A number of 19th century British authors were able to witness at first-hand what living and working conditions were like in the Industrial Revolution, of great significance were the increases in both the amount of manufacturing establishments and of the people keen to work in them. In consequence the proprietors made great surpluses by preserving overheads, for example wages, low. This created a great divide between the money of the factory entrepreneurs and the poverty of the staff.
Mill communities were typically filthy stinking sites lived in by hundreds of human beings, significant numbers of whom are likely to have been employed at the mills. Most will have travelled into the communities from the country side to search for work, as mechanisation of agriculture resulted in joblessness for them there. The housing remained as a general rule bad and overcrowded with open drains in the roads resulting in sickness and even death. Those that had fallen on hard times had no welfare state to turn to and quickly became poverty-stricken. As a very last resort they could go to the poorhouses. Situations would have to be pretty hopeless to make them do this as the work schedule and segregation made living very hard, but at least sustenance was provided and there were physicians in-house.
Working class households often had high numbers of children and even though this meant they had additional mouths to feed, it also meant that those who lived were put to labour becoming extra money earners. Once at work conditions used to be very grim; the weaving sheds dominated towns and the proprietors could deal with their employees in what ever way they wished, as there was usually a continual queue of people willing to take on employment. Relations between employees and the works bosses were usually very poor. Owners regarded the labourers merely as hands to handle machines for their benefit; they thought the men and women should be completely under their rules in or out of the factories. There was a lot of a stigma against individuals who were ignorant and lower class.
On the job individuals could receive brutal punishments or indeed have their wages reduced for the most trivial of wrongdoings. Quite a few could not afford clocks plus they were not permitted to carry watches, which made punctuality tricky, but were made to suffer if they were tardy. They worked very prolonged hours, often in hot dusty conditions, this resulted in disability, often lung-related.
On the other hand the middle-classes of the period were able to count on decent homes with servants to aid run them. Due to the large surpluses they generated they would not have needed to be anxious about meals, clothing and heating. Their young children were well fed and looked after and would be accustomed to a far better standard of living than their working class equivalents.
Among the authors working during this period were Charles Dickens (1812-1870) and Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865). They both drew on true life for their inspiration and in their own lifetimes they were particularly famous if not controversial authors. Gaskell wrote Mary Barton in 1848 and North and South in 1855 whilst Dickens composed Hard Times in 1854. All the above observations may be found in the sections of these and other novels. Owing to their literature and the publications they were associated with, both Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell can be credited with helping to convey the lot of the poor to the focus of the individuals with influence, especially the authorities. This as a result went a long way in contributing to the social reforms of the times.
Mill communities were typically filthy stinking sites lived in by hundreds of human beings, significant numbers of whom are likely to have been employed at the mills. Most will have travelled into the communities from the country side to search for work, as mechanisation of agriculture resulted in joblessness for them there. The housing remained as a general rule bad and overcrowded with open drains in the roads resulting in sickness and even death. Those that had fallen on hard times had no welfare state to turn to and quickly became poverty-stricken. As a very last resort they could go to the poorhouses. Situations would have to be pretty hopeless to make them do this as the work schedule and segregation made living very hard, but at least sustenance was provided and there were physicians in-house.
Working class households often had high numbers of children and even though this meant they had additional mouths to feed, it also meant that those who lived were put to labour becoming extra money earners. Once at work conditions used to be very grim; the weaving sheds dominated towns and the proprietors could deal with their employees in what ever way they wished, as there was usually a continual queue of people willing to take on employment. Relations between employees and the works bosses were usually very poor. Owners regarded the labourers merely as hands to handle machines for their benefit; they thought the men and women should be completely under their rules in or out of the factories. There was a lot of a stigma against individuals who were ignorant and lower class.
On the job individuals could receive brutal punishments or indeed have their wages reduced for the most trivial of wrongdoings. Quite a few could not afford clocks plus they were not permitted to carry watches, which made punctuality tricky, but were made to suffer if they were tardy. They worked very prolonged hours, often in hot dusty conditions, this resulted in disability, often lung-related.
On the other hand the middle-classes of the period were able to count on decent homes with servants to aid run them. Due to the large surpluses they generated they would not have needed to be anxious about meals, clothing and heating. Their young children were well fed and looked after and would be accustomed to a far better standard of living than their working class equivalents.
Among the authors working during this period were Charles Dickens (1812-1870) and Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865). They both drew on true life for their inspiration and in their own lifetimes they were particularly famous if not controversial authors. Gaskell wrote Mary Barton in 1848 and North and South in 1855 whilst Dickens composed Hard Times in 1854. All the above observations may be found in the sections of these and other novels. Owing to their literature and the publications they were associated with, both Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell can be credited with helping to convey the lot of the poor to the focus of the individuals with influence, especially the authorities. This as a result went a long way in contributing to the social reforms of the times.
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