Could You Survive as a Victorian Factory Worker?

'Could You Survive as a Victorian Factory Worker?'
As new technologies emerged throughout the 19th century, and the use of water and steam power became commonplace, millions of rural workers, including thousands of children, descended on the growing industrial towns to work in mills and factories. Northern cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield became industrial powerhouses, exporting textiles such as cotton, wool, silk and linen worldwide to Britain's expanding empire. As well as producing textiles, these establishments would generate enormous profits for a new class of industrialists and entrepreneurs.
But what was ordinary life like for a Victorian factory worker? What were the conditions and safety standards like in a mill in Victorian England? And how did their lives compare to ours today?
In episode one of this two-part series, History Hit presenters Luke Tomes and Louee Dessent delve deep into the historic spirit of the 1800s industrial revolution, filling the shoes of a wealthy Victorian industrialist and a poor Victorian labourer respectively at National Trust's Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire, built in 1784 by the renowned entrepreneur Samuel Greg.
Together, using contemporary accounts and testimony, they'll explore how your experience of the industrial revolution could be very different, depending on what you did for a living... and your place in society.
So the question is, could you survive as a Victorian factory worker? Watch the video to find out!
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#historyhit #victorianera #victorianhistory
00:00 Introduction
01:51 Quarry Bank Mill
04:12 Mill Workers
06:28 Water Wheel
07:42 Cotton Mill Block
09:33 Spinning Mule
15:04 Child Indenture Contract (1785)
17:31 Working Conditions
19:47 Factory Discipline
23:18 Workers' Toilet
23:57 'Factory Time'
25:54 Accidents and Injuries
30:21 Workers' Rights
32:05 The Atlantic Slave Trade
34:26 Next Time...

[@HistoryHit]

Part Two has just been uploaded guys! We explore the living conditions of poor industrial workers and rich industrialists 🏭 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6GZnaeIaZ6th7c

[@mgb5170]

Awesome! Will go check it out! Also - Guys AND Gals -- as the world continues to roll back women's rights, let's not call everyone guys. Time to address this.

[@stefsomful]

@@mgb5170 that ain't necessarily so - from my dictionary: used in plural to refer to the members of a group regardless of sex. Them there's Guys as in what they burn on the bonfires on Guy Fawkes night.....

[@F4Insight-uq6nt]

*Hydro Electric Power*

[@Jakobvielsted]

Kudos to you from Denmark 👌🏾 This was really a good watch and learning 😉

[@davidthomas5836]

​@@mgb5170😊h and ofpo ppgu

[@TheNavyShark]

When people romantize the Victorian Era and wish they could have lived during that period always assume they would be part of the aristocracy class when in reality this would be their life.

[@Thepeanutcollector]

Blue jay made a great video on people who think like this actually ending up in Victorian London you should watch

[@FigaroHey]

Yes, it's amazing how when you point out to such people that if they were whatever class, education or earning level they are in the 21st century, they would be working 14 hours a day and living in poverty, they still somehow can't quite accept that they would be cold, dirty, stinking, underfed and with no hope of ever getting out of their situation. Somehow they imagine that higher education and desk jobs were open to everyone in the past, or that people could just somehow become a success and move into a higher class with a bit of hustle.

[@bunk95]

That sucks. I have to be tortured to make what Im doing seem dumb.

[@yiman7370]

For the UK citizens maybe yeah

[@Ronnie590]

Depends if they know there family history well could have gone down the military route

[@stc3145]

This makes me appreciate all the labour protection laws we have today

[@Alex-cw3rz]

All because of the labour unions the people in factories like these joined

[@harpo345]

Enjoy them while you can.

[@rachelkristine4669]

Not here in the USA. More & more red states are stripping protections for kids in the work force. They are starting to fix it so kids as young as 14 get to work in slaughter houses & other factories. ARKANSAS & IOWA are 2 of those states! Kids are gonna die. And they don't care. And yes, it's REPUGS that are insisting on this. 🤬

[@Jorge_Ambruster]

Wait until AI makes you unnecessary...

[@thecarpetman7687]

That Brexit is trying to dismantle

[@Falney]

My great grandmother was a mill worker in Yorkshire and she said. "Death was improper in the mill as the cotton would need to be cleaned or discarded"

[@bigbarry8343]

thats why it bothers me that now british people are accused of stealing trilions in wealth from colonies and expected to apologise and pay reparations. they worked very hard to create their wealth.

