By Zoe Farace, special collections student volunteer
The Co-operative movement was comprised of several groups who each formed their own cooperative society, with the movement as it is widely recognised today being formed 175 years ago (21 December 1944 the Rochdale Pioneers opened their first shop) with Robert Owen being a key founder. Inspired by Owen’s desire to improve and better the lives of the working class, the co-operative society was founded with the aim of helping working class people, particularly in the north of England with societies being formed throughout Manchester and Lancaster. Originally, the societies helped those in their communities, selling foods and goods at a reduced rate provided by members from their said community to fellow co-operative members. Based on this strength and with the ideals of helping ordinary people, the co-operative movement soon expanded to banking, forming the Co-operative Bank in 1872 to help their members with financial issues such as loans. The movement also spawned a political party, with the Co-operative Party being founded in 1917 and still active today, operating as the sister party of the Labour Party since 1927.
The Co-operative moment certainly benefitted and improved the lives of people around the country. In her memoirs, which are archived as part of the Burnett Archive of Working-Class Autobiographies, Dorothy Squires wrote of how she and her family benefited from the co-operative movement in all aspects of life. Squires recalls how after a particularly difficult time in which the family had young children but no job, the co-operative movement found her husband a job, allowing them to feel
This was one of the main aims of the co-operative society, simply just to help those in need in the local community. This is also evident in the housing works the co-operative movement did, Squires recalls how
“they built an estate of 3-bedroom houses […] they were very well built […] and I have heard that the society didn’t build them for profit, just to help…”.
BURN 2:735 Squires p. 51
The co-operative movement also ensured that much of the housing went to their members who were in need to safe housing. This exemplifies the ethos of the movement – Squires would later go on to purchase one such house from the co-operative housing estate, and describes it as a proud moment in her life. Squires as such clearly treasured and believed in the work of the co-operative movement, supporting her daughter when she left school at 15 to work for the co-operative movement despite the concerns of her principal, as she knew she “could rely on the Co-op to give her a square deal”.
Today, the co-operative movement is most commonly associated with the Co-operative brand. The brand continues to uphold the original goals of the co-operative movement of being a helping figure in society, and operates from several branches including supermarkets, funeral care, banking and their political party.
You can find out more about the history of the Co-operative movement at the Co-operative Heritage Trust in Rochdale. Further information about the Burnett Archive is available on the collection’s webpage.
Brunel Special Collections 