The Impact of the Lancashire Cotton Famine on Working Families: New Evidence

This article explores the impacts of the Lancashire Cotton Famine on working families, when the American Civil War disrupted the supply of raw cotton, and during which Lancashire cotton manufacturers stopped production, resulting in mass unemployment. Contemporary investigators and historians have noted the hardship caused, but views differ on the adequacy of relief provided by charity and the poor law. This study combines accounts of the crisis from those who were affected by it, with data drawn from prisons registers, to try to establish a clearer picture of the impacts on working families. It finds evidence of extensive and prolonged suffering in the parts of Lancashire most severely affected by the Cotton Famine, and that the relief effort was ultimately inadequate. The conclusions highlight the value in revisiting the past from new perspectives as new evidence emerges.