In 1833, the government conducted an inquiry into the working conditions for children employed employed in mills and factories throughout the country, which resulted in the 1833 Factory Act. The Foster family by then operated 2 mechanised factories at Horbury, and supplied answers to the questions put to them by the commissioners, which can be found below. For working-class people, this was the price of capitalist 'progress' that had broken the collective power of the cloth workers throughout the North of England by 1813.
Answers of Messrs Thomas and John Foster, Horbury.
QUERY 1.—What is the manufacture or description of work performed at this mill?
Worsted.
Q.2.—What is the date of its erection, or application to its present purpose?
Erected in 1792, applied to its present purpose in 1814.
Q.3.—Is the power employed steam or water, or both? If water power, state the name of the river or stream producing it.
By steam.
Q.4.—What is the power of the engine or wheel? Do you employ the whole power, or is part of it let off to other, and what purposes?
Fourteen horse engine. We employ the whole.
Q.5.—How many persons employed in your mill, (exclusive of those in the counting house and warehouse department) distinguishing them into the following classes?
Forty-four persons; viz.
Males
under 10 years of age: 3
10 and under 12 years: 4
12 and under 14: 4
14 and under 16: 3
16 and under 18: none
18 and under 21: none
21 and upwards: none
Females
under 10 years of age: 3
10 and under 12 years: 5
12 and under 14: 8
14 and under 16: 4
16 and under 18: none
18 and under 21: 3
21 and upwards: 3
Q.6.—What is the average of standing weekly wages of those who are paid by time, according to the following classes?
The standing weekly wages are: –
Males
under 10 years of age: 2s.6d.
10 and under 12 years: 3s.
12 and under 14: 3s. 6d.
14 and under 16: 4s. 6d.
16 and under 18: –
18 and under 21: –
21 and upwards: –
Females
under 10 years of age: 2s.6d.
10 and under 12 years: 3s.
12 and under 14: 3s. 6d.
14 and under 16: 4s. 6d.
16 and under 18: 5s.
18 and under 21: 5s. 6d.
21 and upwards: 6s.
Q.7.—What number and description of persons are paid by peace-work, and what is the average amount of their weekly earnings in a regular week’s work, according to the following classes?
Three females, eighteen and under twenty-one years of age, earning 7s. in a regular weeks work of seventy hours.
Q.8.—What number and description of persons are employed in your mill, whose wages are paid by the work people under whom they work?
None.
Q.9.—Is the pay of those who received standing weekly wages, same per hour for over-hours, as during the regular time? If not, state the difference.
Yes.
Q.10.—At what hour does your regular day’s work begin? and when does it terminate? If the regular hours are different at different times, distinguish the periods of alteration, and the reasons of them.
Begin at six o'clock, and terminate at seven.
Q.12.—Is the regular day’s work less on a Saturday, than on the other days of the week? If so, is the time made up in any manner on the other five days, and how?
Only ten hours on Saturday, and not made up.
Q.13.—What time is allowed for each meal, and at what hours are they usually taken? If any persons take their meals at a different time from the others, state the number, and why.
The engine does not stop, except from twelve to one o'clock. The men and children are allowed sufficient time for breakfast and drinkings. Breakfast hours at eight o'clock, drinking hours at four.
Q.15.—Explain your practice with regard to making up the time lost by reason of accidents to the machinery; or in water-mills by defect or excess of water, or injuries to the dam or watercourse. Is it allowed and paid for to the workpeople? is it lost to you and to them? is it made up by working extra hours? and if so, at what rate are the hands paid for that extra time?
If we are busy, we work half an hour later; if not, we deduct the lost time.
Q.16.—Is any time allowed to the hands during sickness, or absence from the mill arising from accidents? Explain your practice in this respect.
We do not give wages during sickness. In case of accident, we pay the doctor.
Q.17.—How many regular holidays and half-holidays have your work people in the year besides Sundays?
Two holidays and five half holidays.
