Children’s Health and Working Conditions
Online searches open up a vast volume of information – one source reference can lead on to many others – for example:
Googling “Cotton Mills & Factories Act 1819 takes you to the Wikipedia site. Clicking on footnote reference No.4 takes you to a full copy of the 74 page book entitled “Answers to certain Objections made to Sir Robert Peel’s Bill for Ameliorating the Condition of Children in Employment in Cotton Factories. This also included the petition to the House of Commons by prominent people in the Manchester area to support the Bill, and a copy of the Bill. Footnote reference No,.6 takes you to a full copy of the 106 page book “Reasons in favour of Sir Robert Peel’s Bill for ameliorating the condition of children employed in cotton factories. This gives many examples of personal evidence given in support of the bill. -These two books are fine examples of prime sources.
Concern about the health and working conditions in the mills led to Campaigns, Select Committee reports, Royal Commissions and eventually the Parliamentary Acts of 1802, 1819, 1833.1844,1847,1859 and 1878 investigating these on-line provides interesting information and some may be available for reference in Manchester Central Library.
The book “Information concerning the state of children employed in cotton factories” by Nathan Gould was published in Manchester in 1818 for use of the members of both Houses of Parliament and provides evidence to support the 1819 Bill. Pages from this book are available on the internet.
A History of Factory Regulation by R.L. Hutchens & A Harrison (1911) is a definitive and comprehensive work. And is available on the internet at:- https://ia802607.us.archive.org/20/items/ahistoryfactory01spengoog/ahistoryfactory01spengoog.pdf
Infant Health and Mortality is discussed in “Manchester and the Textile Districts in 1849” by Angus Bethune Reach (edited by C. Aspin). Reach was an investigative journalist working for the Morning Chronicle in 1849 and his report was part of that paper’s investigation of the English working classes which was on a scale never attempted by a newspaper before or since. Reach’s report covered working class life in Manchester, Bolton and Egerton, Middleton, Oldham, Saddleworth and Ashton under Lyne and is full of personal stories. This book (edited by C.Aspin, is available from Abebooks or Amazon at a very cheap price.
HOUSING AND SANITATION
There are a number of books, reports and newspapers published in the 19th century which describe the living conditions in the Manchester area:-
The Condition of the Working Class in England 1845 by Friedrich Engels
Distress in Manchester – Evidence of the state of the labouring classes 1842 by Joseph Adshead
Manchester and the Textile Districts in 1849 by Angus Bethune Reach
Reports of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association
Report of the Manchester and Salford Town Mission
Newspapers:- Manchester Guardian,
The Morning Chronicle
The Illustrated London News
There is a vast amount of information and images of the dreadful living conditions available on the internet.
The Reports of the visiting committees of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association are held in the archives at Manchester Central Library.
Details from Adshead’s book are quoted in Manchester by Alan Kidd Page 43 Personal in depth details are given. According to Kidd the book was reprinted in Focal Aspects of the Industrial Revolution, Irish University Press 1971.
The Illustrated London News archive is now on-line. It has descriptions and pictures of dreadful living conditions in Manchester during the famine caused by the American Civil War, together with illustrations of various charity work during that period.
The Manchester Guardian is available on line.
Local libraries may also be a worthwhile contact for newspaper reports and local history books etc.
Research into the 1866 Sanitary Act. the 1875 Artisans Dwelling Act and the 1875 Public Health Act could be useful.
Online searches open up a vast volume of information – one source reference can lead on to many others – for example:
Googling “Cotton Mills & Factories Act 1819 takes you to the Wikipedia site. Clicking on footnote reference No.4 takes you to a full copy of the 74 page book entitled “Answers to certain Objections made to Sir Robert Peel’s Bill for Ameliorating the Condition of Children in Employment in Cotton Factories. This also included the petition to the House of Commons by prominent people in the Manchester area to support the Bill, and a copy of the Bill. Footnote reference No,.6 takes you to a full copy of the 106 page book “Reasons in favour of Sir Robert Peel’s Bill for ameliorating the condition of children employed in cotton factories. This gives many examples of personal evidence given in support of the bill. -These two books are fine examples of prime sources.
Concern about the health and working conditions in the mills led to Campaigns, Select Committee reports, Royal Commissions and eventually the Parliamentary Acts of 1802, 1819, 1833.1844,1847,1859 and 1878 investigating these on-line provides interesting information and some may be available for reference in Manchester Central Library.
The book “Information concerning the state of children employed in cotton factories” by Nathan Gould was published in Manchester in 1818 for use of the members of both Houses of Parliament and provides evidence to support the 1819 Bill. Pages from this book are available on the internet.
A History of Factory Regulation by R.L. Hutchens & A Harrison (1911) is a definitive and comprehensive work. And is available on the internet at:- https://ia802607.us.archive.org/20/items/ahistoryfactory01spengoog/ahistoryfactory01spengoog.pdf
Infant Health and Mortality is discussed in “Manchester and the Textile Districts in 1849” by Angus Bethune Reach (edited by C. Aspin). Reach was an investigative journalist working for the Morning Chronicle in 1849 and his report was part of that paper’s investigation of the English working classes which was on a scale never attempted by a newspaper before or since. Reach’s report covered working class life in Manchester, Bolton and Egerton, Middleton, Oldham, Saddleworth and Ashton under Lyne and is full of personal stories. This book (edited by C.Aspin, is available from Abebooks or Amazon at a very cheap price.
HOUSING AND SANITATION
There are a number of books, reports and newspapers published in the 19th century which describe the living conditions in the Manchester area:-
The Condition of the Working Class in England 1845 by Friedrich Engels
Distress in Manchester – Evidence of the state of the labouring classes 1842 by Joseph Adshead
Manchester and the Textile Districts in 1849 by Angus Bethune Reach
Reports of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association
Report of the Manchester and Salford Town Mission
Newspapers:- Manchester Guardian,
The Morning Chronicle
The Illustrated London News
There is a vast amount of information and images of the dreadful living conditions available on the internet.
The Reports of the visiting committees of the Manchester and Salford Sanitary Association are held in the archives at Manchester Central Library.
Details from Adshead’s book are quoted in Manchester by Alan Kidd Page 43 Personal in depth details are given. According to Kidd the book was reprinted in Focal Aspects of the Industrial Revolution, Irish University Press 1971.
The Illustrated London News archive is now on-line. It has descriptions and pictures of dreadful living conditions in Manchester during the famine caused by the American Civil War, together with illustrations of various charity work during that period.
The Manchester Guardian is available on line.
Local libraries may also be a worthwhile contact for newspaper reports and local history books etc.
Research into the 1866 Sanitary Act. the 1875 Artisans Dwelling Act and the 1875 Public Health Act could be useful.