What were the reasons for overcrowding
- immigrants from ireland escaping poverty and famine
- lowland farmers pushed out of farming looking for work
- earlier marriage meant bigger families and more surviving into adulthood
- natural birth rate increase and lower death rate
- new industries such as cotton and ships attracted workers into urban areas
- highlanders cleared land for sheep and people were displaced to the cities
Why was health so poor
- population growth: industrial revolution resulted in an urabnised society
- lack of clean water: shared drinking / washing source, lice common, cholera
- lack of sanitation: no sewage system, toilets shared, lack of soap
- lack of rubbish disposals: middens, waste from middens got into water
- poor housing: lack of ventilation due to window tax, no running water, cold and damp housing, overcrowding
- poor diet: lack of fresh fruit & veg, lack of vitamins (led to rickets), low immunity to diseases
- lack of medical knowledge: poor people couldnt afford medical treatment, vaccinations not available
Why did health improve
improved housing
- slum clearance programmes removed problems of lack of light, ventilation & space
- homes had water, sewers, gas, lighting
better diet
- growth of railways
- improved food standards
- farming improvements: better nutrients
public health legislation
- 1848: encouraged councils to set up health boards
- 1875: forced local authorities to provide sewage and drainage systems
- reservoirs pumped clean water
improved hygiene
- ending of tax on soap
- cheap carbolic soap: anti septic killed germs
- 1978 public baths to grant access to clean water
medical advances
- all doctors had to be qualified after 1858
- improved standard of nursing
- louis pasteur discovered germs
- john snow discovered cholera from water polluted by human waste
What jobs were there in coal mining
hewers
- cutting coal using a pick and shovel, often in cramped conditions
bearers
- carrying coal up ladders to the surface in a basket
putters
- pushing or pulling carts of coal to the main shaft
trappers
- opening and shutting ventilation doors when carts had passed
What were working conditions like in coal mining
- flooding: cause death by drowning
- cave ins: due to wooden props rotting away / becoming weak and unstable
- black spit: caused by dust accumulating in the lungs of miners
- cramped conditions: children grew up deformed and would die at a young age
- fire damp: explosions by sparks igniting
- choke damp: nausea
What legislation was passed to improve coal mining
- 1842 Mines Act: banned women and children under 10 working underground, mine inspector appointed for the country
- 1855 Mines Act: each mine had to have their own safety rules
- 1860 Mines Act: banned boys under 12 from working in mines, introduced new safety rules for new technology / more inspectors
- 1860 Mines Act: single shaft mines illegal / mines had to have 2 exits
- 1872 Mines Act: each mine had to have a certificate of safety following a national exam
What new technology improved coal mining
- davey safety lamp: used to light mines, naked flame did not ignite, reduced deaths by explosion
- ventilation fans: filtered air in the mines and removed gasses, reduced death by choking / poisonous gases
- pumps: removed water from miens that flooded, reduced deaths by drowning
- metal pit props: replaced wooden ones, reduced risk of cave ins, more stable
- rails for carts and mini railways moved coal in the mine more effectively
- powered winding gear enabled the lifting of heavy loads to the surface
- electric cutting gear cut coal quicker / removed some dangers of a hewer
What jobs were there in textiles
washing / sort raw cotton (piecing): tying any broken threads together
carding: detangling cotton threads
scavengers: cleaning cotton from under the machines
doffing: removing empty cotton bobbins and replacing them with full ones
What were working conditions like in textiles
- air thick with dust and fluff: could accumulate in the lungs and cause long term issues
- hot / damp: 84 degrees, led to fainting / feeling ill, could faint and fall into machine
- constant noise: hearing problems
- unguarded machines: easy to fall into / get injured
- open toilet buckets: unsanitary, disease easily spread, made conditions difficult to work in
- accidents common: injuries / even death
How were children treated in textiles
- children as young as 4 years old employed as piecers and shifters
- pauper apprentices cruelly treated: would face abuse from owners / injuries, beatings
- long hours
- little pay
What legislation was passed to improve textiles
1833 Factory Act: no child workers under 9, children working hours limited and cant work at night, children must have 2 hours of school a day, 4 factory inspectors appointed
1844 Factory Act: no child under 8 to work, 8-12 years old had a maximum 6 hour day, 13-17 maximum 12 hour day