Q.18.—Explain your practice with respect to allowing holidays. Are the workpeople paid for any part of their holiday time? Is that time made up at any other time? If so, in what manner?
They are not paid for any part of the holidays; sometimes they are made up by working half an hour later.
Q.19.—Explain your rules with respect to fining for absence or irregularity, or to enforce obedience. What interval is allowed to elapse beyond the proper time of attendance, before the fine is imposed?
We do not impose any fine; if they are not regular, we dismiss them.
Q.20.—Do you work more than one set of adult hands? If so, explain the succession and intervals of their labour.
No.
Q.21.—Have you ever employed more than one set of children to relieve each other during the labour of the same set of adult hands? State the objections to such a practice.
No.
Q.22.—Are corporal punishments sanctioned? If so, to what age are the children considered liable to it?
The corporal punishment is very slight. If they won’t attend to their work, we dismiss them.
Q.23.—Does the nature of your work require the employment of children under twelve years? State the processes in which the greatest number of young children are employed in your works?
No; the greatest number of children are piecers.
Q.24.—During how many days of the week has your machinery been at work for the purpose of your manufacture, during each quarter of the years 1830, 1831, 1832, beginning respectively 1st of January, 1st of April, 1st of July, and 1st of October? How many of these were Saturdays? N.B. This question has no reference to the hours of work, but the days only.
We have not taken particulars.
Q.25.—During how many hours has your machinery be so at work in each quarter of the years 1830, 1831, and 1832?
Cannot say.
Q.26.—Have any alterations taken place in this mill since 1st January 1830, (except in the answers to questions 5, 6, 7, 8,) other than you have mentioned in your answers?
None.
Q.27.—State any remarks you may be desirous of making on the subject of regulating the hours of factory labour by act of parliament.
Our children are very healthy: we, therefore, cannot see why they should not work twelve hours for the five days, and 10 for Saturday. If the time be decreased, we shall be compelled to lower their wages proportionally.
THOMAS & JOHN FOSTER.
Answers of Messrs. Josiah Foster, William Foster, and George Foster, Horbury.
QUERY 1.—What is the manufacture or description of work performed at this mill?
Woollen cloth, worsted, and lambs’-wool yarn.
Q.2.—What is the date of its erection, or application to its present purpose?
About 1791.
Q.3.—Is the power employed steam or water, or both? If water power, state the name of the river or stream producing it.
By steam only.
Q.4.—What is the power of the engine or wheel? Do you employ the whole power, or is part of it let off to other, and what purposes?
Power of the engine, twnety horse. Two horse power let to a manufacturer of lambs’-wool yarn.
Q.5.—How many persons employed in your mill, (exclusive of those in the counting house and warehouse department) distinguishing them into the following classes?
One hundred and ten persons, viz.
Males
under 10 years of age: 1
10 and under 12 years: 21
12 and under 14: 29
16 and under 18: 4
18 and under 21: none
21 and upwards: 27
Females
under 10 years of age: none
10 and under 12 years: 7
12 and under 14: 6
16 and under 18: 13
18 and under 21: 2
21 and upwards: none
Q.6.—What is the average of standing weekly wages of those who are paid by time, according to the following classes?
10 and under 12 years: about 2s. 9d.
12 and under 14: about 3s.
16 and under 18: about 5s. 6d.
18 and under 21: about 6s.
21 and upwards: about 26s.
Q.7.—What number and description of persons are paid by peace-work, and what is the average amount of their weekly earnings in a regular week’s work, according to the following classes?
Twenty-seven males, twenty-one years of age and upwards, earning 26s in a regular week’s work of eleven hours.
Q.8.—What number and description of persons are employed in your mill, whose wages are paid by the work people under whom they work?
None.
Q.9.—Is the pay of those who received standing weekly wages, same per hour for over-hours, as during the regular time? If not, state the difference.
The same per hour.
