Chapter 14: Factories Flashcards
What were factories by the 1830s?
An established part of the British landscape.
What did the daily routine in the factory involve?
Long, harsh hours where the tasks were repetitive and the system harsh, disciplined and inflexible.
What was the hours set by?
Set with requirements of the owner, not the wellbeing of the labour force. Entire families were working up to 16 hours a day.
Who were best to employ?
Employers liked women and children because they could pay them less. Orphans were often exploited.
What was a result of the Great Reform Act?
Campaign for factory reform gained momentum with the passing of the Great Reform Act.
What was the 10 hour movement?
Led by Lord Ashley. a Tory Evangelical. It was a campaign to shorten working hours to 10 hours.
Who was Lord Ashley supported by?
Supported in and out of Parliament by other social reformers like Michael Sadler (led the call for 10 hours before losing seat in 1832 elections over support for factory reform), and Richard Oastler was quick to point out the uncomfortable comparison between treatment of factory workers with that of slaves in plantations in the West Indies.
What did Humanitarians and Evangelicals do?
Joined forces with working class groups and attended public meetings to pressurise the Government to reform.
What was the result of Lord Ashley’s 10 Hour Bill (1846)?
It failed. The Government was reluctant to interfere in the working hours of adults.
What was the report of the Royal Commission, led by Edwin Chadwick?
Recommended legislation only in respect of children’s working hours, since they needed protection. This Benthamite approach (efficient solution to emotive subject), persuaded Parliament to pass the act in 1833.
What was the Factory Act, 1833?
No children under 9 could be employed in a factory and children aged between 9 and 12 were to work 8 hours a day, at the most 9, and 48 a week. Young people 13-18 to work a max of 12 hours a day, 69 a week and no night work. Children had 2 hours of compulsory schooling everyday, with 4 factory inspectors appointed as regulators of the new legislation. Went one better than the 10 hour day.
What is Historian Boyd Hilton’s perspective on the Factory Act?
It was not a gesture of philanthropic concern, but it enabled children to be used in relays, meaning adults could be worked up to 16/17 hours a day.
What did Chadwick factor in when passing the Factory Act?
It would mean an increase in the number of child workers, but Chadwick factored in that they could be taken in from the workhouse after the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834.
What was the effect of the Factory Act?
It was more effective than previous legislation because of system of regulation through inspectors. Adult hours were untouched but principle of state intervention in working hours had been established. Inclusion of education was the first indication of introducing an element of compulsory education.
