Industry — textile factories and coal mines
Industry — textile factories and coal mines
Textile Factories (1760-1914)
- At the heart of the Industrial Revolution were textile factories, especially cotton mills.
- Textile manufacturing was revolutionised with machines like the Spinning Jenny and the Water Frame.
- The implementation of the Factory system replaced the earlier Domestic system, pooling labour in factories.
- Many factory workers were women and children; they were cheaper to employ and could operate smaller machines.
- Working conditions were often dangerous and hours long, leading to the enhancement of the Trade Union Movement for better working rights.
- Factories were initially powered by water; the transition to steam around 1800 led to factories being built away from rivers, and closer to coalfields and transportation routes.
Coal Mines (1760-1914)
- Coal mining was crucial to Britain’s industrialisation, providing fuel to power steam engines in factories, railways and ships.
- Technological inventions like the steam-engine powered pump helped to solve problems of water in mines, enabling deeper mining.
- Child labour was sadly common in mines due to small sizes of mining tunnels and low wages.
- Coal mining witnessed numerous accidents due to collapsing mines and contractual diseases, including black lung. Working conditions were brutal and life-expectancy low.
- Movements for mining reform led to investigations and the eventual passing of the Mines Act 1842, prohibiting all females and boys under ten from working underground.
- Coal became Britain’s leading export in the 19th century, fuelling the country’s economic expansion and wealth generation.
- However, the industry also led to environmental damage and displacement of communities, offering a complex legacy.