1847 Factory Act: young people (12-18) and women only allowed to work a 10 hour day
What new technology improved textiles
- spinning jenny: enabled the spinning of multiple spindles of thread
- james watt’s steam engine: provide power for machinery in factories, by 1800, over 500 machines were in use in british mills
- jacquard loom: allowed the weaving of intricate patterns
- william perkin invented synthetic dye to make more colourful cloth
- variable speed baton: allowed more powerful looms
- guards of machines meant that workers could not put limbs inside and risk injury
What were the problems with transport before the canals
- horses pulled carts: were slow and could only carry a limited load
- bumpy road conditions could damage goods
- stealing common
- risk of highwaymen losing profit
Why were canals popular
- coal less costly to transport: raw materials could be cheaply taken to the factories
- canals good for transporting breakable goods
- canals meant lots of people were employed
- better than horses as goods to be sold from factories could be delivered cheaply
Why did canals decline and railways expand
- railways favoured, canals very slow: railways much faster, canals could not go through hilly countryside
- canal owners did not look after canals, therefore looked shabby and people didnt want to use them
- weather issues: in summer canals would dry out, in winter they’d freeze
- canal transport more expensive than railways / railways carried more goods so more cost effective
- canals difficult to use: would require more than one journey unlike 1 rail journey
- canals too narrow: not good for bigger boats / more goods
- factories could have their own railway sidings: more convenient than canals
What were the positive reactions to the railways
economic:
- provided jobs for unemployed people
- faactory owners benefited from cheaper and quicker transport (improved businesses and profits)
health benefits: fresher fish could be transported from the coast to the cities, improved people’s diets
social: people able to go on day trips / holidays as it is more affordable
What were the negative reactions to the railways
- coach and canal company owners would go out of business as their form of transport no longer needed
- doctors feared that travelling at such speeds would be a threat to people’s health
- farmers worried that lines would go through their lands: feared livestock may be scared out of producing things, e.g. cows no longer producing milk
- people in towns / villages feared arrival of the navvies
What was the social impact of the railways
- cheap railway travel helped football grow into a national sport (created away matches)
- seaside resorts like larges became popular
- time was standardised: GMT
- farm workers could now commute
- working class could now afford to travel
- up to date newspapers kept people in touch
What was the political impact of the railways
- political parties began to grow
- MPs could keep in touch with their constituency
What was the economic impact of the railways
- penny postal system became more efficient: made post cheaper
- railway industry created around 18,000 jobs by 1881
- market people could supply fresh food on a daily basis
- fishing industry grew, fresh fish could be delivered inland
- farmers could get animals to market towns more easily
- industries such as coal and iron grew
What did Navies do / reactions to navies
- work was dangerous / physically demanding: long hours, little safety
- travelled the country with the railway line that was being built: set up shanty’s next to the line
- associated with drinking, fighting and crime: people didnt like them
- bad reputation, feared
How were railways improved
safety improvements
- electrical signals to control miles of railway track instead of hand signals
- every carriage on a train was fitted with a brake
- a ‘dead mans handle’ was fitted on every train to allow an emergency stop
comfort improvements
- sleeping carriages introduced
- lavatories provided on all trains
- food and drink was provided
Why was britain not democratic in 1760
- representation in parliament was poorly distributed: industrial centres had few MPs while rural england was overrepresented
- corruption: rotten boroughs were bought and sold for votes, open voting led to bribery
- only wealthy could become MPs as it was unpaid work / had to own land
- 5 out of 6 men could not vote and no women
- wealthy were overrepresented in both voting and distribution
How did democracy improve (legislation acts)
WHO COULD VOTE
1832 reform act: middle class property owners could vote, majority of rotten boroughs removed, more towns given MPs
1867 reform act: skilled working class men in towns could vote (2.5 million now voting), 1 in 3 men now voting, all householders who paid rates for 1 year could vote
1884 reform act: skilled working class men in countryside could vote, 2 out of 3 men could vote
