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Living Conditions in 19th Century Cities
Towns grew rapidly in the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution created factories and mass production.
People came into the towns from the countryside looking for work. Towns quickly became overcrowded and did not have adequate provision in terms of drainage, water supply etc.
Examples of typical conditions in Industrial Cities at the start of the 19th century
 Low quality housing, badly and quickly built. Often several families in one house, could only afford to rent a single room. Poorest families in the cellar. Overcrowding was a massive issue.
 Rows of terraced back to back houses built. Saved on materials ( a shared back wall) and crammed as many houses into as small a space as possible. No damp courses or insulation.
 Pollution from the smoke from the factory chimneys.
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No refuse collection at all, it just piled up in the court yards and streets
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No running water or toilets. Water obtained from pumps on the street, rivers, water butts etc.
Toilets were privies shared by whole street. No plumbing. Human waste built up and often overflowed into dung heaps. Night soil men came to empty them by hand but not often.
 Life expectancy was much lower in the cities due to the appalling living conditions—in Liverpool in the 1840s the average life expectancy was 19 years (due to the massively high infant mortality rate)
 These conditions became the perfect breeding ground for disease— cholera first reached Britain the early 1930s and struck again and again between the 1830s and the 1850s. Other common diseases included typhus, typhoid and T.B. Also smallpox was common because despite Jenner’s work with the vaccine in the 1790s, the government did not make the vaccine compulsory until the
1850s
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Why was this allowed to happen?
 Laissez Faire politics—a policy followed by the British Government. It means don’t interfere, let people sort themselves out. This meant the government had no policies regarding living or working conditions etc. They argued people should sort these things out for themselves.
The above meant there were no laws for building regulations or basic facilities.
Rich people did not tend to live in these poor areas so it did not bother them (until cholera came) They had no reason to visit these areas either so they never saw the squalor until reports like Edwin Chadwick’s were published (1840s onwards)
 Improvements would have meant rate payers and tax payers paying more—this was not a popular idea.
Richer people did not see why they should pay for improvements that would benefit others (i.e. the poor)
Working class men had no vote until 1867 so government did not need to listen to their views or concerns
Ignorance as to the exact causes of disease. (John Snow’s work on cholera not until 1850s, Pasteur’s on germs not until 1860s.) Until then people often still believing the wrong thing—i.e miasma (bad air)
 There were too many private companies involved. For example in London there were 9 different water companies. Often private interests dominated things so for example councillors often were owners of poor housing or dodgy water companies!

The Workhouse—What Happened to the Truly Desperate?
Before 1834, poor people were looked after by buying food and clothing from money collected from land owners and other wealthy people.
The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, ensured that no able-bodied person could get poor relief unless they went to live in special workhouses. The idea was that the poor were helped to support themselves. They had to work for their food and accommodation.
W h a t w e r e w o r k h o u s e s ?
Workhouses were where poor people who had no job or home lived. They earned their keep by doing jobs in the workhouse.
Also in the workhouses were orphaned (children without parents) and abandoned children, the physically and mentally sick, the disabled, the elderly and unmarried mothers.
Workhouses were often very large and were feared by the poor and old.
The government, terrified of encouraging 'idlers' (lazy people), made sure that people feared the workhouse and would do anything to keep out of it.
Women, children and men had different living and working areas in the workhouse, so families were split up . To make things even worse they could be punished if they even tried to speak to one another!
The education the children received did not include the two most important skills of all, reading and writing, which were needed to get a good job.
The poor were made to wear a uniform . This meant that everyone looked the same and everyone outside knew they were poor and lived in the workhouse.
Upon entering the workhouse, the poor were stripped and bathed
(under supervision).
The food was tasteless and was the same day after day.
The young and old as well as men and women were made to work hard , often doing unpleasant jobs.
Children could also find themselves 'hired out' (sold) to work in factories or mines
(like Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist)

