Science and the Mechanics' Institutes, 1820–1850: The case of Sheffield

Inkster, Ian

doi:10.1080/00033797500200391

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…The Mechanics' Institute at Newcastle, which was established in 1824, introduced classes in chemistry, higher mathematics and phrenology. Over 1,000 people attended the Manchester Mechanics' Institute to listen to John Davis give a lecture on natural philosophy in 1829 (Inkster, 1975).…”

Section: Early Curriculum Developmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘It is Only the Instructed and Trained Overlooker and Artisan That Can Successfully Compete against Foreign Skills’: Nineteenth-Century Adult Technical and Vocational Education Offered by the Yorkshire Union of Mechanics' Institutes and the Foundation of Further Education Curricula

Walker

2012

Journal of Adult and Continuing Education

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Further education colleges in England and Wales have offered governmentrecognised courses and qualifications which receive public funding and have included technical and vocational courses since their foundation in the early twentieth century. Yet developments in such curricula and qualifications are not new and they can be traced back to the first half of the nineteenth century when working-class adult education was first being offered through the then evolving mechanics' institutes. Historians have argued that nineteenth-century British mechanics' institutes failed to offer working-class adults education and qualifications, instead providing scientific lectures for the professional classes. The assumption has been that it was not until the early twentieth century that technical schools started to offer what is often referred to today as vocational education and training. This article questions these views, using the annual reports of the Yorkshire Union of Mechanics' Institutes between the 1830s and 1880s as evidence. The article highlights how several Yorkshire Union mechanics' institutes, many the forerunners of further education colleges, were responsive to offering curricula and qualifications relevant to British industrialisation and the working classes, a tradition which continues today through post-14 education and training.

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Section: Early Curriculum Developmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘It is Only the Instructed and Trained Overlooker and Artisan That Can Successfully Compete against Foreign Skills’: Nineteenth-Century Adult Technical and Vocational Education Offered by the Yorkshire Union of Mechanics' Institutes and the Foundation of Further Education Curricula

Walker

2012

Journal of Adult and Continuing Education

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“…99, 104, 106--9, 115). Products of a campaign to educate and reform the working classes, they represented a mass movement in the sense that 'every large town and many a small one' had its own institute (Inkster 1976). The biggest of them, offering courses in mechanics, drawing, and the like, attracted memberships of a thousand or more.…”

Section: Lunaticks and Mechanicksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did Science Cause the Industrial Revolution?

Gráda

2016

Journal of Economic Literature

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The role of science and technology in the First Industrial Revolution is still contested. Some scholars, focusing on the textiles sector, argue that skilled and talented artisans with no scientific training were mainly responsible for the key inventions; others, with steam power in mind, hold that the links between science and the crucial inventions of the period were fundamental. Margaret Jacob has been a leading contributor to the debate for nearly four decades. The publication of her The First Knowledge Economy offers an opportunity to review the issues. (JEL J24, L26, N13, N73, O31, O33)

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“…For years there had been turmoil between the executive of the Mechanics' Institute and the general membership. Part of the crisis concerned a disagreement about whether the institute should provide scientific or technical instruction (Acheson 1985), a debate not restricted to the Saint John Mechanics' Institute (Inkster 1975). Interestingly lecture topics including medicine, religion and those with more entertainment value like phrenology continued at the Institute while geology topics faded.…”

Section: Saint John Mechanics' Institute Lecturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Any person wishing to attend can obtain tickets free by calling at the Secretary's office any time before the lecture. " Loring Bailey gave an interesting lecture course at church, a venue not uncommon in England (Inkster 1975 Owen (1804-1892) known for coining the term Dinosauria and helping to establish the British Museum (Natural History). For a short period Gesner was in the circles of British geology in London before he returned to Canada.…”

Section: A Contribution To Geology In New Brunswickmentioning

confidence: 99%

19th to early 20th century geology lectures in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Miller

Buhay

2015

atgeol

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Saint John, New Brunswick, has a long history of popularization of geology dating back to lectures presented in the 1820s. The first lecture series that included geology and presented to a public audience in 1824 was followed by almost a century of public engagement and presentation of geology topics to a relatively small city of 20 000 to 30 000 people. Lectures were often very general about the science of geology, specific as to the nature of minerals and mining in New Brunswick, and leading edge concerning the first discoveries of significant fossils in the Province. Even though it was a relatively small community, Saint John had an abundance of knowledgeable people, and institutions for presentation and discussion at the Saint John Mechanics' Institute and the Natural History Society of New Brunswick. RÉSUMÉLa vulgarisation de la géologie à Saint John, au Nouveau-Brunswick, est une longue tradition qui remonte aux conférences données dans les années 1820. Après avoir assisté à une première série de conférences sur la géologie en 1824, le grand public a été présent pendant près d'un siècle aux exposés sur la géologie offerts dans cette petite ville de 20 000 à 30 000 personnes. Les conférences étaient souvent d' ordre très général en ce qui concerne l'aspect scientifique de la géologie, mais elles étaient spécifiques pour ce qui est de la nature des minéraux et de l' exploitation minière au Nouveau-Brunswick et d'avant-garde quant aux premières découvertes de fossiles importants dans la province. Saint John était une collectivité relativement petite, mais on y trouvait une abondance de gens cultivés, de même que des établissements qui se prêtaient aux conférences et aux discussions, notamment le Saint John Mechanics' Institute et la Société d'histoire naturelle du Nouveau-Brunswick.

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Science and the Mechanics' Institutes, 1820–1850: The case of Sheffield

Cited by 18 publications

References 3 publications

‘It is Only the Instructed and Trained Overlooker and Artisan That Can Successfully Compete against Foreign Skills’: Nineteenth-Century Adult Technical and Vocational Education Offered by the Yorkshire Union of Mechanics' Institutes and the Foundation of Further Education Curricula

‘It is Only the Instructed and Trained Overlooker and Artisan That Can Successfully Compete against Foreign Skills’: Nineteenth-Century Adult Technical and Vocational Education Offered by the Yorkshire Union of Mechanics' Institutes and the Foundation of Further Education Curricula

Did Science Cause the Industrial Revolution?

19th to early 20th century geology lectures in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

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