Western History 160: What social change legislation impacted Britain in the post-Napoleonic Era?

There were a number of  social reforms in 19^th century Great Britain. These had a significant impact on the national landscape of the nation. Both coal mine and factory legislation placed important restrictions in the use of child labour and the abuse of working women.These included the Peel Act of 1812, the Cotton Mills Act of 1819 and the Factory Acts of 1833 (Shaftesbury Reforms) and 1844. Later Factory Acts were passed in 1867, 1878, 1891 and 1895. 

The Factory Act of 1833 is especially noteworthy as it prohibited the use of children below the age of nine from working in a factory, established a working week of 48 hours for those between 9 and 13 and limited to 12 hours per day for those between 13 and 18. All children below the age of 13 had to have schooling provided. Future acts improved even further on these all important reforms.

Anthony Ashley-Copper aka Lord Shaftesbury (a key social Philanthropist in the UK)

This represented a marked change from the horrendous conditions that existed in 1800.  That were magnified by the strict emphasis on production demand  that so defined the Industrial Revolution. Britain had transitioned into an urban society. In fact by 1851 almost half the population lived in towns or cities. Overcrowding was common and the living environment for the urban poor remained bleak for much of the 19^th century with the writings of Charles Dickens providing somewhat of a glimpse into the reality.

In time various poverty reforms were undertaken to help the sick, the old, orphans and the disabled. The Poor Law (1834) was the end product of the 1832 decision by the Government to improve conditions for the working poor. It  grouped parishes into unions with each union set up to fund a workshop to provide employment for the poor.  Financial relief was looked at for vulnerable groups but programs were not very effective. Initiatives in the 1880s went further in this regard.

Elizabeth Fry -Leading Prison reformer and champion of the rights of the mentally ill

John Howard - Howard was an 18th century Prison reformer whose ideas impacted the 19th century movement to better the rights of prisoners.

There was a definite improvement in education standards across the board and this was consistent with a movement to decriminalize worker representation and unions. The Master and Servant Act of 1867 and the Employers and Workmen Act of 1875 both speak to this initiative. The unions which evolved from the worker’s guild would over time become an important force in British politics.

Source: Urban Population Data