[@ERG173]

And the cost of cleaning would come out of child's pay I suspect!

[@ERG173]

@@bigbarry8343 ..... its always the few that make the money.

[@bigbarry8343]

@@ERG173 yes, and now their descendants are drawing on public funds, benefitting from "climate reparation" and various ESG iniiatives and other wealth transfers to former colonies.

[@Sarah-ji2xb]

That suggests that there were probably frequent deaths. The video hasn’t unfolded the whole truth.

[@TommyGunnSmith]

As someone who works in one of the few textile based factories left in the US, it’s absolutely astonishing to see the machinery and layout of the factory floors. Now, we work with wool as opposed to cotton, but the carding machines look identical to what we work with. It’s a nice touch to talk about the humidity level being essential to the fabric performing as needed. I can tell you, even with all the regulations and workers rights that are in place now, it’s a tough job. Enormous respect to the folks who worked there and did the job. They walked so we could run.

[@FrankRimes]

Boott Cotton Mills Museum in Lowell Massachusetts is quite amazing at telling the stories of the industry as well. It's quite similar to what we see in this video. Although since it ceased operations in 1958, they also provide a lot of voices and videos from a more 'modern' perspective. A great museum in my opinion.

[@twistedyogert]

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[@TommyGunnSmith]

Truth be told, often times we can’t afford to be bored lol. The job I do in particular involves super heated steam and electrically heated metal blocks that are hovering around 340 degrees Fahrenheit. Plenty of interesting ways to hurt yourself if you’re not paying attention. The machines are also completely analog in terms of the set up for different styles of product. Much like the folks portrayed here… slide rules and wooden rulers are the order of the day for measurements and a series of cranks are used to adjust the machines for width and depth.

[@davidtanner665]

I have had 15 years in a knitting mill in Utica NY, started as a doffer. The spools, bobbins, and mills were very similar to the older equipment still in use when I worked there.

[@aveqenthusiast]

All I did was operating an elastic sealing machine for covid masks. Plus putting bandage rolls in a bag. But I was one of the fastest! Its not about resisting its about eliminating competition and making the owners profit. It was so satisfying understanding why working is psychologically harsh in latin america, because of real demanding work like this, not because of a cultural reason. But its very disciplinatory. Plus I think the new york skyscraper builders were much more brave, heights are prone to harm since we were smaller primates, come on youre all being too dramatic.

[@MicBain81]

This is exactly why it's so important for workers to unionise and stick up for themselves. Business owners would have no problem continuing to treat workers like this today, if they could get away with it.

[@MicBain81]

@Marcus it's different today only *because* workers learnt to stick up for themselves and unionise. Big companies see workers as nothing more than a disposable resource, same as they did then. The only difference is that workers these days have more bargaining power, because of their many hard won victories over the last 150+ years. The companies would absolutely love to get things back to the days where they could completely exploit workers (and their children) because they only care about profit and pleasing their shareholders. Unions aren't perfect these days but the main reason they have a bad reputation is because big companies are willing to literally spend billions of dollars on tricking people like you into thinking they're a bad idea using all sorts of dirty tactics.

[@MicBain81]

@Marcus ugh sorry I'm not reading all that... capitalism revolves around those with capital exploiting those without - (and they'll do it as much or as little as they can get away with) nothing has fundamentally changed. If you disagree, it's pointless for us to discuss it further.

[@neoc03]

​@J.P. Menger They got you trained to really like that boot.

[@MicBain81]

@@neoc03 With a name like "J.P" he probably IS the boot 😆

[@nicholasbrooks7349]

Nope

[@benjones3748]

HistoryHit, making a solid advert for Trade Unions here...

[@daringdare5078]

Victorian Industrial life is actually big improvement when compared with Georgian agricultural life so why should anyone want to stop the business practices in the video?

[@kevintemple245]

All unions do is reduce competition and drive up prices, effectively eliminating entrepreneurs and innovation in those fields, and putting those services out of reach of the lower class.

[@Rubix1982]

@@kevintemple245 Rubbish, they protect to workers from exploitation!!!

[@benjones3748]

@@daringdare5078 of course, how silly of me. I forgot to consider that working 14 hours a day from cradle to grave and losing ones arm to a loom is far more luxurious than working 14 hours a day from cradle to grave and losing ones arm to a thresher. Whilst being paid fuck all. And whilst the factory owner gets stinking rich.