Q.10.—At what hour does your regular day’s work begin? and when does it terminate? If the regular hours are different at different times, distinguish the periods of alteration, and the reasons of them.
From six in the morning to seven in the evening; half an hour allowed for breakfast, one hour for dinner, and half an hour for drinkings.
Q.12.—Is the regular day’s work less on a Saturday, than on the other days of the week? If so, is the time made up in any manner on the other five days, and how?
The day's work is one hour and a half less, without any deductions from the wages stated.
Q.13.—What time is allowed for each meal, and at what hours are they usually taken? If any persons take their meals at a different time from the others, state the number, and why.
Half an hour at eight in the morning, one hour at noon, and half at hour of four.
Q.14.—Does the moving power stop during all or any of the meal-times? If not, mention the processes in which those engaged who take their meals whilst at work.
The moving power stops one hour at noon. The children do not work during the other meals, unless their victuals are not ready at the proper times.
Q.15.—Explain your practice with regard to making up the time lost by reason of accidents to the machinery; or in water-mills by defect or excess of water, or injuries to the dam or watercourse. Is it allowed and paid for to the workpeople? is it lost to you and to them? is it made up by working extra hours? and if so, at what rate are the hands paid for that extra time?
Lost time is deducted from their wages, if the time exceeds a quarter of that day; at some times, lost time is made up by working extra hours.
Q.16.—Is any time allowed to the hands during sickness, or absence from the mill arising from accidents? Explain your practice in this respect.
What we consider good characters, we pay their wages in sickness and accidents.
Q.17.—How many regular holidays and half-holidays have your work people in the year besides Sundays?
About eight days in the year, besides Sundays.
Q.18.—Explain your practice with respect to allowing holidays. Are the workpeople paid for any part of their holiday time? Is that time made up at any other time? If so, in what manner?
We pay no wages on holidays.
Q.19.—Explain your rules with respect to fining for absence or irregularity, or to enforce obedience. What interval is allowed to elapse beyond the proper time of attendance, before the fine is imposed?
If the children are much beyond the proper time of attendance, without any just cause, they are generally sent home for the half day.
Q.20.—Do you work more than one set of adult hands? If so, explain the succession and intervals of their labour.
We only work one set of hands.
Q.21.—Have you ever employed more than one set of children to relieve each other during the labour of the same set of adult hands? State the objections to such a practice.
We never employ more than one set of children to one set of adult hands. If such a practice was enforced, we could not obtain the required number of children, there not being a sufficient number in the neighbourhood.
Q.22.—Are corporal punishments sanctioned? If so, to what age are the children considered liable to it?
If the children cannot be governed without corporal punishment, they are dismissed from our service.
Q.23.—Does the nature of your work require the employment of children under twelve years? State the processes in which the greatest number of young children are employed in your works?
The nature of our work does require the employment of children from ten to fourteen years. The greatest number of children are employed in pieceners of cardings and worsted,—very easy employ.
Q.24.—During how many days of the week has your machinery been at work for the purpose of your manufacture, during each quarter of the years 1830, 1831, 1832, beginning respectively 1st of January, 1st of April, 1st of July, and 1st of October? How many of these were Saturdays? N.B. This question has no reference to the hours of work, but the days only.
We cannot correctly reply to this question. We never work longer hours and states in Question 10.
Q.25.—During how many hours has your machinery be so at work in each quarter of the years 1830, 1831, and 1832?
Answer in Question 24.
Q.26.—Have any alterations taken place in this mill since 1st January 1830, (except in the answers to questions 5, 6, 7, 8,) other than you have mentioned in your answers?
None.
Q.27.—State any remarks you may be desirous of making on the subject of regulating the hours of factory labour by act of parliament.
It has been the opinion of our family, and our father before us, that eleven hours per day was quite sufficient. We never at any time had any complaints from the work people, complaining of the length of time; viz. sixty-four hours and a half work per week
JOSIAH FOSTER.
WILLIAM FOSTER.
GEORGE FOSTER.
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