Mines and Collieries Act 1842
Territorial extent | 9 United Kingdom |
---|---|
Dates | |
Royal assent | June 1843 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
The Mines and Collieries Act 1842 (
At the beginning of the 19th century methods of coal extraction were primitive and the workforce, men, women and children, laboured in dangerous conditions. In 1841 about 216,000 people were employed in the mines. Women and children worked underground for 11 or 12 hours a day for lower wages than men.
In 1840 Lord Ashley headed the royal commission of inquiry, which investigated the conditions of workers (especially children) in the coal mines. Commissioners visited collieries and mining communities gathering information sometimes against the mine owners' wishes. The report, illustrated by engraved illustrations and the personal accounts of mineworkers was published in May 1842. Victorian society was shocked to discover that children as young as five or six worked as trappers, opening and shutting ventilation doors down the mine, before becoming
Lord Londonderry, a coal-mine owner, opposed the bill in the House of Lords and pushed through amendments that watered it down. The bill passed the House of Lords at its third reading on 1 August 1842.[4]
Results of the act
- No females could be employed underground.
- No child under 10 years old was to be employed underground.
- Parish apprentices between the ages of 10 and 18 could continue to work in the mines[5]
Citations
- ^ a b c d "The Mines Act, 1842". University of Paris. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
- ^ "Huskar Colliery Disaster" (PDF). cmhrc.co.uk. p. 68. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ Davies 2006, p. 17
- ^ Hansard 1842, House of Lords, Session of the 1st August 1842, Mines and Collieries: "The Marquess of Londonderry opposed the third reading."
- ^ "The 1842 Mines Act".
Sources
- House of Lords, 1842. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
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ignored (help) - Davies, Alan (2006). The Pit Brow Women of the Wigan Coalfield. Tempus. ISBN 0-7524-3912-X.