th
18
Century Working Conditions
By Tiffany Munn, Rachel Titus and
Caitlin Wareham
A Brief Overview
• Working conditions in Britain underwent drastic
changes in the 18th century
• The advent of the Industrial Revolution changed the
atmosphere and pace of the workplace; these changes
were not always met with enthusiasm
• While poor working conditions were nothing new,
industrialization brought a new set of challenges and
hazards to the already daunting task of making a living
• In general, what was good for business and factory
owners was not all that great for people (some things
just don’t change!)
The Industrial Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution
occurred in the 18th and
19th Centuries
• Radical changes were
made to many areas, such
as technology,
manufacturing,
transportation
• These changes forever
altered the course of the
world and shaped
modern society
The Industrial Revolution
• Changes to Technology: Mechanization of industry;
machines were developed that increased efficiency in
the textile, mining and metal industries
• Changes to Manufacturing: While manufacturing
formerly relied on individual craftsmen and artisans,
the advent of factories and machinery enabled record
production; machines increased the output from
individual workers
• Changes to Transportation: Steam-powered ships were
invented; the prevalence of railways allowed for a
greater number of people to be transported at once
and made travel faster and easier
What did this mean for workers?
• One of the most direct consequences of the Industrial Revolution
was urbanization
• This meant that many people made the move from the country to
the city; industrialization created many factory jobs, and workers
from rural areas moved to urban centres in search of employment
• However, factory work was far different from what many were used
to; the working environment was strict, and dictated by the pace of
the machines
• Some people did not like this; Luddism was a reaction to the
mechanization of the workplace
• However, this resistance was not strong enough to overcome the
inevitability of technological advancement
• Overall, industrialization meant that workers had to adjust to a new
way of life and a new work environment
From Farms...
To Factories
Types of work
• The most common type
of work was factory work;
many textile factories
producing such things as
cotton, yarn, linen, etc.
Made other things such
as glass, soap, etc.
• Mining, particularly for
coal
• Metal industry,
particularly wrought iron
SAFE!!!
Treatment of Adult Workers
• Men and women worked
long hours with little pay
• The factories were filled
with germs and usually
infested with rats, causing
many health problems
such as cholera
• Later there would be laws
put in effect to protect
workers in the factories.
The factory Act of 1819limited hours worked by
children to 10hrs per day.
Work Hazards
• Injuries were a daily occurrence, most of the
machinery was unprotected
• The injuries could have been as mild as burns to the
hands or arms, or as severe as having limbs amputated
by the machinery, or death
• Thousands of people were wounded by machinery
• Factory owners did not compensate family’s for their
loss, the injured worker would be replaced
• In 1837, the “Fellow Servant” rule was applied,
employers not held responsible for a worker’s
negligence of a fellow employee.
Working Conditions in Prison
• Prisons during the 18th century
were filthy and overcrowded with
no privacy.
• Prisoners had to provide their
own food and had little access to
fresh drinking water.
• Some workers picked Oakum,
pulling apart tarred rope into
fibres; this made their hands
bleed and was very painful.
• They had to pay the gaoler for
every service, even for their
punishments.
• Those who had no money were
forced to beg from local people
passing the prison.
Child Labour
• Children as young as four
worked as much as 16 hours
a day
• Children earned approx. 1020% of what an adult male
made working in the same
position; 2-4 shillings/day
for a child under the age of
11, 4-10 shillings /day for a
child over the age of 11
• Either worked to help family
or children were placed in
debtors prison to pay a
family’s debt.
Child Labour Cont’d
• Child labourers worked in
cotton mills, metal fabrication
plants, in mines, as blacksmiths,
and most commonly as chimney
sweeps.
• Dangerous and fatal conditions:
exposure to coal dust and
phosphorus fumes, machinery
limb loss, gas explosions
• Abandoned or orphaned
children were sold by
parliament or the church and
became the property of
factories: working for food and
lodging, called “pauper
apprentices.”
• On a more positive note, things
didn’t stay this terrible forever
Reform
• Factory Act of 1833
limited the amount of
time children could work,
even gave them an hour
lunch break (small steps)
• Also outlawed the
employment of children
under 9 in the textile
industry, and stated that
children could not work
at night
Reform Cont’d
• Other laws forced textile factory owners to clean
up their act, in an effort to put an end to filthy
work environments (Factory Act of 1844)
• Factory owners were also forced to keep records
and investigate all deaths that occurred
• Factories were inspected to make sure all laws
were being complied with
• Other laws made education compulsory for all
children up until the age of 10
Reformers and Advocates
VS.
Lord Althorp
1782-1845
Richard Carlile
1790-1843
Advocates: Lord Althorpe
• Lord Althorpe was Chancellor of Exchequer and
leader of the house of commons
• Supported the idea of a 10 hour workday for
children (NICE)
• Also opposed child labour laws, such as the
Factories act of 1833
• This law reduced the number of hours that
children, particularly young children, could work,
and mandated that these children must be given
at least 2 hours of education a day
• Apparently Lord Althorpe wasn’t a “kid” person
Reformers: Richard Carlile
• Was a former child labourer, probably had a
better perspective than Lord Althorpe regarding
the plight of child workers…
• Father abandoned the family, and Carlile was
forced to work in a tin factory
• Became a reformer in parliament, advocating for
the working class
• Was imprisoned for some of his writings, which
opposed, among other things, wage cuts for
miners
William Blake
1757-1827
•Anti-child labour writer of the Romantic Period
•Songs of Innocence and Experience: explored his views on
child labour, religious views, poverty, and family views
•Made art and engravings to accompany his poems
•Chimney Sweeper- about child labour and religious
matters
Songs of Innocence and Songs
of Experience
• Shows the contrast between the Catholic church view of child
labour by orphans and William Blake’s view of child labour
Songs of Innocence:
“So, if all do their duty, they need not fear harm. “
“So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep”
“And the angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father, and never want joy”
Songs of Experience:
“They clothed me in the clothes of death”
“They think they have done me no injury”
“Who made up a heaven of our misery”
In Conclusion...
• The Industrial Revolution brought a lot of changes and
shaped the modern world. Some of these changes were
positive, in terms of business and economics.
• However, some changes were negative, particularly for the
people working in factories. The working poor definitely got
a raw deal.
• Adult workers were forced to make do with extremely
substandard environments and poor treatment; the
dangers of factory work were many.
• Children were even worse off than adults.
• Thankfully, reform was slowly introduced to protect factory
workers and put an end to child labour in England.
Questions
1. Do you think that the many innovations of the
Industrial Revolution justified the amount of
suffering to workers? Could it have been
prevented?
2.How was the Factory Act of 1819 crucial for
women, men and children?
3. Was William Blake too critical of the church’s
treatment of oprhaned children?
Photo Souces
• http://www.uky.edu/~popkin/frenchworker/w
orkcondition.htm
• http://www.doverkent.co.uk/places/priory.htm
• http://www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time
/victorian/vindust.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/chil
dren-working-in-coal-mines/145.html
• https://www.dovergramboys.kent.sch.uk/