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Thomas Hodgskin (1787–1869) is today a largely unknown figure, sometimes considered to be a forerunner of Karl Marx. Yet a closer look at Hodgskin’s works reveals that he was actually a committed advocate of laissez-faire economics and enthusiastic about labor-saving machinery and the Industrial Revolution, with a genuine interest in the well-being of the working classes. This book places him in the tradition of classical liberalism, where he belongs—as a disciple of Adam Smith, but even less tolerant of government power than Smith was. Classical Liberalism and the Industrial Working Class: The Economic Thought of Thomas Hodgskin will be of interest to advanced students and scholars in the history of economic thought, economic history and the history of political thought.

Thomas Hodgskin (1797–1869) is still studied as a forerunner of modern socialism: in fact, he is typically characterized as a prominent “Ricardian socialist”. Among the most influential of Hodgskin’s works was his pamphlet (1825a), thus prefiguring with its very title announces a denunciation of capitalism. Hodgskin’s work should be considered instead in its entirety, paying proper attention to its nuances. If Hodgskin indeed chastised “capitalism,” he meant precisely what we now call “crony capitalism.” He did not condemn the “higgling of the market,” which he thought should be the sole mechanism by which resources, including human labour, are allocated. But he saw clearly that legislative meddling served specific interests and often prevented market forces to emerge and blossom. If he was unfriendly towards the “capitalist” class, it was only because he saw them as disproportionally benefiting from the favour of political power. Hodgskin denounced the idle classes but did not want to substitute the market process with any alternative distributive scheme. He considered a sound understanding of an innovation-fostering economy incompatible with archaic distribution of privilege on the part of government. His work can help to clarify how embracing the market economy did and does not entail a defence of the status quo.

Now we climb gently up the hillside. A short distance up the path you see the remains of a gate and stile which you pass through, then swing to the left. Here the path becomes wider and there are only wire fences around open grass fields. Keep walking to the huddle of wooden huts of the allotments in front. Higher up you can make out the bows of a large boat! There is a small boatyard up there. As you come to the T-junction, with a block of stables in a field to your left, you must turn right and continue along the path. Keep the allotments on your left, until you reach the end and here you will find a stile and a chained gate, with the Wearside Walk notice attached. Climb over this and ignoring the path going left, keep walking along between the hedgerows, passing the little stile which stands next to what was once a gate. As you walk along, it now becomes clear that part of the hillside has been dug out. This is the site of High Moorsley Quarry. After this there is a very steep but short incline, the steepest of the walk, up to a stile and gate, with all the usual notices attached. Climb this stile and then cross a road. On the far side you will find a public footpath signpost pointing straight ahead, a stile, and some barriers. Beyond this there is a hill which runs for only a short distance before you are on a ridge, which on a clear day, gives you a lovely view all around Durham. On your left is the Cathedral in the City of Durham, on your right are the high rise flats of Low Fell and Gateshead. Just keep walking, but be careful as the path does slope off to the right, until you reach another stile. This one has large stones in front of it and Right of Way signs, one declaring it to be part of the Coalfield Way path, set up by the City of Sunderland. Climb the stile and, keeping the bushes to your right and the fields to your left, walk straight on following the Wearside Walk signs, ignoring any others. After climbing a second stile you will see a steel kissing gate over to the right.

You pick up the path yards from the entrance to the pub. Turn left as if you had been in the Blacksmiths, and walk past houses until you see a footpath signpost pointing left. The path follows what was once a railway line. Within 20 yards of turning onto the path, there is a steel five-barred gate and a stile. There are the usual 'right of way signs including one telling you that this is part of the Wearside Walk created by the City of Sunderland. Climb the stile and go in a small field where there may be horses. Do not worry, follow the path until you reach the end where there is another stile. Climb over and turn sharp left and walk by the side of the road until you see a public footpath and bridleway sign on the other side. Cross the road. As you enter this section, a notice warns no cycles or motor cycles are allowed on the paths; although this does not seem to deter them. Pass the wooden fencing that straddles part of the path and continue your walk. It is a typical country walk with fields on either side. The landscape over on the far right rises up to High Moorsley that sits above what was once a quarry. You will soon reach a point where on the left, stands a five barred gate and stile; this being a continuation of the Wearside Walk. Ignore this, taking instead the wider, old railway path straight in front of you. Follow this for a few hundred yards until you reach a series of tubular barriers across the path. Over these turn right and pass through a second set of barriers. The path itself ends at a double stile that takes you onto a rougher path that runs alongside a cultivated field. As you reach the end of this stretch, you are behind a riding stable. Then you reach a wooden stile. The stile leads to a yard, which you cross to a second stile. This one leads onto a small paddock, which you walk over towards a five-barred gate and a third and last stile. Once you cross this, you are on the road, with the Blacksmiths Arms on the left, where you started.

