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Democratic Enterprise: Ethical busi

The Fenwick Weavers

On the 14th of March 1761, in t

fifteen self-employed weavers

worlds first co-operative for wh

during the Industrial Revolutio

improve their living and workin

how the society should be run:

honesty

faithfulness to each oth fair pricing majority decisions contributions to a poor member contribution o

The society was created for the

soon evolved into something m

society quickly began lendingrecorded credit union. Original

loans of 10 and 12 shillings to

1 On the 9th of November 1769,

purchase victuals (food) to sell

credit if a member needed it; th

their commitment to the local c

The Fenwick Society operated sforced to emigrate due to the p

villagers descendents passed t

where it remains to this day.

The contribution of the Fenwic

significant. They developed the

union, and provided a set of val

operative society. Their influen

ness for the 21st century Co-operative Edu

Creative Commo

Case Study 1.4

e town of Fenwick, located in the East Ayrshire

et in the local church and signed a charter est

ich there are full records. As with almost all co-

, the Fenwick Weavers was established out of t

g conditions. The charter contained a number

er

fund

f 2 shillings and 6 pence

purpose of purchasing materials and looms for

ore valuable to the members and community.

oney to needy members and their families - mrecords, now in the National Library of Scotland

embers, at a flat rate of 5%.

another document was created that enabled t

o members and non-members, along with the

e first recorded consumer co-operative. The W

ommunity seriously and established a library in

uccessfully until 1839 when the majority of theoor economic conditions in the weaving trade.

e record books of the Weavers to the National

Weavers to co-operation and the co-operative

first consumer co-operative, arguably operate

ues and principles on which to base the operati

e in Scotland manifested itself in the establish

cation Trust Scotland

ns 3.0 Licence

region of Scotland,

blishing the

peratives created

he villagers need to

f principles about

the weavers but it

Records show the

aking it...the first, record short-term

e society to

provision of 4 weeks

avers also took

the town in 1808.

villagers wereIn 1968, one of the

Library of Scotland

movement is

the first credit

ons of a co-

ent of similar co-

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Democratic Enterprise: Ethical busi

operative societies: Govan Victu

Lennoxtown Friendly Victuallin

record, collect and commemor

1 J. McFadzean, The Co-operators -

Communities Federation Ltd, 2008

ness for the 21st century Co-operative Edu

Creative Commo

alling Society (1800), Kilmarnock Equitable Soc

Society (1812). The society was re-established

te the heritage of the Fenwick Weavers.

History of the Fenwick Weavers (Kilmarnock: East Ay

).

cation Trust Scotland

ns 3.0 Licence

iety (1800) and

in 2008 in order to

shire North