21 December 1844: The Rochdale Pioneers open for business

On this day in 1844, the Rochdale Pioneers opened a little shop on Toad Lane in Rochdale, Lancashire, which became a model for co-operatives around the world.

The Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers didn't invent the idea of the co-operative, but the model established by the Rochdale Pioneers, as they became known, was to be the most enduring. Indeed, in time, it became the go-to model for would-be co-operatives around the world.

It all started towards the end of 1843, on one of those damp "and disagreeable days which no Frenchman can be brought to admire", noted George Jacob Holyoake in his 1858 history of the Pioneers, Self-help by the people. "A few poor weavers out of employ quite out of heart with the social state", got together to see what they could do to better their lot.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

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