Remember: A lot of sources from the time were from people wanting to see reform - a lot of political cartoons especially were trying to shame the authorities or water companies into action. It tells you a lot about attitudes at the time and therefore cartoons are always useful even if they are not always reliable.(i.e. they could be exaggerated to help make a point more strongly.) The magazine ‘Punch’ often contained satirical/sarcastic cartoons that had a serious point to make.
For each of the following cartoons consider what the cartoonist wanted people to think.
How are they useful sources to us when wanting to know about 19th century living conditions? What do they reveal?
Notes
Cartoon published 1852 in Punch Magazine
Notes
A cartoon published in 1850 in Punch magazine

Notes
Monster Soup This cartoon was 'dedicated to the London Water
Companies ' and is 'a correct representation of that precious stuff doled out to us '
Notes
Cartoon published in 1866
Not every publication wanted or was pushing for reform though…...
We prefer to take our chance with the cholera than be bullied into health. There is nothing a man hates so much as being cleansed against his will or having his floors swept, his hall whitewashed, his dung heaps cleared away and his thatch forced to give way to slate. It is a fact that many people have died from good washing. The truth is that Mr
Chadwick has a great many powers but it is not so easy to say what they can be applied to.
An Article in the Times newspaper
1854
Incredibly many people thought like this and thought the government should not ‘bully’ or force people into good health!
Notes

What shocked People into Action?
Why did a movement to improve Public Health begin in the 1830s and continue for the rest of the century?
The short answer is…..cholera. It arrived in 1831 in the North East of England (Sunderland) and rapidly spread throughout all the major towns and cities. This disease horrified people for several reasons…..
1) Suffering of the victims —horrible symptoms vomiting, cramps, eyes sink, skin turns blue/black 2) Speed —you could be dead in 24 hours and its spread through streets and towns was very rapid 3) Cholera was a disease of rich and poor , did not stay within the poorer areas of town….
Demands/Reasons for Reform and Reaction to these Demands
1861
1867
1868
1875
1830s
1831—1832
1842
1848
1849
1853
1854
1856
1858
1875
1875
1876
Great improvements in microscope technology allowed people to see microorganisms in water
First Cholera epidemic in British towns. Kills rich and poor.
Edwin Chadwick published his ‘Report into the Sanitary Conditions of the Labouring Population’ He wrote that poor people lived in filthy conditions which caused a huge amount of ill health and death. This meant people were too sick to work. He suggested better quality housing, improved drainage etc would mean less sick workers who would stop being a burden and require poor relief.
Chadwick’s report led to the first government law on Public Health. The 1848 Public Health Act. Towns are told to clean up but they were not forced to. Many people are opposed to it.
More cholera outbreaks. John Snow begins to realise cholera is not spread through air
Compulsory smallpox vaccination introduced by government
John Snow proves cholera is spread through dirty water through his work around the Broad Street Pump in
London
Joseph Bazalgette starts to build London’s sewers
The Great Stink in London– hot summer, foul smelling river Thames got right up the noses of the MPs in the new Houses of Parliament
Pasteur publishes his Germ Theory , proving the link between bacteria/germs and disease
Most poor working men get the vote
A law is passed to improve or demolish slum housing
Artisans Dwelling Act makes it law that landlords keep their properties in good condition and allows councils to demolish homes that are not
Food and Drugs Act attempts to tighten up on food that is sold to try and ensure it is fit to eat
2nd Public Health Act —this one is compulsory, towns must keep streets clean provide decent sewers etc.
Towns can charge taxes to pay for these improvement but they must happen. It is no longer optional.
River Pollution Prevention Act makes it illegal for factories to dump their waste, including chemicals, into rivers
These events show Laissez Faire attitudes slowly disappearing as the government took more responsibility for matters to do with Public Health.