[@benjones3748]

@@kevintemple245 by "reduce competition" and "drive up prices" do you mean "prevent exploitation of the labour force"? And by "eliminating entrepreneurs" do you mean "limit the profits extracted from underpaying them for their labour." Because I'm almost certain Elon Musk didnt actually design andd build every part of every tesla now did he? Without workers there is nothing, and unions keep the capitalist from exploiting them.

[@mitchamcommonfair9543]

The conditions in the coal mines of England were even worse for children. Some as young as 3 years old, according to the Yorkshire section of the 1842 Commission

[@susanfaulkner2304]

Oh dear word! Poor little ones!😢

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

Sorta undermines the historical illiteracy that peddles 'white privilege'!

[@julierobinson3633]

The under tens were usually the little boys who sat in the dark and minded the 'trap' doors to let the ponies and carts through. These doors were essential to control airflow in the mines so they would usually be kept closed, then when the boy heard the pony approaching he would open the wooden door, then close it again after they'd passed by. Candles cost money so these little children sat there in the dark...

[@CapitalTeeth]

We can all agree that although the victorian london aesthetic is nice, actually living in that period fucking sucks.

[@Faceplay2]

Well, you also have to look at it like this this was unskilled labor. So it’s sort of the same as today. Obviously way worse but I mean anyone that had some sort of Skillset wouldn’t be stuck doing a crappy job like that. For instance, take people who work at call centers nowadays it’s one of the worst jobs anyone could have. Or you could do what I did join the local police force get some field experience and test for your own private investigator license and nearly make $100 an hour when you’re not even 30 yet. Of course, back in those days there wasn’t near as many opportunities, but there were plenty of different job phillips to go into besides working at the mill.

[@scouttyra]

A good quote coming from the historical costuming community "Historical fashion, not historical values."

[@scouttyra]

​@@Faceplay2there's always going to be a need for people to do "crappy" jobs, so instead of demeaning them for not getting out of a job that they might not be able to get out of (for various reasons), why not make sure that everyone (yes, even them. Yes, even those other people.) can live a life that is, if not comfortable, at least financially stable and worthy. Also, a lot of what is called "unskilled labour" is far from that, just because it doesn't require any sort of official education doesn't mean it can't be hard to learn.

[@opinionater9388]

For every point in human history life sucks for some people. Depends a lot on how lucky you are.

[@lucylane7397]

This was the north of England not London

[@BVargas78]

People look back at eras like this through rose tinted glasses a bit too much. Life was tough for 90 percent of people, in many cases worse than tough.

[@KyleEvra]

I say people like the simplicity of it. Not the hard work.

[@saeedurrahman2056]

Have you also considered the poor country who also live tougher then tough

[@mchlle94]

It's similar now

[@MichaelSmith-qc7nk]

90%? Slavery was not *(tough).

[@BVargas78]

@@MichaelSmith-qc7nk 10 percent of the people lived well they were part of the aristocracy or the emerging bourgeois middle class of the time. The other 90 percent did not enjoy such lifestyles, and lived in various degrees of poverty. And i'm speaking of the population of Victorian Britain here, not other countries and parts of the world where things could be better or worse, often even worse.

[@jamesnoonan7450]

I visited the mill on school trips multiple times as a child, I've never forgotten the experience days I had there even as a 26 year old man who has kids himself now. As a child, I remember the depressing and unpleasant feelings those machine halls had. Now, being a father myself, I can't imagine the desperation parents of the time must have had to force their children into work. Makes me feel very lucky to live in the 21st century, and I have great respect for all of our ancestors who worked in the Mills.

[@johndoe-wv3nu]

My grandfather had 6 kids. He started working in the mills as a child. My Mom started working in mills at 16. I lasted maybe 4 hours. Nope, not me! I imagine that cycle had been going on in America since prior to 1824.

[@AverageAlien]

Nah, they were obviously better than any other alternative, otherwise people wouldn't flee the countryside to work there

[@mehere8038]

very lucky to live in the UK in the 21st century you mean? Cause you know that where your clothes are produced today, conditions are still as described in this video right?

[@jamesnoonan7450]

@Me Here listen Karen I'm well aware of the horrific conditions many people still live in today. My comment was regarding the mill and the disparity in working conditions from then till now.

[@mehere8038]

@@jamesnoonan7450 There is no difference in cotton making conditions today vs then! They're identical!

