The Industrial Revolution: The Human Side

Advanced Placement European History. Book 1Lesson 27Handout 45 (page 2)NameDate -----------_Report on Infant Lace-WorkersThe children of this family, and the mother, who reside in WalkerStreet. New Sneinton, give the following evidence: Mary Houghton, fouryears old. wHas drawn lace two years; her mother gives her a penny aweek.w Anne Houghton, six years old: WHasbeen a drawer three years.wMrs. Houghton, the mother of these children: wls a lace-drawer and hasfour children: Harriet 8 years. Anne 6, Mary 4, and Eliza 2 years old; ofthese the three elder are employed as lace drawers. Harriet was not quitethree when she began to work. Anne was about the same. and Mary wasnot quite two years old." wEliza has drawn a few threads out.wAll this (says the Sub-Commissioner) was interrupted with, wMindyour work," "Take care," "Make haste," "Now, Anne, get on," "Mind yourwork."Begins generally at 6 A.M. in the summer and 7 A.M. in the winter; inthe former goes on till dark, in the latter till 10 P.M •.•.-Parliamentary Papers, 1842The Value of SonsFamilies of boys are, amongst pit-people, valuable property, on accountof their earnings in the pits. A widow with a family of boys is considereda catc/L I was told that such a widow was accosted by a suitor even ather husband's grave. Her reply was, "You are too late: I am engaged. Iaccepted B- before starting for the funeral!"-OurCoal Fields and Our Coal Pits, n.d.Testimony of Abraham Whitehead. ClothierHow early do you think that they leave their homes?-I can tell you whata neighbour told me six weeks ago; she is the wife of Jonas Barrowcliffe,near Scholes; her child works at a mill nearly two miles from home, andI have seen that child coming from its work this winter between 10 and11 in the evening; and the mother told me that one morning this winterthe child had been up by 2 o'clock in the morning ....-Parliamentary Papers, 1831-32Flogging of ChildrenMark Best. flax-mills overlooker, was asked to describe "the sort ofstraps that are made use of' to keep the children at work:They are about a foot and a half long, and there is a stick at the end;and that end they beat them with is cut in the direction of my fingers, ­thus. having five or six thongs, some of them. Some of them are set in ahandle, some are not.-Parliamentary Papers, 1831-32ISource: "Hard Times": Human Documents of the Industrial Revolution, E. Royston Pike (New York: Frederick A. Praeger,1966), 51-259 passim.© COPYRIGHT,The Center for Learning ..Used with permission. Not for resale.190