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What was it like to live in 18th Century Britain?
- There were two very different lifestyles in 18th-century England: that of the rich and that of the poor. With the Industrial Revolution, which started in the middle of the century, came new machinery that saved time and made some people very wealthy. The rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer.
- Many people were out of work because suddenly machines were doing their jobs.
- The population was growing wildly. Cities were dirty, noisy, and overcrowded. London had about 600,000 people around 1700 and almost a million residents in 1800.
- The rich, only a tiny minority of the population, lived luxuriously in lavish, elegant mansions and country houses, which they furnished with comfortable, upholstered furniture.
- Their calendars included dinner parties, opera, and the theater. Many had inherited their great fortunes and never knew what it was to have to work, cook meals, or empty their own chamber pots.
- Schools were not compulsory, but many upper-class boys attended school, and some girls from well-off families did, too. Girls were educated more in “accomplishments” like embroidery and music than in academic subjects.
- Some “charity schools” started to provide an education to lower-class children.
- Poor people ate rather plain and monotonous diets made up primarily of bread and potatoes; meat was an uncommon luxury.
- Poor craftsmen and laborers lived in just two or three rooms, and the poorest families lived in just one room with very simple and plain furniture.
- It was a difficult life for poor people: There was no government assistance for the unemployed, and many had trouble finding their next meal or a warm place to sleep.
- or every 1,000 children born in early-18th-century London, almost 500 died before they were 2, generally due to malnutrition, bad water, dirty food, and poor hygiene.
- Orphans roamed the streets; because they didn’t attend school, they had little chance of improving their situation.
Source: http://blogs.ancestry.com/cm/2014/07/10/what-was-it-like-to-live-in-18th-century-england/
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Convicts sentenced to transportation were sent to hulks, old or unseaworthy ships, generally ex-naval vessels, moored in rivers and harbours close enough to land for the inmates to be taken ashore to work. Although originally introduced as a temporary measure the hulks quickly became a cost-efficient, essential and integral part of the British prison system.
(Source: sydneylivingmusems.com.au) |
This is the middle of the 18th Century and London is the jail capital of Europe. The jails stink, but not as much as the English justice system. It is unpredictable, disorganised and the toughest it has ever been. There is not really a police force, levels of crime are high and there is a need for low cost punishments. Punishments range from standing in the pillory, to branding, whipping and burning. Death is the penalty for over 200 offences. Even children are being hanged. This is not a good time to be on trial…
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In the 18th century more than 200 offences were regarded as serious enough to be punishable by death. Serious offenders who were not hanged were transported to the colonies
During the 19th century, gaols' buildings and daily life changed dramatically to reflect the beliefs of the time. Prison regimes came to be based on the concepts of separation, silence, hard labour and moral guidance. |
Industrial Revolution
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What was the Industrial Revolution?
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a technological revolution occurred in Britain. This revolution changed the production of textiles and iron-making from manual labour to mechanical production.
Machines made production faster. More goods were produced for lower costs. Advances in steam-engine technology led to a number of industries adopting mechanisation. As the demand for goods increased, transportation became more effective.
Farmers moved to the cities to take advantage of higher paid work in new factories. Although general health care and food improved, there were many negative social impacts of the Industrial Revolution. Workers were poorly paid and forced to live in cramped slums, while factory owners made large profits and lived in luxury.
The Industrial Revolution brought benefits and drawbacks for Britain and the rest of the world.
Why did the Industrial Revolution occur in Britain?
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain for a number of different reasons. There are a large number of rivers across Britain. These sources of water provided energy to power water mills, a precursor to steam power. Britain's waterways also played an important role in the transportation of goods.
Britain has many natural resources such as iron and coal. The British were able to use their own reserves of iron and coal without the need to import them from other countries. This helped strengthen the British economy.
The political situation in Britain also made it possible for the Industrial Revolution to occur. Other countries in Europe were controlled by hierarchical monarchies. In Britain, there was more political freedom brought about by a civil war and revolution in the 17th century.
There was a middle class of entrepreneurs who were able to invest money in new technologies and engineering projects. The Industrial Revolution was encouraged by a number of scientists and businessmen. Due to Britain's more liberal social and political structure, it became possible for people to rise from poverty to riches during the Industrial Revolution.
Benefits of the Industrial Revolution
Before the Industrial Revolution, the British economy relied on manual labour. There were a large number of cottage industries. Textiles were made by hand. Cotton and wool were collected and woven or knitted by hand. This was a costly and lengthy process. One person could produce only one item at a time.
Similarly, iron-making relied on manual labour. Iron is produced from iron ore when other metallic impurities are removed. This occurs only at a very high temperature. Furnaces were heated manually with bellows. This limited the temperature at which metal could be heated. It was difficult for British iron-makers to produce pure iron.
When the Industrial Revolution occurred, machines were installed to eliminate the need for time-consuming manual labour. In textiles, mechanical looms and spindles were built. These machines could produce good quality textile goods in a fraction of the time taken by manual labour. Eventually a steam engine was introduced to work the bellows to heat up furnaces, allowing more pure iron to be produced.
Machines made production faster and cheaper. To meet with demand, transportation was improved. Roads were maintained by trustees. Tolls were charged to people using these roads to help pay for road maintenance.
Although Britain had a large number of rivers, canals were built. Canals allowed barges to be transported independently of the direction of the rivers. Horses walking on special paths alongside the canals pulled the barges down the canals.
