Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet

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Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, (25 April 1750 – 3 May 1805), father of the Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel was a politician and industrialist and one of early textile manufacturers of the industrial revolution. His ancestors were yeoman farmers who were also engaged in the infant textile industry, then organised on the basis of the domestic system (most of the work being undertaken in the home).

Like many others, he joined partnerships in order to raise the capital required to set up spinning mills. These were water powered (usually utilising the water frame invented by Richard Arkwright), and thus located by rivers and streams in country districts. Thus Messrs Peel and Yates set up a mill and housing for their workers at Burrs near Bury. As elsewhere, the shortage of labour in the rural districts was mitigating by employing pauper children as 'apprentices', imported from any locality that wanted them off their hands. They were housed in a kind of hostel.

Robert became quite wealthy, and resided at Chamber Hall in Bury, where his more famous son was born.

In politics, he was a staunch 'Church and King' man - in other words, a Tory. This was unusual, as many of the Lancashire mill owners were nonconformist and radical in their outlook. He was a paternalist towards his workforce. When elected a Member of Parliament, he carried these principles into political life. He was responsible for the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act, legislation that tried to limit the number of hours the children worked in the mills, and obliged the mill owners to privide some form of schooling.

In later years, he purchased property near Tamworth and started to adopt the lifestyle of a country gentleman, far removed from his roots.

He married twice, first to Ellen Yates (the daughter of his partner) on 8 July 1783, who died after bearing two sons:

After the death of his wife, Sir Robert remarried to Susanna Clerke on 18 October 1805. She survived him and died on 10 September 1824.

Baronetage of Great Britain
Preceded by:
New Creation		 Baronet
(of Clanfield)
1800–1830		 Succeeded by:
Robert Peel
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