Mule scavenger
Encyclopedia
Scavengers were employed in 18th and 19th century cotton mill
s to clean and recoup the area underneath a spinning mule
. The cotton
wastage that gathered on the floor was seen as too valuable for the owners to leave and one of the simplest solutions was to employ young children to work under the machinery. Many children suffered serious injuries while under the mules, with fingers, hands, and sometimes heads crushed by the heavy moving parts. Legislation introduced in 1819 tried to reduce working hours and improve conditions but there were still deaths recorded well beyond the middle of the 19th century.
describes the work of a scavenger:
While there were no requirements for factory owners to keep any records about the majority of accidents on their premises there are many anecdotal cases of scavengers suffering serious and sometimes fatal injuries. Some lost fingers or a hand, others are said to have been decapitated. A record held at the Quarry Bank Mill
, now a museum, states:
Research by Jane Humphries
, a professor of economic history at the University of Oxford
, revealed that a mill near Cork had such a poor safety record that six people died and 60 others were mutilated over a four year period. Robert Blincoe
, a scavenger who went on to found his own cotton-spinning business, described the life of a child labourer in his book A Memoir of Robert Blincoe. He wrote about the mistreatment of workers at the cotton mills and the poor conditions that they had to endure. He claims that on one occasion he was nearly crushed by the machine and that, despite the injuries to his head, he was beaten for not completing the sweep in a single turn.
s in London and other towns and cities in the south of England. About half of the workers in Manchester and Stockport cotton factories surveyed in 1818 and 1819 had begun work at under ten years of age. Part of the Factory Act of 1802 was introduced to improve conditions for children, but it was not enough. In the 1819 Cotton Mills and Factories Act the law was updated to state that no children under the age of nine were to be employed and that children aged 9–16 years were limited to a maximum day of 16 hours.Early factory legislation. Parliament.uk
. Accessed 2 September 2011. The law was difficult to enforce, but by 1835 the share of the workforce under 18 years of age in cotton mills in England and Scotland had fallen to 43%. Children were still working in cotton mills throughout 19th century and, while numerous acts of Parliament were introduced to cut down the hours and improve conditions, those under the age of 14 were allowed to work in factories until the Education Act of 1918
made attending school compulsory.
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s to clean and recoup the area underneath a spinning mule
Spinning mule
The spinning mule was a machine used to spin cotton and other fibres in the mills of Lancashire and elsewhere from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth century. Mules were worked in pairs by a minder, with the help of two boys: the little piecer and the big or side piecer...
. The cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
wastage that gathered on the floor was seen as too valuable for the owners to leave and one of the simplest solutions was to employ young children to work under the machinery. Many children suffered serious injuries while under the mules, with fingers, hands, and sometimes heads crushed by the heavy moving parts. Legislation introduced in 1819 tried to reduce working hours and improve conditions but there were still deaths recorded well beyond the middle of the 19th century.
Job description
Scavengers were the lowliest of the apprentices at the cotton mills and had to endure the worst conditions. They were employed to work under the machinery to clean up the dust and oil and to gather the cotton that had been thrown off the mule by its intense vibrations. The tenters would not stop to allow the scavenger to work because they were paid by how much they could produce. As the mule moved forwards the children were sent under the machine, sweeping and gathering the cotton. They had to then time their retreat so as to not become entangled within the many moving parts. These children had started in the mills at around the age of four, working as scavengers until they were eight before progressing to the role of piecers. They worked 14 to 16 hours a day, beaten if they fell asleep, until they were 15.Danger
The job is noted as being one of the worst in history owing to the conditions the children had to work in. The danger of being beneath the machines meant that they had to constantly pay attention to its movements in order to avoid serious injury. An 1840 novel by Frances TrollopeFrances Trollope
Frances Milton Trollope was an English novelist and writer who published as Mrs. Trollope or Mrs. Frances Trollope...
describes the work of a scavenger:
While there were no requirements for factory owners to keep any records about the majority of accidents on their premises there are many anecdotal cases of scavengers suffering serious and sometimes fatal injuries. Some lost fingers or a hand, others are said to have been decapitated. A record held at the Quarry Bank Mill
Quarry Bank Mill
Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire, England, is one of the best preserved textile mills of the Industrial Revolution and is now a museum of the cotton industry. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.-Water mill:...
, now a museum, states:
Research by Jane Humphries
Jane Humphries
Jane Humphries is a Professor of Economic History and Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford. Her research interest has been in economic growth and development and the industrial revolution...
, a professor of economic history at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, revealed that a mill near Cork had such a poor safety record that six people died and 60 others were mutilated over a four year period. Robert Blincoe
Robert Blincoe
Robert Blincoe was an English author and former child labourer. He became famous during the 1830's for his popular autobiography, A Memoir of Robert Blincoe, an account of his childhood spent in a workhouse. However, there are some doubts about whether this detailed observation of Blincoe's early...
, a scavenger who went on to found his own cotton-spinning business, described the life of a child labourer in his book A Memoir of Robert Blincoe. He wrote about the mistreatment of workers at the cotton mills and the poor conditions that they had to endure. He claims that on one occasion he was nearly crushed by the machine and that, despite the injuries to his head, he was beaten for not completing the sweep in a single turn.
Legislation
The children were sent to the mills of Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire from the workhouseWorkhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
s in London and other towns and cities in the south of England. About half of the workers in Manchester and Stockport cotton factories surveyed in 1818 and 1819 had begun work at under ten years of age. Part of the Factory Act of 1802 was introduced to improve conditions for children, but it was not enough. In the 1819 Cotton Mills and Factories Act the law was updated to state that no children under the age of nine were to be employed and that children aged 9–16 years were limited to a maximum day of 16 hours.Early factory legislation. Parliament.uk
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
. Accessed 2 September 2011. The law was difficult to enforce, but by 1835 the share of the workforce under 18 years of age in cotton mills in England and Scotland had fallen to 43%. Children were still working in cotton mills throughout 19th century and, while numerous acts of Parliament were introduced to cut down the hours and improve conditions, those under the age of 14 were allowed to work in factories until the Education Act of 1918
Education Act 1918
Education Act 1918 , often known as the Fisher Act, is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was drawn up by Herbert Fisher. Note that the "Education Act 1918" applied to England and Wales, whereas a separate "Education Act 1918" applied for Scotland.This raised the school leaving age...
made attending school compulsory.