Child Labor During the Time of Great Expectations By Rachel Newman

Research Statement Throughout the Victorian Era, young children were forced by their impoverished means to work long hours for little pay under inhumane and dangerous conditions.

The Victorian Era The Victorian Age was a long period of prosperity for England during the reign of Queen Victoria Although there was the Industrial Revolution during this time and things were relatively peaceful, the population nearly doubled during Victoria’s rule, and the increasing poverty rates along with the increasing amount of factories made it necessary for the poorer children of England to suffer under harsh working conditions from very young ages.

Poverty Many families in Victorian England were stricken with poverty. The families were large, and when there was little or no food, children from the age of 5, as well as their parents had to work for their living. Children had to work hours as long as their parents did; up to 90 hours a week sometimes. Child labor soon became very important to the economy of England. Charles Dickens had to work in a blacking factory from the age of 12 when his father was locked in Debtor’s prison.

Industrial Revolution The period from 1760 to 1850 in England and the Americas is commonly known as the Industrial Revolution because of its important changes in different types of manufacturing. During this time, the cotton mill was developed, along with other types of mills and factories and new machines and it became necessary for many workers to suffer under perilous conditions to work such machines. Young mill workers

Possible Employments Many of the occupations of children during the Victorian Era were in factories and sweatshops. They could also work in textile and cotton mills, as well as coal fields and mines. “Trappers” in the coal mines had to sit for hours alone at a time deep in a mine and open and close the doors between the tunnels, while “hurriers” pulled the heavy coal tubs. Chimney sweeping was another popular job for boys at the time, despite it’s danger. Younger children could acquire jobs as sweepers sweeping the dirty streets of London, or “scavengers”, who sifted through trash to find things that could possibly be retrieved and sold. From the age of eight years or so, lucky children could live in the grander houses and work as servants. However, the majority of children were forced to work under the perilous and ugly conditions of factory and mill life.

Apprenticeship Although apprentices sometimes worked as hard as children employed by factories, the conditions under which they worked were much cleaner and safer. Also, these children were provided with a chance to learn a skill from an expert. This skill could later serve them as a career in life, and it was useful to understand how the trade worked. Apprenticed trades included blacksmithing, tinsmithing, cooping, lace-making, iron- foundering, cobbling, leather working, etc. Pip, in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations was apprenticed to his brother-in-law, Joe Gargery. Pip was learning how to become a blacksmith before he left his home to become a gentleman. Pip had to work hard, but the trade he learned was meant to become his employment later in life.

Opportunities Many times, orphans were sent from their crowded orphanages to factories. They received no pay and only worked for their keep. The living quarters that such workers were kept in were rotting, stuffy, dirty and crowded. Unfortunately, many living spaces for the poor of large cities were the same. Some children were indentured to businesses, or even sold by their parents to earn money until they reached a certain age when they could return home. Apprenticed children led more placid lives while learning their trade.

Working Conditions A report by Ivor Brown upon visiting a coal mine described the children as, “Chained, belted, harnessed like dogs…black, saturated with wet, and more than half-naked, crawling upon their hands and knees, and dragging their heavy loads behind them.” Despite Parliamentary acts to limit the hours children worked in factories, many worked up to 16 hours a day. The mills and factories in which children worked were crowded, polluted, dirty and highly unsanitary. Those who worked in coal mines frequently developed serious breathing problems from the dank, cramped atmosphere of the mines. Sometimes, explosions in the mines seriously injured or killed innocent children. The machinery in factories was very dangerous, and it was not uncommon for a child to be crushed or mangled because they didn’t know how to operate the machines. Children were repeatedly abused by their employers, and they received little food or pay for their problematic and precarious exertions. An essay on child labor found at http://www.freeessays.cc/db/18/ehc33.shtml states that “the life of a young worker was in essence a life of a slave”.

Why would a business owner hire a child? Children required less pay than adults, and were therefore more favorable candidates for workers. They were ideal for working the small machines and fixing them, and in the coal business, they could fit into the tiny tunnels where adults could not. Also, young children were powerless against their superiors and less likely to revolt under their harsh circumstances.

Stands on Child Labor Young Coal Miners Some people, such as Charles Dickens, spoke out against child labor and fought against it to try and keep industries from taking advantage of children. In 1819, the Factory Act was passed, declaring that children were not allowed to work above 12 hours a day in the mills. In 1831, another set of acts was published for textile mill workers. Children younger than age 9 were not allowed to work there, children between the ages 9 and 11 could not work more than 8 hours a day, and children between the ages of 11 and 18 could not work more than 12 hours a day. 1847: Another act was passed saying that children under 18 could not work more than 10 hours a day. Parliament supported it because working children were useful to their families. Many employers stated that, by starting work at a young age, the children would grow up to be responsible, hardworking adults.

Consequences Families that were employed by factories were frequently split up and only saw each other while eating and sleeping. Children learned very little about life because they missed out on valuable time with their parents. Not many working children had any schooling, and if so, it was only a privileged few that had more than two years worth. If given the choice, children frequently picked going to work instead of school because it at least fed their family. Many child workers got involved in criminal activity because of their negative influences and limited supervision. Children who had worked many years and long hours in the coal mines frequently died by age 25 from the strenuous work. Children had a high chance of being killed or mutilated by the dangerous factory machines. Often, fingers and hair got in the way and children were easily disfigured and injured. Also, many children suffered from diseases they had acquired in the factories or mines, such as respiratory diseases and bronchitis.

Children's testaments “I'm a trapper in the Gawber pit. It does not tire me, but I have to trap without a light and I'm scared. I go at four and sometimes half past three in the morning, and come out at five and half past. I never go to sleep. Sometimes I sing when I've light, but not in the dark; I dare not sing then. I don't like being in the pit…” -Sarah Gooder, an 8 year old “trapper” for a coal mine “…I do not like the work, nor do the lassies, but they are made to like it. When the weather is warm there is difficulty in breathing, and frequently the lights go out.” -Isabella Read, a 12 year old coal bearer “Hurriers” in a coal mine For more testimonies of child workers and their employers, go to: http://www.victorianweb.org/history/ashley.html Girl pulling a coal tub in a mine