,000<ref>http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/2.html#footnote1</ref>. | ||
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| + | The 1860s saw the development of steam shipping and Booth was an enthusiast. After studying shipping across the Atlantic Booth was able to persuade Alfred and his sister Emily to invest in steamships to create a service to Pará, Maranhão and Ceará in Brazil. Booth himself went on the first voyage on 14th of February 1866. Booth was also involved in the building of a harbour at Manaus which could overcome seasonal fluctuations in water levels. He described this as his "monument" when he visited the area for the last time in 1912.<ref>Belinda Norman-Butler Victorian Aspirations (London: Allen & Unwin, 1972) p. 177 </ref> | ||
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| + | Booth also had some participation in politics. He campaigned unsuccessfully for the Liberal parliamentary candidate in the election of 1865. However, he became disillusioned with politics following the Tory victory in municipal elections in 1866. This changed Booth's attitudes, he saw that he could influence people more by educating the electorate, rather than through politics. <ref name=static/> Booth was involved in [[Joseph Chamberlin's|Joseph Chamberlin]] [[Birmingham Education League]], a survey which looked into levels of work and education in [[Liverpool]]. The survey found that 25,000 children in Liverpool were neither in school or work. | ||
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| + | ==Personal life== | ||
| + | Booth married [[Mary Macaulay]] on 29 April 1871 who was niece of the historian [[Thomas Babington Macaulay]]. <ref name=static/> One of his daughters married the son of [[Edward Macnaghten, Baron Macnaghten|Lord Macnaghten]] | ||
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| + | ==Views on poverty== | ||
| + | Booth was critical of the existing statistical data on poverty, by analysing census returns he argued that they were unsatisfactory and later sat on a committee in 1891 which suggested improvements which could be made to them. | ||
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| + | Booth publicly criticised the claims of the leader of the [[Social Democratic Federation]] [[H. M. Hyndman]] - leader of Britain's first [[socialist]] party. Hyndman stated that 25% of Londoners lived in abject poverty. Booth investigated poverty in London working with a team of investigators which included his cousin [[Beatrice Potter]]. This researched which looked at incidences of pauperism in the [[East End of London]] showed that 35% were living in abject poverty - even higher than the original figure. This worked was published under the title [[Labour and Life of the People]] in 1903. | ||
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| + | ==The survey into London life and labour== | ||
| + | After this Booth expanded his research to cover the whole of London. This investigation was carried out by Booth himself and a team of researchers. However Booth continued to operate his successful shipping business while the investigation was taking place. [[Life and Labour of the People of London]] was published in seventeen volumes between 1891 and 1903 - he used this work to argue to the introduction of Old Age Pensions which he described as "limited socialism". Booth argued that such reforms would prevent socialist revolution from occurring Britain. Booth was far from tempted by the ideas of socialism but had some sympathy with the working classes, as part of his investigation he took lodgings with working class families and recorded his thoughts and findings in diaries. | ||
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| + | The [[London School of Economics]] keeps his work on an online searchable [[database]].<ref>http://booth.lse.ac.uk/cgi-bin/do.pl?sub=view_booth_and_barth&args=531000,180400,6,large,5</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Political views== | ||
| + | While Booth's attitudes towards poverty may make him appear fairly liberal, Booth actually became more conservative in his views as he became older. Some of his investigators such as Beatrice Potter became socialists as a result of their research, however Booth was critical of the way in which the Liberal government appeared to support trade unions after they won the 1906 General Election. This caused him to renounce his Liberal Party membership - he deferred to the Conservative Party. | ||
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| + | ==Influence of his work== | ||
| + | [[Life and Labour of the People of London]] can be seen as one of the founding texts of British [[sociology]], drawing on both [[quantitative]] ([[statistical]]) methods and [[qualitative]] methods (particurly [[ethnography]]). Because of this, it was an influence on [[Chicago School]] sociology (notably the work of [[Robert E. Park]]) and later the discipline of [[community studies]] associated with the [[Institute of Community Studies]] in [[East London, England|East London]]. | ||
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| + | ==Works== | ||
| + | *[[Labour and Life of the People]] (1899) | ||
| + | *[[Life and Labour of the People of London]] (1891 to 1903) | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
| + | {{reflist}} | ||
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| + | ==External links== | ||
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| + | *[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PHbooth.htm Spartacus description of Booth's life] | ||
| + | *[http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/45 The centre for Spatially Integrated Social Science] | ||
| + | *[http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/2.html Charles Booth (1840–1916) - a biography] | ||
| + | *[http://booth.lse.ac.uk/ The Charles Booth Online Archive] | ||
| + | *[http://mubs.mdx.ac.uk/Staff/Personal_pages/Ifan1/Booth/ Middlesex Universities' Business School] | ||
| + | *[http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqSearch=RefNo=='EC/1899/03'&dsqDb=Catalog Royal Society citation] | ||
| + | *Ben Gidley, ''[http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/cucr/pdf/gidley.pdf The Proletarian Other: Charles Booth and the Politics of Representation]'' (London: Centre for Urban and Community Research, [[Goldsmiths College]], 2000). | ||
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| + | {{Credits|Charles_Booth_%28philanthropist%29|144454952|}} | ||
Revision as of 20:50, 13 September 2007
Charles Booth (30 March 1840 - 23 November 1916) was an English philanthropist and social researcher, most famed for his work on documenting working class life in London at the end of the 19th century- one of the most comprehensive social studies of London which has ever been undertaken[1] . He was born in Liverpool, the son of a corn merchant. Booth was concerned about social problems and recognized the limitations of philanthropy and conditional charity in addressing these problems.
