The Victorian era in particular became notorious for the conditions under which children were employed. Children as young as four were employed in production factories and mines working long hours in dangerous, often fatal, working conditions. In coal mines, children would crawl through tunnels too narrow and low for adults. Children also worked as errand boys, crossing sweepers, shoe blacks, or selling matches, flowers and other cheap goods. Some children undertook work as apprentices to respectable trades, such as building or as domestic servants (there were over 120,000 domestic servants in London in the mid-18th century). Working hours were long: builders worked 64 hours a week in summer and 52 in winter, while domestic servants worked 80 hour weeks. COUNT 5
QSN1 On average how many weekly hours did a domestic servant put in? ANS1 80 QSN2 Mid-18th century London had how many domestic servants? ANS2 over 120,000 QSN3 What was the youngest age of a child working in a factory? ANS3 four QSN4 How many hours did builders work in the winter? ANS4 52 QSN5 Were children able to take on apprenticeships? ANS5 Some children undertook work as apprentices to respectable trades