Reform from 1875 onwards
The laws of 1875 were not the end of the changes that were needed. There were a number of individuals who made a difference in certain areas.
Joseph Chamberlain became Mayor of Birmingham in 1873. He transformed the city by buying the companies that provided water and gas light and providing them properly for all the city.
He also cleared large areas of slum housing (40 acres!) .
The Cadbury’s family (yes the chocolate makers) in Birmingham built a village for their workers called Bournville.
It was a model community with decent houses and also parks, sports facilities schools and community buildings.
The Lever family (yes the soap/ washing powder makers) near
Liverpool built a village for their workers called Port Sunlight.
It was a model community with decent houses and also parks, schools, art galleries, night schools and other community buildings.
Titus Salt built Saltaire (named after himself) for his workers near Bradford. It had 800 houses that were well built, well planned with piped gas, water and toilets. It also had parks, a hospital and other facilities for the workers
These men genuinely wanted to provide decent living conditions for their workers. Generally they were very religious men who were motivated by good Christian reasons. All of them were very anti drink however and there were strict rules regarding their workers not being able to drink in their villages. Most of the villages were ‘dry’ (no alcohol allowed)
Cadbury’s Village Port Sunlight housing Saltaire housing

Other reformers
Not every one built better housing, others tried to bring about reform by carrying out surveys to show how poor people lived. Two businessmen Charles Booth in London and Seebohm Rowntree in York (yes another chocolate/ sweet making family) conducted detailed surveys.
Charles Booth
He was a successful businessman who had a strong sense of social responsibility and believed he should give some thing back to society in return for his own success. He spent 19 years collecting information on the poor in London.
He discovered appalling conditions and grinding poverty. As he was a respected businessmen people took his report seriously. He claimed that only 1% of the population was idle, criminal or undeserving. He said the problem of poverty was not due to a fault in the poor themselves (such as laziness) but was the result of low wages, casual work with no job security, old age or illness. He said 30% of London’s population lived below the poverty line.
Seebohm Rowntree
Rowntree conducted a similar survey in York. He said 27% of the population there lived below the poverty level.
He claimed the causes of poverty were:
Unemployment—5%
Death of Wage Earner - 10%
Illness/Old Age—5%
Low wages 22%
Large Family—52%
Other - 6%
Also….
Britain was involved in the Boer War in 1901. The government/army was shocked to discover two-thirds of men who volunteered to fight failed the fitness tests….
In Germany the army was strong and the leader, Bismark, had introduced reforms such as sickness insurance which had led to better health. This concerned Britain….
The Labour Party had been set up in 1900 to represent the needs of working men. The Liberal Party realised they would need to make changes if they were to get any working class votes. Also a new breed of Liberal MPs especially Lloyd George, genuinely wanted to do something t improve the lives of the poor.

The Liberal Reforms
From 1906 Britain had a new Liberal Government. Over the next 5 years they passed a series of laws designed to help the very poorest in society.
1906 —Free School
Dinners for children in need
1907 —Education
Authorities had to provide medical checks for school children and later clinics
1908 —Punishments could be given to people (parents/ employers) neglecting or treating children cruelly
1908 —Government funded pension. Old people over 70 with no other income would get 5 shillings a week. Made a dramatic difference to their lives but taxes put up to pay for it—not popular with the rich
1911—National Insurance
Act—Part 1) This was a really important Act— It provided unemployment pay (dole) for 15 weeks in return for two and a half pence a week
1909—Labour Exchanges set up by government to help unemployed find work (bit like Job Centres today)

The Liberal Reforms cont….
From 1906 Britain had a new Liberal Government. Over the next 5 years they passed a series of laws designed to help the very poorest in society.
1911—National Insurance Act—Part 2) This was a really important Act—Free medical treatment and sick pay if workers were ill in return for a payment of
4 pence a week.
Reactions to the Liberal Reforms
These reforms were controversial and caused a lot of argument and opposition. Many conservatives were opposed to the costs and did not like the government taking such a big role in people’s lives. Some workers did not like the reductions from their wages for the National Insurance Contributions. Doctors were not convinced by the Health Insurance……..
A question to Ponder……
Who helped the Poor Most?
Contributions of
Individuals?
Contributions of
governments?

Reactions to the Liberal Reforms:
Can you work out whether these political cartoons think about the Liberal Reforms?
Notes
(What does philanthropic mean??) Why is he depicted as a highway man?
Lloyd George as a highway man, a cartoon from 1909
Notes
Punch Cartoon from 1911
Notes

Reactions to the Liberal Reforms:
Can you work out whether these political cartoons think about the Liberal Reforms?
Notes
Glossary of Terms to Learn—create this yourself