Family background
Charles Booth was born into a wealthy Liverpool ship-owning company, in the mid-1880s he moved the company's offices to London. His father was also called Charles Booth and was a Unitarian[2]. His mother was called Emily Fletcher. Unitarians believed that social evils such as poverty were inflicted by humans, not God, so social problems could be tackled by human efforts. This opinion is evident in his son Charles Booth's work on poverty.
Booth attended the Royal Institution School in Liverpool before being apprenticed aged sixteen[1]. When his father died when Booth was aged 22 Booth took control of his father's company to which he added a successful glove manufacturing business.[2]
Early life
By 1862 Booth was an orphan, his girlfriend Antonia Prange had also recently died. Booth entered the skins and leather business with his older brother Alfred. He was able to set up offices under the name Alfred Booth and Company in both Liverpool and New York using the money which he inherited from his father which amounted to £20,000[3].
The 1860s saw the development of steam shipping and Booth was an enthusiast. After studying shipping across the Atlantic Booth was able to persuade Alfred and his sister Emily to invest in steamships to create a service to Pará, Maranhão and Ceará in Brazil. Booth himself went on the first voyage on 14th of February 1866. Booth was also involved in the building of a harbour at Manaus which could overcome seasonal fluctuations in water levels. He described this as his "monument" when he visited the area for the last time in 1912.[4]
Booth also had some participation in politics. He campaigned unsuccessfully for the Liberal parliamentary candidate in the election of 1865. However, he became disillusioned with politics following the Tory victory in municipal elections in 1866. This changed Booth's attitudes, he saw that he could influence people more by educating the electorate, rather than through politics. [1] Booth was involved in Joseph Chamberlin Birmingham Education League, a survey which looked into levels of work and education in Liverpool. The survey found that 25,000 children in Liverpool were neither in school or work.
Personal life
Booth married Mary Macaulay on 29 April 1871 who was niece of the historian Thomas Babington Macaulay. [1] One of his daughters married the son of Lord Macnaghten
Views on poverty
Booth was critical of the existing statistical data on poverty, by analysing census returns he argued that they were unsatisfactory and later sat on a committee in 1891 which suggested improvements which could be made to them.
Booth publicly criticised the claims of the leader of the Social Democratic Federation H. M. Hyndman - leader of Britain's first socialist party. Hyndman stated that 25% of Londoners lived in abject poverty. Booth investigated poverty in London working with a team of investigators which included his cousin Beatrice Potter. This researched which looked at incidences of pauperism in the East End of London showed that 35% were living in abject poverty - even higher than the original figure. This worked was published under the title Labour and Life of the People in 1903.
The survey into London life and labour
After this Booth expanded his research to cover the whole of London. This investigation was carried out by Booth himself and a team of researchers. However Booth continued to operate his successful shipping business while the investigation was taking place. Life and Labour of the People of London was published in seventeen volumes between 1891 and 1903 - he used this work to argue to the introduction of Old Age Pensions which he described as "limited socialism". Booth argued that such reforms would prevent socialist revolution from occurring Britain. Booth was far from tempted by the ideas of socialism but had some sympathy with the working classes, as part of his investigation he took lodgings with working class families and recorded his thoughts and findings in diaries.
The London School of Economics keeps his work on an online searchable database.[5]
Political views
While Booth's attitudes towards poverty may make him appear fairly liberal, Booth actually became more conservative in his views as he became older. Some of his investigators such as Beatrice Potter became socialists as a result of their research, however Booth was critical of the way in which the Liberal government appeared to support trade unions after they won the 1906 General Election. This caused him to renounce his Liberal Party membership - he deferred to the Conservative Party.
Influence of his work
Life and Labour of the People of London can be seen as one of the founding texts of British sociology, drawing on both quantitative (statistical) methods and qualitative methods (particurly ethnography). Because of this, it was an influence on Chicago School sociology (notably the work of Robert E. Park) and later the discipline of community studies associated with the Institute of Community Studies in East London.
Works
- Labour and Life of the People (1899)
- Life and Labour of the People of London (1891 to 1903)
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/2.html#iv
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRunitarian.htm
- ↑ http://booth.lse.ac.uk/static/a/2.html#footnote1
- ↑ Belinda Norman-Butler Victorian Aspirations (London: Allen & Unwin, 1972) p. 177
- ↑ http://booth.lse.ac.uk/cgi-bin/do.pl?sub=view_booth_and_barth&args=531000,180400,6,large,5
External links
- Spartacus description of Booth's life
- The centre for Spatially Integrated Social Science
- Charles Booth (1840–1916) - a biography
- The Charles Booth Online Archive
- Middlesex Universities' Business School
- Royal Society citation
- Ben Gidley, The Proletarian Other: Charles Booth and the Politics of Representation (London: Centre for Urban and Community Research, Goldsmiths College, 2000).
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