[@DeKat-84]

Not with the length of the working day, but with the retirement age going up and up it seems like "You'll work til you drop" is kinda coming back. 🤣😂

[@horatiohuffnagel7978]

That and the prices of everything, not to mention hardly any jobs offer pensions anymore. I'll be working till I'm like 80. No shame in it but it seems like we are going backwards. Corrupt unions, politicians and the whole system ensures the hardworking lower class person stays lower class. In Canada you can only make so much then the government takes the rest in income tax, unless you're about to bust way above making like 200k a year.

[@sotch2271]

​@@horatiohuffnagel7978 yoi either stay poor., or become extremely rich and richer everyday

[@mchlle94]

Actually, some stats are showing our spare time is getting sparser and sparser again too, because of expected overtime or having to be available for work communication

[@mchlle94]

​@@sotch2271yep. And group B is a hell of a lot smaller than group A 😅

[@hannahdyson7129]

​@@horatiohuffnagel7978Without the Unions they will bring this back with no hesitation You think the goverment exploits you now ? Oh boy .

[@kristenrock7783]

I never met my great-grandmother, (my mom's grandma). I was told that in the Victorian era she worked in a hat factory, cutting strings off the hat's that were already finished, to be sent to the shops, or she would cut the ribbon to put onto the hats. She was only 5. She was so tiny that she had to stand on top of an apple box. Though we are still going through a lot of tough things today, we have to remember that we have come a long way from the times of my great grandmother, and what these people went through. sometimes we forget on how lucky we are in many ways today.

[@jtt8237]

The people that literally fought and died for us to not live like that wouldn’t want to use this as an excuse. Half the comments are going on about how unions are “needed to a point” as though wages and quality of life haven’t plummeted without unions while inequality and poverty have grown.

[@BethWillRise]

North and South (the BBC adaption) is a wonderful drama that doesn't shy away from depicting the difficulties Mill workers suffered during this time and their fight to change it. It's a fantastic series.

[@Song-Girl-Still-Singing]

I love that series! Very well done.

[@mirnacudiczgela1963]

It is based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. Amazing.

[@tashaimpressions]

I enjoyed North and South. Seems like ages since it was on TV. One of my ancestors going back several generations owned a water mill but not in the North. I like to think he was a kind and fair owner.

[@patrickbarrett5650]

No-one ever believes this but my first job after leaving school in 1966 was as a framework knitter. Hand operated iron machinery mounted on a 17th century oak support stand with foot levers to drag the yarn one way or the other across the needles. Broken needles had to be cast ‘in-situ’ by pouring molten lead into a mould before replacing them. Mohair reels would be soaked overnight before use, causing a spray as the thread ran off. A guide at the Wollaton Hall Industrial Museum was explaining that the ‘knowledge of how to operate these was lost unfortunately.’ When I tried to politely enlighten her she sneered and turned her back on me.🤷🏻‍♂️

[@lutzderlurch7877]

are those the frames for knitting stockings, that were invented in the 1500s?

[@tomkruze1304]

Stop lying

[@edwardmartin243]

He's not lying. My dad worked in Ideal Mills and described a similar process.

[@MiguelRomero-zd3nb]

I wonder how is it possible that a YT channel can produce better documentaries than the mainstream media. Thank goodness that History Hit exisist.

[@globaladdict]

This is not some small production outfit. These guys have money and connections considering the access they get to historical sites. Plus, these guys have a monthly subscription service outside of youtube. I think this stuff might've actually been on TV. What I'm trying to say is, your conception of what the mainstream media is is fucked. Don't be a conservitard. Use your brain, do some research. And if you like these guys, get a subscription. Unless you expect journalists and historians to work for free like some kind of asshole.

[@MiguelRomero-zd3nb]

@@globaladdict for Christ's sakes stop being the typical neurotical and pedantic Democratic leaning American that has a nervous breakdown when people have opinions of their own.

[@user-rz3qb8qu2f]

It looks just like Viasat History chanel .. there was some victorian jobs show. I find it so similar cuz the thematic, the lenguange and the fine quality of the production

[@Song-Girl-Still-Singing]

I love the Victorian episodes. Luke and Louee do such a good job of making history fascinating and enjoyable.

[@Lobos222]

Then you should love the Republican party in places like Oklahoma USA. They are bringing back child labor! YAY!

[@WPUpioneer]

I love how the thumbnail says "you'll work til you drop" I do that every day at my current job.

[@viktorianas]

I would argue that rudimentary hunter/gatherer life was leaps and bounds better than so called "civilization" in its early days... I simply cannot comprehend what was the purpose of life for these workers...

