CHILDREN LIFE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA
Laura López Real Marlene Vera Rocío Sánchez Salido Cristina Pérez Mora
Children from wealthier families Children from richer homes were well fed, wore warm clothes and had shoes on their feet. Children from wealthy families would be taught in the home, rather than attending a Victorian school. Nannies would often start the learning process, but when the child reached six, a governess would be added to the household staff. At the age of ten, sons were sent away to public boarding schools. Daughters would continue their learning at home.
Poor children Poor children lived a very different life than the children of wealthier families. They didn’t have the nice houses to live in or the extravagant toys, clothes or fine foods that the rich kids had. They lived in much smaller houses or even single rooms. Poor children looked thin and hungry, wore ragged clothes, and some had no shoes. They were lucky if they went to school. Poor familes got no money, and most people thought working was good for children(they were cheaper to hire), so they had to work. They often did jobs that required small size and nimble. They started to work at the age of 5 in factories, on farms, in mines, in houses as servants, on city streets as messengers, chimney-sweeps, crossing sweepers, etc. They had to work in terrible hygienic and labour conditions. Their working day was too long. Children working in coal mines started at 5 am and they finished late at night. Street children in Victorian times were found in abundance living in alleys or side streets. Many of these children fell prey to prostitution and thieving to support themselves. Others became street sellers or actually worked public jobs like other children.
What clothes did Victorian children wear? Girls wore dresses for below the knee. Girls were 17 had to wear skirts were arriving at the foot. Girls of the upper class wore corset to have a slim figure. Children very small of both sexes wore dresses. Boys even before graduation, they wore a skirt with a robe or blouse. After being graduated, bloomers or clipped by knee with a short jacket without shirt. Later of the 10 years, boys wore trousers. Poorer children often wore patched and mended clothes that had been bought second-hand or passed down through the family. Boots and shoes were the most expensive items and some children were forced to go barefoot, even in winter.
Diseases Many Londoners died from illnesses such as cholera, measles and scarlet fever. Babies in over-crowded and damp housing were the most at risk from diarrhoea and tuberculosis. Even those in rich families died because of poor medical knowledge. In textile mills children were made to clean machines while the machines were kept running, and there were many accidents. Many children lost fingers in the machinery and some were killed, crushed by the huge machines. In match factories children were employed to dip matches into a dangerous chemical called phosphorous. The phosphorous could cause their teeth to rot and some died from the effect of breathing it into their lungs.
Punishment The Victorian teacher would use a cane to punish naughty children. The cane was given on the hand or the bottom, or sometimes given across the back of the legs. In public schools even prefects would carry and use a cane. All sorts of things might be punished: being rude, answering back, speaking out of turn, poor work, in fact anything that displeased the teacher.
Children who had been caned usually kept quiet about it because if their parents found out they would probably be punished again. In Scotland a leather strap called a tawse was used in place of the cane. Other punishments were given including lines and detentions, and some, if not all, the deeds were written in a punishment book or log. Children who were slow at their lessons, or dumb, were made to wear a dunce's hat, a pointed hat with the letter D on it. They would then stand in a corner for an hour or more. Sometimes they stood on a small stool, the dunce's stool. At that time there was no understanding that some children had learning difficulties or learned more slowly, and teachers thought that these children were simply naughty or rebellious. Even left handed children were punished and made to use their right hand.
The Victorian teachers Teachers were often strict and by modern standards very scary. http://www.victorianschool.co.uk/schoolday.html Teaching was often the job of unmarried ladies (that's why you call the teacher Miss), and when you married you stopped teaching. Fewer men taught because pay was poor. Most teachers were not qualified by having a college education, they learnt "on the job" in a sort of apprenticeship.
ď † You can find there some interesting things about the schools. You must read: http://logicmgmt.com/1876/schoolday.htm ď † Here you are a video about Victorian School: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yVSVFhMg0c
Sources: - http://www.aboutbritain.com/articles/victorian-schools.asp - http://www.victorianchildren.org/victorian-children-in-victorian-times/ - http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pockethistories/what-was-life-children-victorian-london/what-clothes-didvictorian-children-wear/ - http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/explore-online/pockethistories/what-was-life-children-victorian-london/how-healthy-werevictorian-children/ - http://www.victorianschool.co.uk/schoolday.html