Railways made transport fast and cheap. Trains were originally moved by horses. During the Industrial Revolution, the new, efficient steam engine was installed into trains around Britain. Railways were built all around Britain and became an essential mode of transportation.
The Industrial Revolution spread across Europe and the rest of the world. A number of study groups from foreign countries travelled to Britain to learn about the advances in technology and economics.
Drawbacks of the Industrial Revolution
As with all sudden changes in technology and society, there were several drawbacks to the Industrial Revolution.
British industrialists built factories for the mass production of goods. Workers were needed to operate machines and perform menial tasks. Working hours were long. Men, women and children were employed in factories. In 1802, legislation limited children to twelve-hour working days.
Farmers and peasants moved from the countryside to the cities in pursuit of high wages and new employment opportunities. A number of large industrial cities emerged very suddenly. Factories and cities created levels of pollution never before seen.
The sudden influx of workers placed a major strain on housing in these cities. Poorly-paid workers were forced to live in overcrowded slums. Conditions in working slums were poor. There were few hygiene facilities. There were large social gaps between poor factory workers, middle class professionals and wealthy upper class industrialists.
The Industrial Revolution changed the economy and society of Britain, and the world, forever. Printing presses increased publications and the level of literacy increased. Education for children became a government priority. Gender roles changed as men worked in factories and women raised children and maintained the home. General health care and living conditions improved. The life expectancy for men, women and children increased.
(Source: Skwirk.com.au)
In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a technological revolution occurred in Britain. This revolution changed the production of textiles and iron-making from manual labour to mechanical production.
Machines made production faster. More goods were produced for lower costs. Advances in steam-engine technology led to a number of industries adopting mechanisation. As the demand for goods increased, transportation became more effective.
Farmers moved to the cities to take advantage of higher paid work in new factories. Although general health care and food improved, there were many negative social impacts of the Industrial Revolution. Workers were poorly paid and forced to live in cramped slums, while factory owners made large profits and lived in luxury.
The Industrial Revolution brought benefits and drawbacks for Britain and the rest of the world.
Why did the Industrial Revolution occur in Britain?
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain for a number of different reasons. There are a large number of rivers across Britain. These sources of water provided energy to power water mills, a precursor to steam power. Britain's waterways also played an important role in the transportation of goods.
Britain has many natural resources such as iron and coal. The British were able to use their own reserves of iron and coal without the need to import them from other countries. This helped strengthen the British economy.
The political situation in Britain also made it possible for the Industrial Revolution to occur. Other countries in Europe were controlled by hierarchical monarchies. In Britain, there was more political freedom brought about by a civil war and revolution in the 17th century.
There was a middle class of entrepreneurs who were able to invest money in new technologies and engineering projects. The Industrial Revolution was encouraged by a number of scientists and businessmen. Due to Britain's more liberal social and political structure, it became possible for people to rise from poverty to riches during the Industrial Revolution.
Benefits of the Industrial Revolution
Before the Industrial Revolution, the British economy relied on manual labour. There were a large number of cottage industries. Textiles were made by hand. Cotton and wool were collected and woven or knitted by hand. This was a costly and lengthy process. One person could produce only one item at a time.
Similarly, iron-making relied on manual labour. Iron is produced from iron ore when other metallic impurities are removed. This occurs only at a very high temperature. Furnaces were heated manually with bellows. This limited the temperature at which metal could be heated. It was difficult for British iron-makers to produce pure iron.
When the Industrial Revolution occurred, machines were installed to eliminate the need for time-consuming manual labour. In textiles, mechanical looms and spindles were built. These machines could produce good quality textile goods in a fraction of the time taken by manual labour. Eventually a steam engine was introduced to work the bellows to heat up furnaces, allowing more pure iron to be produced.
Machines made production faster and cheaper. To meet with demand, transportation was improved. Roads were maintained by trustees. Tolls were charged to people using these roads to help pay for road maintenance.
Although Britain had a large number of rivers, canals were built. Canals allowed barges to be transported independently of the direction of the rivers. Horses walking on special paths alongside the canals pulled the barges down the canals.
Railways made transport fast and cheap. Trains were originally moved by horses. During the Industrial Revolution, the new, efficient steam engine was installed into trains around Britain. Railways were built all around Britain and became an essential mode of transportation.
The Industrial Revolution spread across Europe and the rest of the world. A number of study groups from foreign countries travelled to Britain to learn about the advances in technology and economics.
Drawbacks of the Industrial Revolution
As with all sudden changes in technology and society, there were several drawbacks to the Industrial Revolution.
British industrialists built factories for the mass production of goods. Workers were needed to operate machines and perform menial tasks. Working hours were long. Men, women and children were employed in factories. In 1802, legislation limited children to twelve-hour working days.
Farmers and peasants moved from the countryside to the cities in pursuit of high wages and new employment opportunities. A number of large industrial cities emerged very suddenly. Factories and cities created levels of pollution never before seen.
The sudden influx of workers placed a major strain on housing in these cities. Poorly-paid workers were forced to live in overcrowded slums. Conditions in working slums were poor. There were few hygiene facilities. There were large social gaps between poor factory workers, middle class professionals and wealthy upper class industrialists.
The Industrial Revolution changed the economy and society of Britain, and the world, forever. Printing presses increased publications and the level of literacy increased. Education for children became a government priority. Gender roles changed as men worked in factories and women raised children and maintained the home. General health care and living conditions improved. The life expectancy for men, women and children increased.
(Source: Skwirk.com.au)