Agricultural gang
Encyclopedia
Agricultural gangs historically, groups of women, girls and boys organized by an independent gang-master, under whose supervision they executed agricultural
piece-work for farmers in certain parts of England. They were sometimes called "public gangs" to distinguish them from "private gangs", consisting of workers engaged by the farmer himself, and undertaking work solely for him, under his own supervision or under that of one of his men.
The system was long prevalent in the counties of Cambridgeshire
, Huntingdonshire
, Lincolnshire
, Nottinghamshire
, Norfolk
and Suffolk
, and in a much modified form in The Fens
, which lies within some of those counties. The practice dates from the latter years of the reign of George III, when the low-lying, marshy land
s surrounding the basin
of the wash were being rapidly drained and converted into rich alluvial district
s.
The unreformed condition of the Poor Law
, under which the support of the poor fell upon each individual parish
, instead of a union of parishes, made landlord
s reluctant to erect cottages on the reclaimed land
for the benefit of their tenant
s. Labour had to be obtained for the cultivation of these new lands. Women, girls and boys, being cheaper than men to employ, consequently made up the majority. The tendency to moral and physical ruin resulting from this nomadic life was so great that an inquiry into the condition of agricultural child labour was included in the reference to the commission
on child-labour appointed in 1862, and the results were so startling that the "Agricultural Gangs Act
" was passed in 1867, forbidding the employment of any child under eight years old, and of any female under a male gangmaster, unless a female licensed to act as gangmistress were also present.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
piece-work for farmers in certain parts of England. They were sometimes called "public gangs" to distinguish them from "private gangs", consisting of workers engaged by the farmer himself, and undertaking work solely for him, under his own supervision or under that of one of his men.
The system was long prevalent in the counties of Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, and in a much modified form in The Fens
The Fens
The Fens, also known as the , are a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region....
, which lies within some of those counties. The practice dates from the latter years of the reign of George III, when the low-lying, marshy land
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
s surrounding the basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the wash were being rapidly drained and converted into rich alluvial district
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
s.
The unreformed condition of the Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
, under which the support of the poor fell upon each individual parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, instead of a union of parishes, made landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
s reluctant to erect cottages on the reclaimed land
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
for the benefit of their tenant
Leasehold estate
A leasehold estate is an ownership of a temporary right to land or property in which a lessee or a tenant holds rights of real property by some form of title from a lessor or landlord....
s. Labour had to be obtained for the cultivation of these new lands. Women, girls and boys, being cheaper than men to employ, consequently made up the majority. The tendency to moral and physical ruin resulting from this nomadic life was so great that an inquiry into the condition of agricultural child labour was included in the reference to the commission
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
on child-labour appointed in 1862, and the results were so startling that the "Agricultural Gangs Act
Agricultural Gangs Act 1867
The Agricultural Gangs Act 1867 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom.It provided regulations for the employment of women and children in agricultural gangs, and for the licensing of gang-masters....
" was passed in 1867, forbidding the employment of any child under eight years old, and of any female under a male gangmaster, unless a female licensed to act as gangmistress were also present.