[@mchlle94]

I still think gatherers (for the most part) had it better than even now 😅

[@diggernash1]

Unless you have engaged in subsistence life in Northern latitudes, with other humans competing with you, measure your romantic notions of the idea. I've plowed a subsistence sized garden with a mule for a few seasons; it is hard work with no guarantee of success. 10 or 12 hours a day with guaranteed pay would be alluring.

[@putinsgaytwin4272]

​@diggernash1 I saw somewhere that hunter gathers only worked 140 days of the year. I don't know how true it is. But surely some lucious lands were easier to live on than a farmland

[@renegadeace1735]

then why did hunter/gatherers build cities and live there instead?

[@diggernash1]

@@putinsgaytwin4272 South Pacific islanders can live a subsistence lifestyle by working around 2 hours per day. I think that area is estimated to require the least time.

[@Mr19thcenturyman]

About 20 years ago I worked in a mattress factory from the 1920s or so using open drive belt driven cotton batting machines. The air full of dust as the sunlight steamed in. I am currently a manager in a sweatshop style clothing store. No chairs or stools for workers. Clothing packed in with almost no room for the workers or customers. No windows. 6 days a week. Denver Colorado USA.

[@SimonBauer7]

that should not be legal even for the us.

[@cocochocookiedough]

💔💔💔

[@estellec5340]

😮😢

[@trubass23]

You have picked a rather tame mill to use as an example. If you visit, you will find that Quarry Bank was one of the better mills to work at, which is almost unbelievable. Still a great example of a preserved mill, and bringing attention to the toil of our ancestors is very valuable.

[@rebeccadean333]

I had ancestors on both sides of my family that worked in cotton mills, I don't know how they coped! thanks for sharing.

[@bunk95]

He didnt know exactly what portions of their body the metals/other filler was being used to replace.

[@PaulWillis-yg3vr]

Imagine if luke was snapping that belt for real and your six years old, today in infant school learning how to read and write play games socalise, imagine the terror and pain inflected possibly in front of your own parents, nowhere to run or hide or cry

[@jqv94]

"You turn up here 6 times a week for a grueling 12 hour shift, possibly more depending on your Boss. Its not a great pay, it's dangerous and worst of all you can't even complain about it." The best description for my job.

[@iangarrett741]

Our forefathers paid in blood for the right of collective negotiations. Don’t throw it away.

[@cocochocookiedough]

💘💘💘

[@CMDRScotty]

In the year 2123, the title of this video will be can you survive working a day working in a 21st century Starbucks/Amazon warehouse/WalMart?

[@thesteelrodent1796]

whether you can survive working in an Amazon warehouse is already a hot subject in 2023. They deliberately keep them in countries with lose labour laws or pointless fines, where they can butter up officials to look the other way, or just get fined so little they have no incentive to improve their working conditions. Little over a decade ago (believe it was before Sweden joined the EU) there were some rumours that Amazon wanted to open a warehouse in Sweden to better serve northern Europe. They assumed they could dodge the labour laws because they would provide jobs. They weren't prepared for how strict labour laws are here, which meant they couldn't even get a construction permit for their warehouse because the layout didn't comply with the minimum requirements for a workplace - Denmark and Sweden both have laws about how far workers must walk to get to a toilet, how isolated a break room must be from the job site, shower facilities, and a bunch of other stuff. These laws are actually very lenient, but because Amazon couldn't care less about their workers' convenience, things like that are merely an afterthought they'd rather avoid including. In Germany the labour laws specify how much daylight workers must have access to in any given workday, and if you've ever seen an Amazon warehouse you'll know that windows are non-existent. For these reasons Amazon still don't exist in Scandinavia, instead we have other stores that are cheaper, have better service, far better quality, and more often than not they use robots because they don't want to expose humans to the amount of shelving required for that type of store - and the robots incidentally is why they're cheaper than Amazon and can deliver faster

[@CMDRScotty]

@@thesteelrodent1796 I wasn't referring to ones outside of side the USA because I know people that work at one and it is a world away from a Victorian factory.

[@Joyride37]

@@thesteelrodent1796man that’s what robots should be for and were initially conceived of. Wish it was more widespread. Taking up labor in a more efficient manner and for longer than a human can, freeing them for more leisure time and working only as needed/wanted (on things humans are better suited for). Instead were getting AI trying to do art for us, and self driving green cars when trains are right there.

