About
Who Were The Victorians?
The Victorians were people who lived during Queen Victoria's reign, from 1837 to 1901. These were exciting times, as the Industrial Revolution was just starting, and there were many new discoveries and opportunities.
Victorian Children Working!
What happened to Victorian children when they were sent to work?
Poor Victorian children had to work, while the rich got to lounge about in their gowns. Many poor children had deadly jobs. The most famous of these is the chimney sweep, where children had to go into chimneys and clean out the soot. Many children got it wrong and soot fell on them, meaning they suffocated. A slow and painful death.
Other bad jobs were coal mine workers. These unlucky kids had to sit in a cramped hole for hours, and often got beaten if they fell asleep. The older ones had to push carts, which was equally as hard, as they were super heavy and brimmed with coal.
Farm workers were also common. They worked on farms to provide for their families. The little ones chased birds away, while the larger ones helped harvest crops, and many girls had to tend to the animals, or help with the housework.
So these were not desirable jobs, and I've only listed a few of these bad ones. Be thankful you are in school!
How things started to change for Victorian Children —
A key player in this was Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a charity that is known for helping children, and was founded in the Victorian times and is still going today.
Barnardo's started off by starting a couple of schools to give basic education to poor children who would otherwise be working. This helped children learn life skills, helping them in later life.
OH HEY, FOR BEST VIEWING, YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR PHONE