Kay-Shuttleworth, Sir James Phillips (1804-1877), was a British reformer who laid the foundations of the English educational system. After firsthand experience of the horrors of poverty in Manchester, he devoted his life to social reform. In 1839, he became secretary of a committee formed to consider “matters affecting the education of the people.” During the next 10 years, he played a large part in organizing a system of elementary schools and a system of training for teachers.
James Phillips Kay was born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on July 20, 1804. He later added his wife’s surname, Shuttleworth, to his own. He became a baronet in 1848. He died on May 26, 1877.