[@TheGogeta222]

​@@thesteelrodent1796 Well we have them Here in Germany and a friend of mine works there... Yes you are right they even track their movement to Count how often they are in toilet

[@mjanny6330]

@Steven Burrell no, that's much more likely to appear in a documentary called "before the collapse, a time of luxury"

[@xphilli]

This sounds exactly like the job I left 2 months ago. These practices are still common in the UK. Coolcool coolcoolcool. Less risk of bodily harm, same financial labour extortion.

[@MrWasjig]

Absolutely top notch work, HH is knocking it out of the park every time!

[@HistoryHit]

Really appreciate this!

[@JohnnyBravo655]

I find it amazing that just recently I went on two or three walks around this waterfall, and I didn't have a clue what it was all about!So happy to have found your channel!

[@desireepetitdemurat8660]

I see that you useLewis Hine’s pictures to illustrate your documentaries, the impact of his images giving dignity to the children that worked in this inhuman conditions has always amazed me.

[@HistoryHit]

We hope you enjoyed the video guys? 👌 How do you think you would have managed working in a cotton mill like this one? 🤔

[@HeyMJ.]

@History Hits Team, thank you for producing & posting an excellent episode re the industrialists, factory processes, automation, and employment practices.

[@Kintabl]

You are showing like every industrialist was this caricature villain. If it was so bad then we would see workers revolution in England 100%.

[@anthonydavis4701]

I'd survive, but not live I think.

[@DonariaRegia]

To survive as a Victorian factory worker means I'd be like 150 years old. Jokes aside let's enjoy the video. Excellent channel!

[@beepboop204]

id chase that glorious life of crime

[@misterhamez]

the way we are headed, this isn't far off from coming back

[@joejoebeefcraft]

I'm genuinely extremely curious as to why you think this

[@J.J._Mason]

​Take the wage for example ​@@joejoebeefcraftthey're on what equates to £12-13 an hour, not many on that these days

[@umbrasyl]

@@joejoebeefcraft Try being disabled and/or having no employability skills

[@shredder_mang3211]

@@joejoebeefcraftmodern day china

[@ernestogastelum9123]

@@shredder_mang3211 China has always been like that

[@rosieHolliday5887]

I love this! I found out that some of my family moved up from Suffolk. They left their farming jobs & got jobs as weavers in the Leeds area. So many of them were weavers. Scoot forwards a few generations I was born in Sheffield where members of my family were coal miners & steel workers. So basically we came from farming in the South to become industrial workers in the North ☺

[@mitchamcommonfair9543]

Agricultural labourers?

[@again5162]

Around that time there was failed crops and famine, most people never left thier village so outsiders from the South of England came in droves looking for work in the mills. They were discriminated against and given the worse jobs.

[@mitchamcommonfair9543]

@again5162 The last major famine in England was I believe in 1805 IIRC. Before that, the 1795/6 famine was even worse. Yes, many rural English would be forced into towns and cities, particularly during industrialisation. Also due to Enclosure Acts & the onset of farm mechanisation

[@ajrwilde14]

they probably didn't leave their jobs they probably lost their land

[@mav45678]

I recommend a brilliant Polish movie "The Promised Land" ("Ziemia Obiecana"), which portrays a booming cotton city in Poland, with all of its strata - from the factory owners living like royalty, to up and comers who want to start their businesses and make their fortunes, to regular factory workers. The movie is absolutely spectacular. The movie is based on a novel of the same title, by the literary Nobel prize laureate Władysław Reymont. The novel is great too.

[@obiwan-in-a-pudding2909]

The blonde man playing the factory owner is having the time of his life. I actually got a bit scared when he was brandishing that belt.

[@anyaharris5617]

😂😂😂

[@emilyjohnson4993]

First time watching History Hit, so glad i found this channel! I have got some catching up to do.😊

[@TheoneandonlyJobis]

I work in a one of the largest textile mills o no the planet. Sadly the working conditions haven't changed that much. Hot, dangerous and don't even think about sitting down. Thankfully I work maintenance now and can tell them to get bent. They know I would have another job before I got to the car.

[@AcidAdventurer]

What mill do you work in? Every mill I've ever been in/heard of nowadays has massive condensers to control the temperature and humidity because not only is it better for the workers, looms actually run better when these are controlled. But yea weaving was awful when the condensers were out mid July in Georgia. Also why is it so dangerous? Whats dangerous, weaving? Warping? I weaved 8 years without a single serious injury. We went years as a plant without a recordable. The average recordable in the industry is like 2 a year and most of those are cuts or trips and falls which are the types of injuries that happen in every single industry.

