In Britain in 1837, when Victoria came to the throne, the majority of people lived in villages and worked on the land. By the end of her reign most people lived in towns and worked in offices, shops, and factories. The population of Britain more than doubled in the Victorian era, creating a huge demand for food, clothing, and housing. Even more factories and machines were built to meet this demand, and new towns developed.
Education
Most Victorian families were large and only the poorest families did not have servants. Children from rich families were taught at home by a governess. Boys were sent to boarding school around the age of 10. There were few schools for girls until the end of the Victorian era, so girls from wealthy families usually continued to be taught at home.
In early Victorian Britain most poor children did not attend school, so they grew up unable to read or write. Some went to free charity schools and Sunday schools, which were run by churches.
In 1844 Parliament passed a law stating that children working in factories must be given six half-days of schooling every week. In 1870 another law was passed that required all children between the ages of five and 12 to attend school. Many more schools were built as a result of this.
Teachers in Victorian schools were strict and they could punish children for not learning their lessons or for misbehaving. There could be as many as 70 or 80 students in each class. Lessons were usually reading and copying, or chanting a lesson until it had been memorized.
Paper was expensive so children wrote on slates. After a lesson was completed and the teacher had checked their work, students cleared their slates for the next lesson. Older children sometimes learned to write on paper using pens made out of thin wooden sticks dipped into ink. In many schools pupil-teachers aged 13 and above helped with the teaching. After five years they could become teachers themselves.
Children at Work
Most poor children were sent out to work, often for long hours and little pay. Small children were made to crawl underneath machinery or open and close the ventilation doors in coal mines. Many children had accidents or became ill or died because these jobs were so dangerous.
Until the 1840s children as young as five worked in underground mines for up to 12 hours a day. The Factory Act of 1878 banned employment of children under the age of 10. However, poor families often still sent children out to work because they needed the money.
After 1842 the employment of women and children in the mines was made illegal. After 1844 working hours were limited for children and women in factories.
