The Robert Tressell Society,
(formerly "The Robert Tressell Centre")
4 Church Road, St.Leonards on sea, East Sussex,  TN37 6EF

Please note that the above address is for correspondence only. The local repository for Robert Tressell material is the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery - Reopened 28th July 2007

It is with deep regret that we have to record the passing of John Nettleton. John passed away in his native Liverpool on 31st July 2007.

Without John's dedication and dogged persistence much of the story surrounding Tressell's final resting place would have remained unknown and the spot unmarked. We have lost a good friend, his enjoyable company and a knowledgeable, dedicated and irreplaceable supporter.

Preserving the memory of Britain's most influential  working class novel:
"The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists"
written by Robert Tressell in Hastings and St.Leonards c. 1906 - 08

"As Owen thought of his child's future, there sprang up within him a feeling of hatred and fury against his fellow workmen. They were the enemy - those ragged-trousered philanthropists, who not only quietly submitted like so many cattle to their miserable slavery for the benefit of others, but defended it and opposed and ridiculed any suggestion of reform. They were the real oppressors - the men who spoke of themselves as 'the likes of us' who, having lived in poverty all their lives, considered that what had been good enough for them was good enough for their children" 

Robert Tressell, "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists"

Latest News - RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS ON DISK!
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is now available on a set of spoken word CDs. CSA Word have produced an excellent, though abridged, version of the book, with Tony Robinson as narrator and Stephen Twigg, Minister for Education as Barrington. The political element of the story is in the forefront of this production, and the social life of the men and their families is barely featured. Despite this, CSA Word has created an excellent introduction to the message of RTP which will interest both new and old readers alike.

The CD set is available from CSA Word for £13.99, plus postage and packing at £1.50. Write to CSA House, 6a Archway Mews, London SW15 2PE, or contact by phone at 0208 871 0220. They will also despatch orders through their website at www.csaword.co.uk

Dave Harker publishes "Tressell - The real story of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists"

My mother gave me this book as a birthday present otherwise I would have borrowed it from the public library. I wish I had borrowed it from the library because I would have returned it without finishing it. A splendid academic effort but so dull, so much name-dropping and so many unworthy and patronising remarks and so many tenuous connections. I am troubled by the reference to this web site (even the URL is malformed in the notes - Ch 14 - note 22 p 265), despite having told Harker specifically and on more than one occasion that the site was funded at my own expense and updated in my own time he persists in denigrating my efforts by suggesting that the website was 'courtesy of Labour controlled Hastings Borough Council' - it never has been for the simple reason that I've never asked them - the site was set up before Labour took power in Hastings!. If Harker can get something as simple as this so wrong what else has he got wrong?

Ion Castro 4th Jan 2004

You can now download the Ragged Trousered Philanthropists courtesy of The Gutenberg Project  
rggdp10.zip  (520kb) or rggdp10.txt (1.38Mb)

You can view the original manuscript - click here - courtesy of TUC History Online

THE ROBERT TRESSELL SOCIETY

A hundred years ago Robert Tressell wrote "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists", a tale of the destitute and poor of Mugsborough. He took his scenery and characters from the real town of Hastings, on the south coast of England. The message of the book itself, that working people had to change the capitalist system, of which they were the direct victims, has served as an inspiration to many people worldwide, and it is also thought that "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" was partly responsible for the original outline of the Welfare State.

Hastings people are proud of their strong connection with Robert Tressell and his famous book, and as a result the Robert Tressell Society has been set up to provide an archive and information point for all those interested in Robert Tressell and his work. Please contact the society for further information, or if you have information to give to us.

tressell@1066.net

XL(2000) Ltd. are sponsors of 1066.net. Hastings' favourite web site