Social Reform:
Why did the factory system need reforming?
Overview:
Huge pressures on society
Population growth
Industrialisation
Urbanisation
Decline in rural society
Raised the question on the role of government to intervene:
o Laissez-faire
o Utilitarian philosophy (Benthamite)
o Humanitarian/moral approach
o Patriarchal responsibilities
What was the issues of factories?
From 1770s and Arkwright’s invention of the Water Frame, factories had developed to mass
produce textiles
Employed large numbers of people including children
But also employed adults to supervise and heavier work
1819 report suggested < 5% were under 10; but >54% under 19
Reports of 1833 suggested 10-13% in textile factories were <13years
Census of 1841 children under 13 = 5% of textile workforce
Factories ranged from the very large (over 1,000 employees) but also smaller
Manchester average 260 (1/4 under 100)
NB children also worked in the home, farms, as domestic servants and in trades, chimney
sweeps etc
Apprenticed at age of 12 normal
Jobs based on agility and small size
33% of miners <18
More than 1 million child workers (350,000 7-10year olds)
Particular issue with pauper apprentices – effectively sold into work
Early regulations:
1788: Sweeps had to be over 8 years old
1802: Health and morals of apprentices act (Robert Peel snr: inspections of factories to check on
apprentices in factories)
How bad were the working conditions in the factories?
By the 1820s and 1830s, factory conditions were fuelling huge debate, with fierce opposition to
the factory system
Many felt that the working hours were too long, with shifts of 12 hours for men, women and
children
Workers could be fired when the mill was not doing well
The mills were dangerous, with open and unguarded machinery, and unhealthy, with shut
windows and lots of cotton dust in the air
Many critics particularly attacked the use of child labour. Children as young as six were working
in the mills, some with parents, and some as child apprentices (they would oil machines, repair
threads and replace bobbins)
, Discipline was incredibly harsh- workers could be punished by fines (for whistling, singing or
talking)
Workers could not leave the room without permission
Who wanted change?
Some factory owners were not as harsh. Robert Owen was a factory owner at New Lanark in
Scotland
o He treated workers well, building accommodation and schools for his employees
o He hoped that by treating them better, his profits would increase
o He wrote books about his experiment and sold them throughout Britain
Robert Peel was also from a mill-owning family, and supported factory reform
Many others wanted reform for a range of reasons
Some Tory radicals wanted change because of their paternalistic outlook
Richard Oastler- manager of a large estate in Yorkshire
o In 1830, he wrote an article to the Leeds Mercury entitled ‘Yorkshire Slavery’
John Fielden, like Owen, was a factory owner who believed that treating workers better would
increase production
Michael Sadler was a Tory MP who chaired a committee which recommended introducing a 10-
hour day for all textile factories
o Sadler was known to be a keen reformer, and sympathetic to the 10 hour movement, so
Parliament was not convinced- yet
Why did they want change?
Some wanted reform for simple humanitarian reasons
Some thought that the mills damaged the moral fabric of society, separating families etc.
o Some didn’t like the fact that women were working, as this would damage their health
(child bearing)
o Children brought up without correct principles away from their families
Some, like Robert Owen, thought that better conditions would lead to happier workers and
therefore more productivity
Some working men concerned children kept wages low by being cheap competition
Some landowners wanted to support factory reform as a means of hitting back at industrialists
who were supporting the movement for the repeal of the Corn Laws
How did they campaign for change?
The Ten Hours Movement
In 1830 a Ten Hours Movement was formed, to campaign for a ten-hour working day for men,
women and children
Popular in the industrial areas- Lancashire and Yorkshire
They produced pamphlets and travelled the country publicising their ideas
Had support from both working class and some of the middle classes
Tory radicals supported factory reform- they believed that the ruling classes had a duty to
protect the poor- paternalist viewpoint
The Ten Hours movement was important in the it brought the issue to the public’s attention and
included prominent members such as Tory MPs
The Factory Acts:
Act name and year: Terms Main limitations/excursions
1819 Cotton Mills Forbade the employment of children under 9 Applied only to Cotton Mils
and Factories Act Children aged 9-16 years were limited to 12 No inspections
(amended from hours’ work per day and could not work at
