London in the early nineteenth century was home to some 1.5 million people and was still growing, the Industrial Revolution drawing people by the thousands to the city to find new sources of income. Most of these people were forced to live in horrible conditions in dense tenement housing. Sanitation was abysmal, and this lead to dangerous outbreaks of disease. People often just dumped garbage into the streets, and the source of water for most of the cities inhabitants was the Thames, which also happened to be where people dumped raw sewage. There were no laws regulating labor, so many workers suffered unreasonably long work days, and children even as young as three or four years old labored in often extremely unsafe conditions. The average life expectancy was between twenty-two to twenty-seven years. Even so, for the upper classes, London was full of opportunity and fun. To them, the under classes often went unseen, or were simply ignored. The common belief of the time was that the poor brought their plight upon themselves, not working nearly hard enough to draw themselves out of poverty.
The working conditions of the time were often extremely dangerous. Work days were often sixteen hours long, and six or seven days a week. Even so, wages were low that workers could barely support themselves or their families. Injured workers would receive no assistance, and if any were killed, their families were given nothing. Often, to keep the family afloat, the children were put to work. Some worked in very dangerous conditions in mills or factories, while others had to sell wares, and still others had to clean chimneys. Everyone worked hard to get money, but often it still was not enough. Some would turn to crime to get enough money just to avoid starvation.
The poor commonly lived in cramped tenements, where dozens of people had to live together in tiny rooms. Many slept on the floor, as very few had beds, and the families were lucky if they could find a coal-burning stove to cook and keep them warm. Candles were the only source of light. To get water, there were pumps that came straight from the Thames, but the water was so filthy that adults and children drank beer and gin. The slum districts often stank, from the public privies, the unwashed masses, and all of the garbage and animal droppings on the streets. Parasites like lice and fleas, along with rats and cockroaches infested the tenements, helping to spread disease to the already unhealthy people and ruining the already scarce food.
One option presented to the poor were the workhouses. These were institutions created by the Poor Law that where houses for those who could not work, like the sick, disabled, mentally ill, or even abandoned and orphaned children. They were meant to make life better for the poor who could not provide for themselves, but the New Poor Law of 1834 forced these people to work to earn their keep, despite their impairments, the logic of the authorities being that people coming to the workhouses should truly be out of any other options. The conditions were so horrible that people preferred to take their chances on the street than be forced into a workhouse.
Some people tried to help the poor through education. Schools called Ragged schools were set up to teach children from the slums. This education would help them in the future as they would become valuable workers and could get better jobs. These would eventually come to be the first public schools, but only after the government finally started making education mandatory just after Charles Dickens’ death.
Cheap boarding schools, called Yorkshire schools, were a place that some parents or guardians would send their unwanted charges. There, children were horribly mistreated. Beatings were common, and students were denied the proper medical care they needed. They were given little food, and the food they were given was often not fit to be eaten. Several boy would share beds, and disease spread easily. Many children suffered severely debilitating injuries, and some even died. There were court cases raised by shocked parents, but it was never enough to get the schools shut down.
The working conditions of the time were often extremely dangerous. Work days were often sixteen hours long, and six or seven days a week. Even so, wages were low that workers could barely support themselves or their families. Injured workers would receive no assistance, and if any were killed, their families were given nothing. Often, to keep the family afloat, the children were put to work. Some worked in very dangerous conditions in mills or factories, while others had to sell wares, and still others had to clean chimneys. Everyone worked hard to get money, but often it still was not enough. Some would turn to crime to get enough money just to avoid starvation.
The poor commonly lived in cramped tenements, where dozens of people had to live together in tiny rooms. Many slept on the floor, as very few had beds, and the families were lucky if they could find a coal-burning stove to cook and keep them warm. Candles were the only source of light. To get water, there were pumps that came straight from the Thames, but the water was so filthy that adults and children drank beer and gin. The slum districts often stank, from the public privies, the unwashed masses, and all of the garbage and animal droppings on the streets. Parasites like lice and fleas, along with rats and cockroaches infested the tenements, helping to spread disease to the already unhealthy people and ruining the already scarce food.
One option presented to the poor were the workhouses. These were institutions created by the Poor Law that where houses for those who could not work, like the sick, disabled, mentally ill, or even abandoned and orphaned children. They were meant to make life better for the poor who could not provide for themselves, but the New Poor Law of 1834 forced these people to work to earn their keep, despite their impairments, the logic of the authorities being that people coming to the workhouses should truly be out of any other options. The conditions were so horrible that people preferred to take their chances on the street than be forced into a workhouse.
Some people tried to help the poor through education. Schools called Ragged schools were set up to teach children from the slums. This education would help them in the future as they would become valuable workers and could get better jobs. These would eventually come to be the first public schools, but only after the government finally started making education mandatory just after Charles Dickens’ death.
Cheap boarding schools, called Yorkshire schools, were a place that some parents or guardians would send their unwanted charges. There, children were horribly mistreated. Beatings were common, and students were denied the proper medical care they needed. They were given little food, and the food they were given was often not fit to be eaten. Several boy would share beds, and disease spread easily. Many children suffered severely debilitating injuries, and some even died. There were court cases raised by shocked parents, but it was never enough to get the schools shut down.