Joseph Gutteridge (23 March 1816 – 4 November 1899) was an English silk weaver, microscopist and naturalist.V. E. Chancellor, �
Gutteridge, Joseph (1816–1899)
��, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 18 April 2010.

Life

Gutteridge was born in 1816 in

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

. His father had served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars and settled in Coventry. Gutteridge started his career as an apprentice silk weaver and later became a repairer of Jacquard looms. He also worked for the weaver Thomas Stevens, the inventor of

stevengraphs Stevengraphs are pictures woven from silk, originally created by Thomas Stevens (weaver), Thomas Stevens in the 19th century. They were popular collectable items again during the revival of interest in Victoriana in the 1960s and 1970s. Detail I ...

, and became a pioneer of silk brocades in five colours. Gutteridge became an atheist after attending debates at the Coventry Mutual Improvement Society, and became an

Owenite Owenism is the utopian socialist philosophy of 19th-century social reformer Robert Owen and his followers and successors, who are known as Owenites. Owenism aimed for radical reform of society and is considered a forerunner of the cooperativ ...

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

. After participating in the strike of 1860–61 in the aftermath of the

Cobden–Chevalier Treaty The Cobden–Chevalier Treaty was an Anglo-French free trade agreement signed between the United Kingdom and France on 23 January 1860. After Britain began free trade policies in 1846, there remained tariffs with France. The 1860 treaty ended tari ...

, he acquired "firm

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

views". Despite being ruined by the Treaty, he was "dogmatically committed to free trade as the poor man's best hope". He became interested in

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

and in 1867 he was awarded a bronze medal at the Coventry & Midland Manufacturing, Industrial & Art Exhibition for the manufacture of

microscopes A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...

. In 1893 his autobiography ''Lights and Shadows in the Life of an Artisan'' was published, which was drawn from his diary. It "remains an impressive source for the history of the silk industry, working-class life, and urban development during the industrial revolution".

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...

received a copy and it gained favourable reviews. Gutteridge received a gift from the

Royal Bounty Fund The Royal Bounty Fund was a special British government fund originally set up in 1782 by Edmund Burke. The operation of the fund was always shrouded in secrecy. Gifts, grants and pensions were paid out from the fund under the patronage of the prime ...

and an annuity from friends. He died in 1899 in Coventry, Warwickshire, after suffering from a stroke.

Life

Work

Notes

Further reading