At the beggining of the Industrial Revolution, there were not any regulations on how old the workers had to be. Children who were very young, ages starting as low as 6, would work for many long hours in harsh conditions in the factories. Schools at the time were too expensive, and couldn't be afforded. Since children couldn't get an education, they would be sent to factories to work.
As factories improved and more workers were hired, it seemed almost anyone could get a job without needing any skills. This was a problem for the people who already had the skills needed for the job. Many of these skilled workers were kicked out of the factories and fired, for the people without any skills could do the same job, but with a cheaper wage.
 Above: A young girl standing in a large sewing factory. | Below: Boys as young as 6 years old would work at the factories to help earn money for their families.  |
Above: A video from YouTube user aichaaa89 explaining the hardships of child labor, and the jobs they performed in the factories. Many children were used to crawl into tight, small spaces. They had little bodies and hands, which help when something small was being produced.
The records of the Felling Colliery disaster show that many of the victms were children. Look at the chart below:
|
*Felling Colliery Disaster | ||||
|
Employed as |
Number killed |
Average age |
Oldest |
Youngest |
|
Hewer |
34 |
35 |
65 |
20 |
|
Putter |
28 |
17 |
23 |
10 |
|
Waggon Driver |
5 |
12 |
14 |
10 |
|
Trapper |
14 |
14 |
30 |
8 |
QUOTES
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"We went to the mill at five in the morning. We worked until dinner time and then to nine or ten at night; on Saturday it could be till eleven and often till twelve at night. We were sent to clean the machinery on the Sunday." - Man interviewed in 1849 who had worked in a mill as a child.
-
"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." - Hannah Brown, interviewed in 1832.
-
"Sarah Golding was poorly and so she stopped her machine. James Birch, the overlooker, knocked her to the floor. She got up as well as she could. He knocked her down again. Then she was carried to her house.......she was found dead in her bed. There was another girl called Mary......she knocked her food can to the floor. The master, Mr. Newton, kicked her and caused her to wear away till she died. There was another, Caroline Thompson, who was beaten till she went out of her mind. The overlookers used to cut off the hair of any girl caught talking to a lad. This head shaving was a dreadful punishment. We were more afraid of it than any other punishment for girls are proud of their hair." - An interview in 1849 with an unknown woman who worked in a cotton factory as a child.
*Chart provided by: http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/IndustrialRevolution/womenandchildren.htm
- Quotes provieded by: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/children_industrial_revolution.htm
