Back to Today
You might be shocked that this was a normal day for a six- or seven-year-old back in the 1800’s. You might also be wondering why their parents let them go to work, or why they’re not at school. But back then, it really was normal for children to go to work instead.
There were a lot of poor people in Stoke in the 1800s and families needed every single penny (pounds were for rich people) they could earn. It didn’t matter how dirty or dangerous it was. Everyone in the family had to work hard just so they could eat! This was the reality for almost all of the children working in factories. It was about survival.
The Inquiry
Eventually, the government decided to look into what life was like for children working in the Potteries. All the local factories had to answer questions about how many children were working there and what work they did.
Samuel Scriven who was running the inquiry visited the pot banks to see what the factories were like for the children working there. He wanted to see it for himself and speak to the children to ask them what it was like to work in the factories. He also spoke to other workers and some of the factory owners.
"I have been a manufacturer for two years, I was brought up in the trade. I employ between 30 and 40 hands of all ages"
A Very Long Day
Eight- to ten-year-old’s could be working for 12 hours every day. A normal school day now is around six hours long, so a day working in the pot banks would be like two full school days in one, but doing P.E. the whole time! With only one day off a week – if you were lucky.
For Very Little Pay
There were over 5,000 children working in the factories around the Potteries with about 600 of them being only five years old! And it turns out, lots of children in the factories were working way more than the grown-ups and for way less money too!
"I get two shillings a week"
"I work 13 hours a day"
Enough is Enough
The government decided that this shouldn’t happen anymore. It’s not fair that children go to work instead of school, and they are getting poorly just so there is enough money to feed the family. That is when some new rules were made.
The new rules were good rules though, it meant that children weren’t allowed to work that many hours any more, and they had to have days off too.
After the inquiry, you had to be eight or older to work. That’s because you’d be going to school, learning to read and write. After your 8th birthday you’d still go to work, but you wouldn’t have to work as much as you did before.
The Dudson Museum is a project of VAST Services (1920).