Advanced Placement European History. Book 1Lesson 27Handout 45 (page 2)NameDate -----------_Report on Infant Lace-Workers<strong>The</strong> 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, 1842<strong>The</strong> 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:<strong>The</strong>y 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": <strong>Human</strong> Documents of the <strong>Industrial</strong> <strong>Revolution</strong>, E. Royston Pike (New York: Frederick A. Praeger,1966), 51-259 passim.© COPYRIGHT,<strong>The</strong> Center for Learning ..Used with permission. Not for resale.190
Advanced Placement European History, Book 1Lesson 27Handout 45 (page 3)NameDate<strong>The</strong> <strong>Industrial</strong> <strong>Revolution</strong>: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Side</strong>__Directions: Read the selections for the identity assigned to your group: factory workers, factoryowners, or economists. Prepare a point of view on the <strong>Industrial</strong> <strong>Revolution</strong> for your group topresent to an objective historian. In your presentation, include the main thrust of the argumentyou would like to have presented in a history of the <strong>Industrial</strong> <strong>Revolution</strong> and providethree points of evidence to support this position. <strong>The</strong>n write two questions, one for each of theopposing opinions, that would force them to admit the validity of your position.FactoryOwnersTestimony of Archibald Buchanan, Manager of Cotton MillsWhat number of persons are employed in the different works?-I canonly speak to the works under my own particular management. At theCatrine works there are 875 persons employed, of whom 22 males and37 females are under ten years of age. I suppose the youngest may be 8or 9; we have no wish to employ them under ten years of age.What are your hours of work?-Our working hours are twelve hoursin the day. <strong>The</strong>y begin at 6 o'clock in the morning. they stop at half-pastseven at night, and they are allowed half an hour to breakfast, and anhour to dinner.You have not observed that the twelve hours work has interfered withthe health of the children?-I have not. . . . I have seen many instancesof children that were taken in the works as young as six, whose healthdid not appear at all to suffer; on the contrary, when they got to greatermaturity, they appeared as healthy stout people as any in the country.<strong>The</strong>y go to all trades, masons and joiners, and weavers, and so on.Are they as tall?-Yes, I do not see any difference.Do you conceive that the habits of regularity they are taught in theworks, are advantageous to them in their pursuits afterwards?-I shouldthink it was; that is the chief advantage tradesmen think they have inemploying children from the factories.That is, from their habits of industry?-Yes, and the ingenuity theyacquire in the works.Are the parents generally very desirous to send their children to you,or not?-Very desirous.What are the weekly wages a child of nine years old, will acquire inyour works?-<strong>The</strong> children of 9 years are generally learners, and receive Is[shilling) 6d [pence) to 2s [shillings) per week, according to their ability.In what manner are the children educated in your works?-We havethree schools at present, I think, in the village: one of the schoolmasterswe give a house to, with fire and candle, and £30 a year as a salary; heteaches one hour after the works stop on week days, and on Sundays heattendsattend.the Sunday schools; but I do not recollect the time the childrenYou make the children's confinement fourteen hours, then?-<strong>The</strong>y arenot compelled to go to school in the evening.-ParLiamentary Papers, 1816© COPYRIGHT.<strong>The</strong> Center for Learning. Used with permission. Not for resale.191