EDWARD VANSITTART NEALE (1810-1892) - Neale Close

Edward Vansittart Neale was a Christian Socialist and co-operator who gave his name to Neale Close. Initially, he pursued a legal path, becoming a Chancery Barrister after graduating from Oriel College, Oxford. However, his interests lay elsewhere: he became a Christian Socialist in 1850 and went on to join the council of the Society for Promoting Working Men’s Associations that same year. He looked up to Frederick Denison Maurice as their spiritual leader within the Chartist Movement (1838-1857) and invested significantly into co-operative societies set up by like-minded men, such as Maurice and Ludlow. His study of law proved extremely useful when, in 1852, he aided in creating the passage of the Industrial and Provident Societies Act, which permitted the establishment of societies intending to raise a fund for any purpose, by voluntary subscriptions by members. One of his greatest contributions to the Co-operative Movement was his visit to America in 1875, to open up trade between farmers of western states and English co-operative stores.