The Industrialisation Of North-East Ulster Flashcards
Give three reasons for the growth of the linen industry
1) James Kay discovered that if flax was soaked long enough in water that it could pass through machinery
2) steam engines powered 15,000 spindles that turned flax into yarn
3) power looms were invented for weaving linen into cloth, leading to weaving factories. The factories were built near the docks so that workers could get the coal for steam powered machines
What was the Victoria Channel and when was it built
The Victoria Channel was built in 1849 and it provided deep water and a straight passage meaning that ships could anchor in the centre of the of the city. This made Belfast ideal for shipbuilding and importing/expiring goods
Why was there a growth in shipbuilding?
Wealthy people wanted I travel in luxury liners and there was a world wide demand for ship building. The new access to deep water which cheap and plentiful land nearby made Belfast ideal
Why was there a growth in engineering?
It tied in very well with shipbuilding and ships need engines to run and engineers could fix any problems with the ship
What were the two effects of the industrial growth?
Population increase
Sectarianism
Why did the population increase?
The population grew rapidly as people moved closer to their work and the massive growth on jobs caused people to immigrate
How was sectarianism and effect of the industrial growth?
The growth of industrial Belfast led to a large increase in the Catholic population which alarmed Protestants and their tolerant attitude towards each other had turned to mistrust. Catholics were in a lower income group and Catholic men were employed as unskilled hands
What were the mill workers working conditions?
They had to work long hours for low wages. Owners mainly employed women and children as they were cheaper to hire. There were cruel disciplines for children who weren’t working properly and there were fines for talking, whistling and being late.
Why was working in a mill bad for your health?
The cotton had to be spun in warm, damp conditions and walking home from work in the cold air lead to pneumonia, the air was also full of dust which lead to lung diseases and the loud noises damaged workers hearing
What were the living conditions of te mill workers
Their houses were built in the shadows of the factories so people lived closer to work. The houses were built every close together and they had very little light and fresh air. Some people had to rent rooms to people in their house as they needed the money and others needed a place to live. Their diets mainly consisted of bread and water an they all had to share an outside toilet which was just a hole in the ground
