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We also have reports about the poor and the very poor agricultural labourers in this period. They speak of continuous hunger. The reports come primarily from a book “The Hungry Forties: Life under the Bread Tax” of 1904, which is a collection of about 60 memories by very old people (the oldest is 100), referring toSigue leyendo «15.3. Poverty in the Countryside»

There is no documentation of the very poor and their activities in London around 1800-1820, although there were a number of poor dress- and clothes-makers. It was to be expected that an increase in the population from 1820 would cause more poverty, due to the structural problems of the metropolis. Firstly, there was no heavySigue leyendo «15.2. «Dickens’ London»»

There is still another adjustment to be made to the calculation of average wage increases. Up to this point we have not been able to construct the picture of “cotton mills, children badly treated, and very low wages”, since this does not fit with the fact of the general increase in wages. Following we willSigue leyendo «15.1. The Underclass»

15.1. The Underclass https://history.pictures/2020/03/21/15-1-the-underclass/ 15.2. «Dickens’ London» https://history.pictures/2020/03/21/15-2-dickens-london/ 15.3. Poverty in the Countryside https://history.pictures/2020/03/23/15-3-poverty-in-the-countryside/ 15.4. Unemployment and Slumps https://history.pictures/2020/03/23/15-4-unemployment-and-slumps/ 15.5. Treatment of Children outside of the Textile Industries https://history.pictures/2020/03/23/15-5-treatment-of-children-outside-of-the-textile-industries/ 15.6. Reasons for Extreme Poverty https://history.pictures/2020/03/23/15-6-reasons-for-extreme-poverty/

Our first question was: “did the persons who changed from rural activities to manufacturing activities have an improvement or a disadvantage in their situation?” This could not be answered by inspecting time series of income for a set of activities (data for answering the second question), as the activities noted were not common to aSigue leyendo «14.15. New Occupations»

A painting of the inaugural journey of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, by A. B. Clayton (1831), “taken on the spot” by the painter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway#/media/File:Opening_Liverpool_and_Manchester_Railway.jpg The economic effects of the railways on the income of the working population were: personnel on the trains and in the stations; the labourers who excavated the cuttings, excavated theSigue leyendo «14.14. Railways»

(The Gorgon, A Weekly Political Publication, London, 1818; p. 171 and p. 220)

The wages of mechanics in Manchester were maintained steady from 1810 to 1860: fitters in the range from 26 to 30 shillings, iron moulders from 28 to 34 shillings, whitesmiths (brass) from 24 to 27 shillings, boilermakers (starting 1839) from 25 to 30 shillings (Bowley, 1900, sheet facing page 123)

The region of the “Potteries” in North Staffordshire was – and is – composed of the “Six Towns” of Burslem, Hanley, Fenton, Longton, Stoke-upon-Trent, and Tunstall. This industry had a great importance during the second half of the eighteenth century, and the whole of the nineteenth century. The production volume increased from practically zero (salesSigue leyendo «14.11. The Pottery Industry in Staffordshire»

Lacemaking was an important part of the economy of the county of Northampton, basically employing women and children. Northampton lace (“pillow lace”) had a simple design, which allowed it to be copied in Nottingham machines, which explains the migration to Nottingham during the nineteenth century. In 1800, in the whole country, there were about 150,000Sigue leyendo «14.10. Lace Manufacture»