Children of the industrial revolution

CONTENTS PAGE1. What the industrial revolution?2. Jobs in the Factories3. Living conditions4. 4 children’s stories5. The Domestic system6. Apprentices7. Power sources8. Working conditions 9. Wages10.Who employed children and why?11.Reform acts to improve working

conditions12.Images13.Glossary 14.End page

What the industrial revolution was?The Industrial Revolution was

a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology and had a huge effect on the conditions of the time. The industrial revolution was a great time for the economy but a harsh time for the children and workers.

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Jobs in the factoriesScavenger- The smallest

children in the factories were scavengers because their job was to go under the machines and pick out any loose threads.

Doffer-Many young children were employed as doffers in textile mills. It was there job to replace the filled spindles with fresh empty spools.

Piercer-Piercers had to lean over the spinning-machine to repair the broken threads. These were extremely dangerous as the children were expected to carry out the task while the machine was still working.

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Living ConditionsThe living conditions of

the workers and surrounding residents were very harsh. They lived in very tiny houses where they had to share toilet facilities and have open sewers. They would only have few rooms and would maybe have to sleep on the floor due to space. In the 19th century the housing issues improved because of government and local plans which led to cities becoming cleaner places, but life had not been easy for the poor before industrialisation.

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4 Children’s stories Hannah Brown-"I began work at

the mill in Bradford when I was nine years old……we began at six in the morning and worked until nine at night. When business was brisk, we began at five and worked until ten in the evening.

Elizabeth Bentley- “I was 6 years old when I started working in the factories. All I got was oatcake which was normally thick, coarse and horrible. I worked as a doffer. It was my job to take the full bobbins of the frame and replace them with new ones.”

Samuel Downe- “I have been

working in the factory since I was 8.I work as a piercer, mending the broken threads. I work from 5 in the morning till eight at night with 20 minutes break all day.

David Bywater- “I am a scavenger and I work from 5 in the morning until 8 at night. I have a 30 minute break each day which I take standing up. I have been working in the factory since I was seven and its hard work.”

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The Domestic System The domestic system

was a cycle where there used to be a man called a clothier. The clothier would buy wool from a farmer and then take it too cloth maker’s houses too be turned into cloth. The family would be able to work as long or short as they pleased but as long as it met the deadline. When then clothier comes back to collect the cloth he takes it pays for it then goes to a mill in which women work as dyers so they dye the cloth and then the clothier takes the cloth a sells it to make a profit.

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Apprentices Apprentices were also

known as parish apprentices. A lot of the parents did not want to send their children to work in the factories but to be able to get more cheap labour the factory owner had to literally buy orphans and send them to work. This involved the children signing contacts so the orphans were virtually property of the factory owner. Pauper apprentices were cheaper to house than adult workers. It cost Samuel Greg who owned the large Quarry Bank Mill at Styal, a £100 to build a cottage for a family, whereas his apprentice house, that cost £300, provided living accommodation for over 90 children

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Power SourcesPage 7

Power What was it? Problems with it?

Hand •Man making the machines work•Man made clothes•Human power

•Hand power wasn’t enough too power big machines•Can’t lift heavy machinery

Animal •They used animals to power transport•The main animal power used was horse power

•The animals could die or pass out.•They might not be strong enough•They maybe injured

Water •The metal bar would turn the other wheel then it would turn a huge bar to power the machines

•Water could freeze•Factories had to be built near a water supply

Steam •Steam engines produced rotary power and was very reliable

•More expensive for the coal•It could break down and need assistance

Electricity •Electricity is used to power almost every thing•Electricity is the most used power resource

•It is expensive to pay for it •Electricity wires could snap and need repairing

Working ConditionsThe working

conditions of the factories were disgusting and horrible and above all not safe. Scavenger’s often lost their fingers but some of them lost arms or legs due to trapping them in the machines, Some of the children got asthma, chest problems or breathing difficulties. Some of the children often came physically deformed due to bending their back to much when they grew up.

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£Wages£ Children were cheap

labour for the factories because they didn’t cost as much as adults and they can legally pay them less. This table shows the amount paid to each job depending how important it was.

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Males

•mill manager- £1000 per year

•Overseers and clerks-15s-32s

•Mechanics and engine drivers-17s-25s

•Carpenters and blacksmiths-14s-21s

•Lodgeeeper-15s

•Power loom machinery attendants and steamers-14s-15s

•Mill machinery attendants and loom cleaners-10s-15s

•Spindle cleaners, bobbin stampers and packers, messengers, sweepers-5s-12s

•Watchmen-7s-10s

•Coachmen, grooms and van driver-5s-10s

•Winders-2s-4s

Females•Gauze examiners-10s-11s

•Female assistant overseers-9s-10s

•Warpers & Twisters-7s-10

•Wasters-6s-9s

• Weavers-5s-8s

• Plugwinders-6s-7s

•Drawers and doublers-4s-6s

•Winders-2s-4s

Who employed children and why?

Many of the factory owners employed children as cheap labour to fill a lot of the jobs that adults could not to like scavenging and chimney sweeping. It was a tough life for the children but the factory owners didn’t have to pay that much to the children because it was something called cheap labour.

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