19Th Century Child: History, Life, Works, Education & More

19Th Century Child: In the 19th century working-class children were usually engaged in factories and on farms. For many people, it was better necessary for a child to bring home a wage than to get an education. The sequence of unhealthy working conditions and long hours spelled that children were served as hard as any adult, but without laws to shield them. Children were low-coster to employ than adults, and simpler to discipline. The fruitful use of children was key to Britain’s economic achievement in the 19th century.

In 1821, almost 49% of the workers were under 20. In rural areas, children as young as five or six side with women in ‘agricultural gangs’ that served in fields usually a long way from their homes. Although a law against the enrollment of children as chimney sweeps was gone as early as 1788, young people – because of their size and quickness – were still controlled in this role for much of the 19th century.

The incident of Martha Appleton in 1859 features the terrible working conditions thousands of children across Britain went through every day in the 19th century. As a 13-year-old textile laborer in Wigan, Martha was engaged as a ‘scavenger’, pulling up loose cotton from beneath machinery. On one unusual day, Martha swooned and grabbed her left hand in an unguarded machine. In the accident, all her fingers were detached. Martha missed her job because she was no longer capable to work efficiently.

19th Century or Victorian Children Life

Child worker, or the use of children as servants and apprentices, has been executed throughout most of human history but showed a height during the Industrial Revolution. Bad working conditions consisting of crowded and impure factories, a shortfall of security codes or measure, and long hours were the rule.

Crucially, children could be benefited less, were less likely to run into unions and their small status set up them to complete tasks in factories or mines that would be claiming for adults. Working children were unable to show up a school – shaping a cycle of poverty that was tough to tear. Nineteenth-century reformers and worker coordinators pursued to restrict child labor and reform working conditions.

• The industrial revolution spawned more requirements for female and child labor.
• In the initial 19th century when children worked in textile factories they generally worked for a minimum of 12 hours a day.
• In the early 19th century parliament gave laws to reduce child labor. However, they all confirmed to be unenforceable.
• The first efficient law was passed in 1833. It was efficient because for the first time factory investigators were elected to make sure the law was being executed. The new law restricted children under 9 from working in textile factories. It said that children aged 9 to 13 must not work for more than 12 hours a day or 48 hours a week. Children aged 13 to 18 must not work for more than 69 hours a week. Additionally, nobody under 18 was tolerated to work at night (from 8.30 pm to 5.30 am). Children aged 9 to 13 were to be given 2 hours of education a day.
• Statuses in coal mines were also atrocious. Children as young as 5 worked underground. In 1842 a law restricted children under 10 and all females from working underground. In 1844 a law restricted all children under 8 from working. Then in 1847, a Factory Act stated that women and children could only work 10 hours a day in the textile industry.
• In 1867 the law was widened to all factories. (A factory was explained as a place where more than 50 people were engaged in a manufacturing system).
• In the 19th century boys were prepared to climb up chimneys to clean them. This inhuman use was ended by law in 1875. Gradually children were shielded by the law more and more.
• In the 19th century families were much huger than today. That was slight because newborn fatality was high. People had many children and trusted that not all of them would remain.
• In the early 19th century the churches prepared schools for poor children. From 1833 the government gave them assistance. There were also women schools. They were run by women who trained a little reading, writing, and arithmetic. However many woman schools were really a childminding service.
• The state did not take authority for education until 1870. Forsters Education Act settled down that schools should be brought for all children. If there were not sufficient places in continuing schools then board schools were formed. In 1880 school was made mandatory for 5 to 10-year-olds. However school was not free, except for the neediest children until 1891 when fees were prohibited. From 1899 children were obliged to go to school until they were 12.
• Girls from high-class families were tutored by a governess. Boys were oftentimes moved to public schools like Eton.
• Intermediate class boys went to grammar schools. Intermediate class girls went to individual schools where they were tutored ‘accomplishments’ such as music and tailoring.
• Discipline in Victorian schools was ferocious. Beatings were common although in the 19th century the walking stick mostly replaced the birch. Furthermore, children who were weak at lessons were disgraced by being pushed to wear a cap with the comment ‘dunce’ on it.
• Before the 19th-century children were regularly dressed like little adults. In Victorian times the first clothes made specifically for children materialized such as sailor suits. In the 19th century middle-class girls played with wood or ceramic dolls. They also had dolls residences, model shops, and skipping ropes. Boys played with marbles and toy fighters as well as toy trains. (Some toy trains had working engines incited by methylated spirits). They also played with toy boats. However poor children had fewer toys and usually had to make their own.
• In upper-class family children played with rocking horses and clockwork toys like propelling animals. Clockwork trains were also popular. So was the jack-in-the-box.
• Elementary toys like spinning tops were also popular. So were hoops and games like knucklebones and take up sticks in which you had to take up colored sticks from a bundle without unsettling the others.
• On Sundays children often played with toys with spiritual themes like Noah’s arks with wooden animals. Children also chose magic beacon (slide) shows and puppet shows.

FAQ’s About 19th Century Child

What Was Childhood Like In The 19Th Century?

In The Early 19Th Century When Children Worked In Textile Industries They Usually Worked For A Minimum Of 12 Hours A Day. In The Early 19Th Century Parliament Gave Laws To Restrict Child Workers. Children Aged 9 To 13 Were To Be Given 2 Hours Of Education A Day. Circumstance In Coal Mines Was Also Disturbing.

How Were Children Viewed In The Victorian Era?

Life For Victorian Children In Victorian Times (1830 To 1900) Was Blank Like Childhood In Today’s World. The Poor Children Had To Make Public Jobs For Their Families To Live. Toys Were Nothing More Than Homemade Dolls Or Wooden Blocks. On The Other Hand, Their Family Life Was Tighter Knit And More Loving.

What Was Child Labor Like In The 1800S?

Through The First Half Of The 1800S, Child Labor Was An Necessary Part Of The Agricultural And Textile Economy Of Britain. Children Worked On Family Fields And As Indentured Slaves For Others. To Learn A Trade, Boys Began Their Apprenticeships Between The Ages Of Ten And Fourteen.

How Were Children Treated In The 18Th Century?

Things Reformed Little For Children During The 18Th Century. Children From Poor Families Were Foreseen To Work As Soon As They Were Able. When They Were Not Working Children Participated in Simple Games. Discipline Was Still Very Rigid And Corporal Punishment Was Normal. In The Early 18Th Century Donation Schools Were Begun In Many Towns. They Were Frequently Called Blue Coat Schools Because Of The Color Of The Children’s Dresses. Boys From Well Off Families Moved To Grammar Schools. Girls From Well Off Families Also Moved To School But It Was Sensed Important For Them To Learn ‘accomplishments’ Like Tailoring And Music Rather Than Academic Subjects. In The 18Th Century, Punch And Judy Shows And Circuses Were A Common Form Of Entertainment For Children.