Suggested inquiry questions: How successful was the 1833 Factory Act at solving the problem of children working in factories?
Potential activities: Use these sources to write a campaigning letter against child factory labour in 1833; create a poster for such a campaign.
Download: Lesson pack
In 1833 the Government passed a Factory Act to improve conditions for children working in factories. Young children were working very long hours in workplaces where conditions were often terrible. The basic act was as follows:
However, the passing of this act did not mean that the mistreatment of children stopped overnight. Use the original sources in this lesson to investigate how far the 1833 Factory Act solved the problems of child labour.
As the Industrial Revolution gathered pace thousands of factories sprang up all over the country. There were no laws relating to the running of factories as there had been no need for them before. As a result, dangerous machinery was used that could, and frequently did, cause serious injuries to workers. To add to these dangers, people were required to work incredibly long hours – often through the night. Perhaps one of the worst features of this new industrial age was the use of child labour. Very young children worked extremely long hours and could be severely punished for any mistakes. Arriving late for work could lead to a large fine and possibly a beating. Dozing at a machine could result in the accidental loss of a limb.
People began to realise how bad these conditions were in many factories and started to campaign for improvements. There was a lot of resistance from factory owners who felt it would slow down the running of their factories and make their products more expensive. Many people also did not like the government interfering in their lives. Some parents, for instance, needed their children to go out to work from a young age, as they needed the money to help feed the family.
Not all factory owners kept their workers in bad conditions however. Robert Owen, who owned a cotton mill in Lanark, Scotland, built the village of New Lanark for his workers. Here they had access to schools, doctors and there was a house for each family who worked in his mills.
By 1833, the Government passed what was to be the first of many acts dealing with working conditions and hours. At first, there was limited power to enforce these acts but as the century progressed the rules were enforced more strictly. Nonetheless, the hours and working conditions were still very tough by today’s standards, and no rules were in place to protect adult male workers.
Listed below are details of the legislation (laws) that was introduced to improve working conditions in factories.
| Date | Industry | Details of law |
|---|---|---|
| 1833 | Textiles | No child workers under nine years |
Reduced hours for children 9-13 years
Two hours schooling each day for children
This lesson has a video starter activity based on one of our documents to ‘hook’ students into the lesson tasks that follow.
The first lesson source is an extract from the Factory Inspector’s Report for 1836, three years after the passage of the earlier Factory Act. The second source is a report from 1867. Students can use both to assess the effectiveness of the 1833 Act. Students go onto consider two further visual sources. It is important to evaluate these in terms of their dates and the content they portray. The photograph from 1903 is an interesting piece of evidence. What does it reveal about working conditions and safety in the factory? The image referred to at the top of the lesson of a ‘doubling’ room in 1851, only shows female workers. Why was this the case? Note, doubling meant the yarn was ‘doubled’ after spinning to increase its thickness. The drawing is an artist’s impression, how realistic is the scene? As a whole, students should be encouraged to think about the reliability of this evidence for assessing the success of such factory legislation. What other sources could help us understand how effective it was? Finally discuss with students what other industries were associated with child labour in the Victorian period?
All documents are provided with transcripts. Students can work through the questions individually or in pairs and report back to the class.
Illustration: Women working in the doubling- room at Dean Mills cotton-mill (between Bolton & Manchester, Lancashire, Illustrated London News, 25 October 1851, p524. Catalogue ref: ZPER 34/19
History Hook Source: C 106/44
Source 1: Extract from a Factory Inspectors report – British Parliamentary Papers (1836) No 353
Source 2: Reports of Inspectors of Factories 1863 (No 3390)
Source 3: COPY 1/501
New Lanark
Site with photographs and information about Robert Owen’s Mill.
Ramsden Wood Mills
This website provides more information about the family that build Ramsden Mill, the source for the History Hook.
UK Parliament: The 1833 Factory Act
An overview of the 1833 factory act & 10 hours Movement.
Key stage 1
Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally
Key stage 2
Changes in an aspect of social history; a significant turning point in British history
Key stage 3
Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901: Britain as the first industrial nation – the impact on society
Suggested inquiry questions: How successful was the 1833 Factory Act at solving the problem of children working in factories?
Potential activities: Use these sources to write a campaigning letter against child factory labour in 1833; create a poster for such a campaign.
Download: Lesson pack