Living/Working In Industrial Britain

Question 1

Where was most migration in Britain during industrialisation?

Answer 1

Rural - urban migration

Question 2

What were the positives of back-back housing?

Answer 2

Very small ( only 4m wide, 2 rooms) so allowed space for increased migration and population in cities to live

Question 3

What were the negatives of back to back housing?

Answer 3

Created illness as poor conditions

Question 4

In 1801, what percentage of Birmingham’s population lived in back-to-back houses?

Answer 4

66%

Question 5

What was the main cause of sanitation issues in Britain due to industrialisation?

Answer 5

Overcrowding of water pumps and poor sanitation in toilets created many diseases

Question 6

What occurred in Sunderland in 1831?

Answer 6

Cholera outbreak killing 32,000

Question 7

What is an example of class separation in living conditions due to industrialisation?

Answer 7

Middle class lived on outskirts of the city where there was more space + better sanitation, working class lived in the city

Question 8

What were working conditions like in industrialised Britain?

Answer 8

Cramped, lack of independence, long hours and unsafe conditions

Question 9

What was legislation like before 1833 for working conditions?

Answer 9

Little to none

Question 10

What were men’s working weeks like in factories?

Answer 10

6 day weeks, 14 hours a day

Question 11

Why did men see little improvement in working conditions even after acts were passed I.e 1833 factory act?

Answer 11

Reforms mainly only helped women and children

Question 12

What were some examples of over-discipline in factories ?

Answer 12

If workers were late by 10 minutes,fined 2 hours wages + talking could be fined 1/2 days wage

Question 13

Why were working conditions so poor in factories?

Answer 13

Employers dictated the conditions of their factories, usually profit driven and little care for workers as replaceable - created high injury rate

Question 14

What were some dangers of mine-working ?

Answer 14

Shafts collapsing, flooding, gas explosion - could lead to death

Question 15

Why were mines becoming more dangerous during industrialisation?

Answer 15

Demand for coal increased ( 6 million tonnes in 1770 to 55 million tonnes in 1850) - lead to mines deepening to up to 300m, greater risk

Question 16

What were the issues with mine work which created large unemployment issues?

Answer 16

Miners were bound to a contract by an employer - employers weren’t obliged to provide work all the time

Question 17

What were women’s usual weekly wages?

Answer 17

12-15 shillings a week ( 1/2 of men )

Question 18

Why were women useful to employers?

Answer 18

Employers could pay women less and they would usually do work men refused

Question 19

How were women benefitted by the 1833 factory act?

Answer 19

Reduced hours, but in 1878 still worked 56 hour weeks

Question 20

In 1821, what % of workers were under 20?

Answer 20

49%

Question 21

What was a dangerous job usually asked of a child?

Answer 21

Pieceners, often lost to injuries like loss of limbs ( especially fingers)

Question 22

In mines in 1842, what % of workers were under under 19 and what was there usual jobs?

Answer 22

20%, trappers

Question 23

What age did some children start working in mines?

Answer 23

6

Question 24

How did the 1842 mining act benefit children working in mines?

Answer 24

Children under the age of 10 couldn’t work in mines

Question 25

How did further reform in mines help children in 1850?

Answer 25

Minimum working age in mines raised again to 12

Question 26

Why were developments to working class conditions slow?

Answer 26

Middle-class lacked humanity + government didn’t want to intervene as were benefiting from laissez-faire ideology

Question 27

Why did developments to working-class conditions increase later on in industrialisation ?

Answer 27

Increased awareness of the working class labour pushing industrialisation, needed to be protected more

Question 28

How much coal was used in Britain in 1770 ?

Answer 28

6 million tonnes

Question 29

How much coal was used in Britain in 1850?

Answer 29

55 million tonnes