History Plan facts, UCAS Flashcards
How long could children work prior to the factory acts?
14 hour days, 6 days a week
What were the death rates for children?
3/20 died in their first year of life
57% of those born to working class parents died before the age of 5
What did the Factory Act 1833 do?
No child 9-12 to work more than 9 hours/day
Compulsory 2 hours education for under 13’s
4 inspectors for 4000 mills
What did the Mines Act 1842 do?
Banned employment of women and under 10’s in mines
What did the 1844 Factory Act do?
More inspectors to prohibity unsafe work for children
13-18 and women to work maximum 12 hrs
Night work for women forbidden
What did the 1847 Factory Act do?
10 hrs working day for all women and children (many factories reduced men’s hrs too)
Some owners used relays (shifts) to maintain 12 hrs. 1850 relays made illegal.
What were Short Time Committees?
Founded by textile workers in Huddersfield and Leeds in support of MP Hobhouse’s bill and shorter hours
Continues to exist until 1847 factory act
What did Hobhouse want to do?
In 1831, he wanted a maximum of 66 hrs for those aged 9-18, to be passed with “Hobhouse’s bill”
What was the Ten Hour Movement?
Championed by manufacturers in Lancashire and Yorkshire, led by MPs like Michael Sadler. Aimed to reduce working day for those under 16.
Who was and what did John Fielden do for the Ten Hours movement?
A manufacturer and radical MP, he was instrumental in this movement towards bringing about the 1847 Factory Act, also known as the ‘10 Hour Act’.
Who wrote “Michael Armstrong: Factory Boy”
Female author Francis Trollope, based on research in Manchester.
The message of the novel was that individual philanthropy was inadequate, needed reform.
What did Edwin Chadwick do for the Factory Acts?
Worked as part of the ‘royal comission on factories’. Gathered evidence via camera.
Wrote up a report calling for an 8 hrs day for under 13’s, and 3 hrs education. The inquiry helped pass the factory act.
What did Lord Ashley do?
An MP, Ashley Introduced the “Ten Hours Act 1833”, later reformed into the Factory Act.
In 1842, he’d write twice to PM Peel to urge govt support for a new Factory Act. Failed in 1843, succeeded in 1844. Did this all on MORAL grounds.
What did Charles Dickens do?
Wrote books on the plight of the parking class, such as “Oliver Twist” with the Workhouses, which may have influenced voters and parliament.
What was the Andover Scandal? (1846)
The Andover workhouse fed paupers so little they are the raw marrow of the bones they crushed.
Popularised by Times editor John Delaine, may have Influenced Parliament, leading to 1847 reform in which Workhouses were more centrally planned to avoid abuses of power.
What did the Chartist movement do?
1838-48 accrued and delivered 3 petitions of 10.2 million signatures towards an expansion of the charter. All failed, 2 million names faked in last petition.
What was the Newport Rising?
1839, thousands of ironworkers and miners marched into Newport to Westgate hotel to free upposed Chartist prisoners.
Ensuing riot sees 20 killed, 50 wounded. Decisive govt victory.
What were the Plug Riots?
1842, 500,000 workers went on strike by removing plugs from factory boilers.
The protests led to Peels government agreeing to cancel wage reductions.
What did the Corn Laws do?
1815, artificially kept the price of grain high with the use of tariffs and quotas.
Repeal in 1846 was based upon economic shift from Mercantalism towards Free Trade. Maybe influenced by Irish potatoe famine.
What was the Public Health Act 1848
Intended towards improving health conditions of those in Britain, was argued for by Edwin Chadwick on the basis that the unecessary deaths caused a financial burden on the nation.
What did Thomas Babington believe?
A Whig in support of the factory act, Thomas Babington believed that if conditions were bad for children they would not be as effective later in life.
Hence, productivity would be compromised.
Financial reason for 1847 Poor Law reform?
Indoor relief cost 4s 6d
Outdoor relief cost 2s 4d
What did the Banking Act of 1826 do?
Restricted issuing of notes, giving right to issue notes to banks with more than 6 members.
This removed a cap on banks growth and encouraged the formation of Joint Stock Companies.
Facts around Joint Stock Banks?
First was the Lancashire Banking Company, 1826.
By 1866, there were 154 JSB’s and 850 branches nationwide.
