Sir Owen Roberts

Abstract

BY the death of Sir Owen Roberts, on January 6, in his eightieth year, the cause of technical education in this country has lost one of its most devoted and influential champions. It is nearly half a century (1866) since Sir Owen was appointed Clerk to the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers. At that time the City Companies had fallen into ill-favour. Their immense revenues, it was alleged, had been diverted from their original purpose of trade protection and advancement, and when the movement for improving technical education was started, shortly after the passing of Mr. Forster's Education Act of 1870, longing eyes were cast upon these revenues. It was then that Sir Owen Roberts, in co-operation with Sir William Sawyer, of the Drapers' Company, and Sir John Watson, of the Mercers' Company, conceived the bold policy which at the same time assisted the cause of technical education and saved the companies from the odium into which they had fallen by providing them with a worthy object for their munificence.