Could You Survive the Living Conditions of Victorian Workers?

History Hit
History Hit
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Published 2023-04-17
As new technologies emerged throughout the 19th century, and the use of water and steam power became commonplace, millions of rural workers, including thousands of children, descended on the growing industrial towns to work in mills and factories. Northern cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield became industrial powerhouses, exporting textiles such as cotton, wool, silk and linen worldwide to Britain's expanding empire. As well as producing textiles, these establishments would generate enormous profits for a new class of industrialists and entrepreneurs.

In the first episode of this two-part series, History Hit presenters Luke Tomes and Louee Dessent discovered what a working day was like at Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire in the 1800s, for both a wealthy Victorian industrialist and a poor Victorian labourer respectively.

But what was life like for a Victorian factory worker and mill owner outside of the cotton mill? What conditions did they have to live in? What did they eat? How did they spend their leisure time? And how did their lives compare to ours today?

In this second episode, Louee Dessent travels to the Apprentice House located just up the road from Quarry Bank Mill, to find out how young indentured children lived before and after working hours, before heading north to the model village of Styal, set up by the Greg family to provide workers with decent accommodation and facilities close to the cotton mill itself, and with the intention of keeping them loyal.

Meanwhile, Luke has a short commute to Quarry Bank House, home to Samuel Greg and his wife, Hannah. Here he learns why the family chose to build a seemingly modest, yet lavish property so close to the factory where they employed thousands of working children, and the values both Samuel and Hannah Greg held dear to their hearts.

The question, as always, is - could you survive as a Victorian factory worker? Watch the video to find out!

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#historyhit #victorianera #victorianhistory
00:00 Introduction
02:08 The Apprentice House
07:14 The Kitchen
10:27 The School Room
13:57 Quarry Bank House
23:55 The Factory Colony
26:18 The Workers Cottage
30:48 Quarry Bank Estate
31:43 The Closure of Quarry Bank
All Comments (21)
  • @WifeMamaArtist
    All those commentors talking about how much tougher kids used to be. 1. This is a cleaned up freshly painted version of how things looked (and smelled probably). 2. Child mortality rates where through the roof. 3. There was pretty much no birth control. 4. (Most importantly). WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO PUT YOUNG KIDS THROUGH THIS HELL TODAY!!!
  • @jetsons101
    Many people today look at the past through "Rose Colored" glasses. Ah, the good old days, the good old days weren't always that good. Learn history so we don't repeat the mistakes of the past. Thanks for posting.......
  • @marcdavis4509
    That’s insane that a nine year old child could enter into a legal contact for any length of time much less a ten year term.
  • @inipin510
    A 9 year old child working 12 to 14 hours a day is insane !!! And it is still happening in some countries these days😑
  • @helenamcginty4920
    One lady, 92 in 1982, had grown up the eldest of 13 children. I met her when she was a patient on the hospital ward where I worked. She lived near Pendle, Lancashire. From 9 they worked part time in the mill so were up at 5am as they had a 10 mile walk over the hill to school. Then in the afternoon they had 6 hours work at the mill. While other kids worked 6 hours in the mornings and went to school in the afternoon. Then they had Sunday school in case they had time to enjoy themselves. She was a happy cheery lady but had not enjoyed her poverty ridden childhood.
  • @MissyL12789
    Heartbreaking hearing how tough their life was. My Gtx3 grandmother was born in a workhouse so it's interesting hearing about life in Victorian period.
  • @NavyDood21
    I know for a fact I could not have survived a Victorian workers life. I can't even survive in this much easier modern life properly!
  • @old.not.too.grumpy.
    My parent's house was once a barn that had been converted into 3 houses that became derelict, subsequently being converted into one house. Three of us lived the house. In the 1891 census 38 people lived in the 3 houses. With one outside privy and water from a well.
  • @lifeschool
    My Great Great grandparents worked in the mills of Padiham in Lancashire. The mill was very busy and noisy, but only in so much as a modern rock concert, and not deafening. Their main issue was the slums, cess pits, disease, and general filth of having to work dawn till dusk, and come home and have no strength to improve the home, only to put a rag in the wall to stop the wind running through the cracks. Ticks, cotton fibres and coal dust. Dysentery, typhoid and TB. No NHS, no dentists, or even a single aspirin tablet. Only week-old bread and dripping.
  • @struggling5432
    Its crazy i myself work in a factory and i feel so connected to hear these stories clearly it wasnt the same at all but it’s definitely interesting to hear how far we have developed i love my job but i definitely wouldn’t have loved it back then
  • @hyperfocus4866
    Its amazing to think how the working class has been treated throughout history.
  • @johngroll9186
    I often wonder how many mill workers choose suicide over working in the mill. Working to eat and eating to work is damn right depressing.
  • @demoneIephant
    Watching these videos it is mad how messed up humanity has been, makes me think about how mad it is how far we've come but how far we still have to go
  • @sawahtb
    My family (ancestors) were from that region of England, and left for America when the Industrial Revolution started. They made their way to Texas and raised sheep. Huge family, I have hundreds of cousins, know only a few. Some got rich but most just had average lives, military careers, dairy farmers, etc. I think they saw factory work as hell on earth.
  • @54mgtf22
    So if you worked in a mill, the mill owner basically owned you. Love your work 👍
  • @YNomadicCreator
    Another immersive tale!! Thank-you!! Having the opportunity to walk in history's footsteps definitely allows one to have their eyes opened.
  • @ThePolaroid669
    Yet another awesome video from Luke and Louee! Thanks so much! You guys hit it out of the park every time! Can never get enough of these!
  • @PokhrajRoy.
    What an interesting series this is. Keep up the good work 👏🏽
  • @Staticjokes
    Brilliant video, incredibly interesting & well made. Hope this series continues on.