Figure 1.--Here a mother lowers her children down the mine. This was a contempory illustration, I think from the 18th century, but I am not sure who did it or precisely when.

Women and children, especially boys, were commonly employed in British mines throughout thr 18th and 19th centuries. Some miner earer loked to hire women and children because they werre willing to work for so little. There were no restructions on this or efforts to protect the children until the 1842 Mining Act. This act prohibited children under 10 from working under ground. The industry continued to employ children well into the 20th century. Tasks existed for even young children above ground and the law permitted children over 10 to be employed below ground. We do not yet have detailed information on when further legislation was passed protecting children, butvwe note boys being used in the mines during the early 20th century.

The 18th Century

The Industrial Revolution began in England during the 18th century. One of the key elements of the Industrial Revolution was the production of iron and steel as well as the increasing use of mechanical power. Coal was critical in both aspects. It was also used to heat the homes of the expanding urban population. Thus the demand for coal and the mining of coal expanded greatly during the 18th century. Women and children, especially boys, were commonly employed in British mines throughout thr 18th century. Some miner earer loked to hire women and children because they werre willing to work for so little. As far as we know, there were no restrictions on child labor during the 18th century. Not only were there no restrictions on the use of children in the mines, there were regulations about working conditions for the miners, including the children.

The 19th Century

Coal mining continue to expand in England. The expanding use of steam power was a major factor here. As far as we know, there was no restrictions on the use of child labor during the early 9th century. The first effort by the Government to limit child labor was the 1842 Mining Act. This act prohibited children under 10 from working under ground. The industry continued to employ children well into the 20th century. Tasks existed for even young children above ground and the law permitted children over 10 to be employed below ground.

The 20th Century

We do not yet have detailed informstion on when further legislstion was passed protecting children, but we note boys being used in the mines well into the 20th century.

The 1910s

There are many accounts of boys working in the mines during the 1910s. One example here is the casualty list of the Pretoria mine explosion (December 21, 1910 ). The list has boys aged between 13 and 17 years of age among the dead. At that time secondary education was not free. Many families could not aford the fees. There were scholarships to the grammar school which many sat. The stuff of novels like 'How Green was my Valley.' Many working class children attened elementary school until they were 13 prior to 1918. They could leave school early if they had a job to go to. A letter from the head teacher was all that was needed. After the 1918 Education Act the school leaving age was raised to 14. A local education authority had power to raise the age to 15 in their administrative area or town. Out of school work was not allowed for children up to 14. They could not do paid work during the hours of school. Nor could they work befor 6am and not after 8pm. no child younger than 12 could be employed. A continuation part-time school was supposed to be set up. Boys and girls aged 14 to 18 were allowed 8 hours of schooling a week. The rest of the time they were at their work. the curriculum was geared to industrial needs.

The 1920s

Not many continuation schemes were developed. Local authorities did not have the means during the depresion of the 1920s. The boy would have had to be at least 14 in 1924 to work in the mines. I think children could still be released early from school even then so maybe not younger than 13 years of age.

The 1930s

A good example here is Andrew Harle. Andrew was born in 1924 and went to work down in the the pit (mine) when he was 14 years old which would have been about 1938. It seems his job was to lead the pit ponies as they pulled tubs of coal to the mine head. One day the roof caved in and Andrew was trapped from the waist down. Two deputies were able to dig him out but his leg was badly injuried. They could not get the stretcher in the lift so they had to walk 3 miles to the end of the mine. A doctor was waiting for them. Andrew was taken to hospital. Unfortunately the surgeons could not save his leg. [Humphries, p. 12.]

Sources

Humphries, S. A Century of Childhood (J. Mack and R. Perks.). The book was tied to a British TV Documentary about childhood.

William Fergusson

Created:August 17, 2003
Last updated: August 19, 2003