Go through the clearing and into the woods of Beamish East Moor. There's a final short climb, then it's downhill, with a newly planted wood on the left and an older one on the right. The path twists for a distance until you finally reach a steel-framed gate. Turn to the left once on the hard track. A few hundred yards along this path to the right lies a wildlife pond. Just past this point there is a steel gate and path off to the left, through the tees. Follow this down to the wooden gate leading into a grassed field. This is a good spot to take a breather and admire the view. On a clear day you can see the steeple of the church at West Pelton. Skirt around the left of this field, keeping close to the fencing. The path goes downhill, following the edge of the field, until you reach a gate. The path climbs very steeply between hedgerows up to Pockerley Farm on the crest of the hill and passes between the farmhouse and outbuildings. The farm, fully restored as part of Beamish Museum, has stood on this site in one form or another since 1441.

Go through the clearing and into the woods of Beamish East Moor. There's a final short climb, then it's downhill, with a newly planted wood on the left and an older one on the right. The path twists for a distance until you finally reach a steel-framed gate. Turn to the left once on the hard track. A few hundred yards along this path to the right lies a wildlife pond. Just past this point there is a steel gate and path off to the left, through the tees. Follow this down to the wooden gate leading into a grassed field. This is a good spot to take a breather and admire the view. On a clear day you can see the steeple of the church at West Pelton. Skirt around the left of this field, keeping close to the fencing. The path goes downhill, following the edge of the field, until you reach a gate. The path climbs very steeply between hedgerows up to Pockerley Farm on the crest of the hill and passes between the farmhouse and outbuildings. The farm, fully restored as part of Beamish Museum, has stood on this site in one form or another since 1441.

Continue along the road and through the village, passing the nursing home and the shops on the right, until you reach a long row of aged miners' cottages. At the end of these a road goes off to the right called Hill Top Road. Park here, then come back out of Hill Top Road and turn right on the main road, past the two newer houses up on the right and then the farm. A short walk takes you past a signpost giving directions to Ushaw Moor and Brancepeth. Continuing up the hill brings you to a stone-built house and just beyond this, a public footpath sign points down to the right. Go over the stile and down the path, passing the side of the house and a paddock. This path takes you up to the next little stile, and then down the field towards Park Woods at the bottom. The path runs alongside a dry- stone wall and a line of trees on the left, all the time climbing steadily up the field until it reaches the end of the woods. Continue along the broad farm track which brings you to Hill Top Farm. Go straight ahead, down a narrow track. At the far end there is a tubular five-barred gate and a smaller gate.

Continue along the road and through the village, passing the nursing home and the shops on the right, until you reach a long row of aged miners' cottages. At the end of these a road goes off to the right called Hill Top Road. Park here, then come back out of Hill Top Road and turn right on the main road, past the two newer houses up on the right and then the farm. A short walk takes you past a signpost giving directions to Ushaw Moor and Brancepeth. Continuing up the hill brings you to a stone-built house and just beyond this, a public footpath sign points down to the right. Go over the stile and down the path, passing the side of the house and a paddock. This path takes you up to the next little stile, and then down the field towards Park Woods at the bottom. The path runs alongside a dry- stone wall and a line of trees on the left, all the time climbing steadily up the field until it reaches the end of the woods. Continue along the broad farm track which brings you to Hill Top Farm. Go straight ahead, down a narrow track. At the far end there is a tubular five-barred gate and a smaller gate.

In one corner of the field, close to the river, stand two concrete walls, all that is left of what were target 'butts' of a long disused rifle range (RB), while over the fence behind you, as you look towards the river, lies the site of what was Kepier Collier (KC), now long gone, as are the rest of the coal mines and quarries that dotted the area in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Once over this stile you are in Kepier Woods, and here the firm all-weather path closely follows the banks of the river. Continue along the path until you reach a point where a tarmac path joins it from the right (5). This path comes down from the car park situated just off the slip road to Carrville on the A690 (Carrville Link Road) after you leave the A1(M) motorway.