Factory Reform in 19th Century Britain

Question 1

Which wealthy London merchant campaigned to improve working conditions for chimney sweeps and in what year was his act introduced? 2 marks

Answer 1

Jonas Hanway, 1788

Question 2

Which author raised public awareness of the mistreatment of child chimney sweeps in his book ‘The Water-Babies’ in 1863?

Answer 2

Charles Kingsley

Question 3

Why were the 1834 and 1840 Chimney Sweeps Acts pointless?

Answer 3

The acts were ignored because there was no way of enforcing them

Question 4

What did the 1875 Chimney Sweepers’ Act provide?

Answer 4

Required sweeps to be licensed and made sure that the police enforced all previous legislation

Question 5

When was the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act passed?

Answer 5

1802

Question 6

Which act of parliament was brought about by Robert Owen?

Answer 6

1819 Cotton Mills Act

Question 7

Where did Robert Owen have his experimental factory town?

Answer 7

New Lanark

Question 8

What provisions were included in the 1833 Factory Act? Give 3 points.

Answer 8

Forbade the employment of children under 9 in all textile mills, children under 13 were not allowed to work for more than 9 hours a day and not more than 48 hours in one week, under 18s not allowed to work for more than 12 hours a day or at night at all, factory children had to have 2 hours of education each day

Question 9

Which 2 people were pressing parliament to introduce a 10 Hour Day?

Answer 9

Richard Oastler and George Bull

Question 10

Why was the 1833 Factory Act criticised by reformers at the time?

Answer 10

Because it did not provide for it to be enforced as there was only a small team of 4 as inspectors

Question 11

Which MP worked tirelessly to get the 10 Hour Act passed?

Answer 11

John Fielden

Question 12

What did the 1844 Factory Act provide?

Answer 12

First health and safety act in Britain e.g. all dangerous machinery to be fenced off, no child to clean mill machinery in motion, limited children to 6 and half hours work, 3 hours schooling, maximum 12 hour day for those 13-18, 12 hour rule applied to women.

Question 13

Give 2 reasons why the 1833 Factory Act was important?

Answer 13

4 man inspectorate created, most advanced act for its time, system of government control, home office responsible, penalties for evasion,

Question 14

When was the next substantial Factory Act after 1844?

Answer 14

1867

Question 15

What did the 1867 Factory Act propose? 2 points

Answer 15

Applied all existing legislation to all factories employing more than 50 people, brought regulation to other industries e.g. iron and steel mills, brought more improvements to the working conditions.

Question 16

When did the government set up a royal commission into coal mines?

Answer 16

1842

Question 17

What forced the government to set up a royal commission into coal mines? Give 2 reasons.

Answer 17

Public outcry over the reports of working conditions in mines, degradation of women and children working in mines, children working in the dark as trappers and strappers, treatment by employers

Question 18

Which MP was responsible for the Mines and Collieries Act in 1842?

Answer 18

Anthony Ashley-Cooper/Lord Shaftesbury

Question 19

What did the Mines and Collieries Act provide?

Answer 19

Prohibition of underground work for women and girls and for boys under 10

Question 20

Which later act improved safety rules and raised the age limit for boys from 10 to 12?

Answer 20

Coal Mines Regulation Act of 1860

Question 21

What did the Coal Mines Regualtion Act of 1872 do?

Answer 21

requirement for pit managers to have state certification of their training, miners given the right to appoint inspector from among themselves

Question 22

What did the Mines Regulation Act of 1881 do?

Answer 22

Empowered the home secretary to hold inquiries into the causes of mine accidents

Question 23

Give the dates of 2 further factory acts of the 19th Century.

Answer 23

1878, 1891, 1895, 1890

Question 24

Who set the template for the factory system?

Answer 24

Richard Arkwright in 1771

Question 25

Define capitalism

Answer 25

economic concept where trade, businesses and the means of production are mostly own privately and run for profit

Question 26

Give 3 reasons why capitalism did not benefit the factory workers. 3 marks

Answer 26

Owners put profit before welfare, driving down of wages to maximise profit, health and safety issues, poor ventilation, no job ssecurity, decline of independence, more automised working environment, exploitation of workers, long hours, children working in factories

Question 27

What was the average working day for a male in a factory in the early 19th Century?

Answer 27

12-14 hour days

Question 28

What is the mimimum hour working day that men had to work throughout the 19th Century despite legislation?

Answer 28

10 Hours

Question 29

If a factory worker was 10 minutes late for a shift what was a common punishment?

Answer 29

docked 2 hours pay

Question 30

Why were there hardly any health and safety measures in factories before 1844?

Answer 30

Employers did not care and would not spend any money on them causing large numbers of accidents.

Question 31

What was invented in 1815 to help miners see in the dark?

Answer 31

the Davy Lamp

Question 32

Why did production of coal increase from 6 to 55 million tons between 1770 and 1850?

Answer 32

To feed the steam engines of the industrial revolution

Question 33

Within coal mining what was the most common form of employment contract?

Answer 33

miners were ‘bound’ to their employers for an agreed length of time e.g. a year and for an agreed sum

Question 34

What was the problem with the contract system within mining?

Answer 34

Employer did not have to provide work throughout the year

Question 35

What was the average factory wage?

Answer 35

12-15 shillings a week