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PROGRESS 1850–1900

WORK AND INDUSTRY

In this lesson you are going to use your knowledge of the Victorian period along with some
new information and films from around 1900.
1. Work in pairs or small groups to add as many points, examples and explanations
as possible to the diagram on page 3. You may want to do some research first. Good
places to start are:
R Spartacus (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRchild.main.htm)
R Gladstone Pottery Museum
(http://www2002.stoke.gov.uk/museums/gladstone/gpminf46.htm)
R Victorian Manchester (http://raq2168.uk2net.com/history/victorian/Victorian1.html).

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2. Now examine closely Messrs Lumb and Co Leaving the Works, Huddersfield (1900).
It was shot around 1900. Look for anything in this film which suggests that life has
changed (for better or worse) or remained the same for industrial workers.
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3. Here is some information about life in 1900 which you may not have come
across before.
R By 1900 most ordinary working-class men had the vote. A large number of them
belonged to trade unions which helped to get better wages and working conditions.
R By 1900 most local authorities were responsible for services such as clean water
and sewage. This brought massive improvements. However, the main fuel was still
coal, so air pollution was still widespread, although most people were so used to
it they rarely complained about it!
R By 1900 the majority of working-class people were much healthier and wealthier
than they had been in 1850, although a significant percentage (around 25 to 30 per
cent) still suffered from terrible poverty.
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R The Factory Act of 1891 gave

women four weeks off work
after having a baby,
and employers had to keep
their jobs available.
R Very large numbers of women
still worked in mills just as they
had done in 1850, even though
reformers of the 1830s to
1850s wanted to greatly reduce
female labour.
R By the early 1900s children Pendlebury Colliery, 1900

under 12 were not allowed to

work in factories. They had to be in school.
When you have studied this information, watch Messrs Lumb and Co Leaving
the Works, Huddersfield again. See if you can spot any evidence of these changes
in the film.
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4. Repeat this process for Pendlebury Colliery and Alfred Butterworth and Sons, Glebe
Mills, Hollinwood.
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5. Finally, write a short script for one of the films as though it is being used in a
documentary. Your aim is to explain to the viewer how your film shows that there
had been progress in terms of living and working conditions between 1850 and 1900.
You could try reading the script out while the film is playing, or you may be able to
record your script.
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Some Women
government working
action

Child
Work labour
irregular Work and
industry
1850

Large workforces
Wages good in heavy industries
but hours long and and giant mills
discipline harsh
Polluted
environment

Keep your diagram safe.