[@AcidAdventurer]

Also fuck any mill that doesn't let you sit down. If my looms were running and clean and my filling was up, I'm sitting down. I got fired because I was written up for sitting down and I told them I was going to keep sitting when it didn't effect the quality or efficiency of my work one bit.

[@stefsomful]

In the 1970s I was a nurse in a New Zealand woollen mill. One of the worker's daughter's often came to visit me after school - she had lots of questions - two of my favorites were: 1. Do they need to know the alphabet to work at the mill? (I told her they did.) 2. (After noticing that everyone sat at the same tables in the cafeteria during the breaks.) What would happen if someone sat at a different table? (I told her it might cause a strike.) My favorite sound was (and still is) the rhythm of the old weaving looms. Gordon Lightfoot wrote a memorable verse in "Hangdog Hotel": I believe in magic, A little monkeyshines But the kind of row I can really hoe Is playin' in tune on time With rhythms all around us We're like weavers at the loom ... To this day I have a great love and appreciation for all mill (factory) workers - it's a hard life being a slave to the mill whistle. One worker told me, when I asked what he was doing looking in the hedge at the mill gate, that he had put his brain there at 7am and he couldn't find it at 5pm😊

[@kiwihib]

Which mill my mother worked at, Roslyn Woollen Mill in the late 60s.

[@stefsomful]

@@kiwihib Wow - what department - did you ever visit her at work? I was at the Mosgiel Mill.

[@kiwihib]

@@stefsomful Not sure which one as she worked evenings, so I was mostly in bed when dad picked her up, though I did get to see the inside of a woollen mill when I was Stationmaster at Milton and got taken through the Bruce woollen mill. I was born in Mosgiel.

[@stefsomful]

@@kiwihib - ah your mother was one of the "Twilight shift workers" then who worked from 6 - 10 or 11pm raising their family during the day or working elsewhere then off to the mill to earn that bit extra to make ends meet, pay off the mortgage, or make sure their daughter's got a decent wedding! Sad old Bruce Woollen Mill - now a shell of it's former self as are the Roslyn and Mosgiel building - I used to know Rod Beattie who was the manager there in the eighties - before that he was at Mosgiel. It's been a while since a train went through Milton has it not?

[@AcidAdventurer]

I was a weaver for 8 years. It isn't hard work. The only struggle being a weaver is not losing your mind from boredom. I appreciate and love all the folks I worked with at the mills I worked at, and it takes a special and wonderful person to dedicate their life to that kind of work. There is immense value in it. But lets not act like that value is driven by the fact that the work is so very hard.

[@rd28gu2]

Amazing how the British empire literally had the world of its own and amazin £ from it but the homegrown conditions for 90+% of population was just a terribly depressing and shit life to be frank

[@kimberleysmith818]

And it’s why when people moan at people from the UK about colonialism the general population haven’t time for that. They didn’t benefit, they struggled through daily life and as many do now (ok not in these conditions!). We don’t condone what happened but the majority of the population back then as now, is just trying to make a living and have a decent life.

[@SergyMilitaryRankings]

​@@kimberleysmith818 the majority population still supported their government, the majority of the population made up most of the soldiers that raped and pillaged their lands

[@JostVanWair]

Goes for every empire

[@SimonBauer7]

​@@kimberleysmith818i think that is the case for every horrible dictatorship that did questionable things, same goes for the soviet union, china, north korea or other countries.

[@karlscher5170]

Who's empire was it? Not the British people, but the capital owning class.

[@rinapop2681]

My grandmother worked in a cotton mill from the 1940s onwards in the North of England, as a refugee to the UK she had little choice and went half deaf from the noise of the machines 😢

[@leza6288]

Looks like Luke will survive but poor Louee may not! What a great show gentleman! Love your interesting topics!!!

[@HistoryHit]

Thanks for watching!

[@paulcampbell6316]

They would exploit people like this today if they could!

[@HmasTeR43214551]

great content! learned a lot from this video and I can't wait for the next part

[@HistoryHit]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jimmiesledd8717]

I worked at a place just a few years ago that operated exactly like this. No joke. The only difference is that they didn’t employ children.

[@alexwilliamson1486]

My grandparents didn’t work in mills but on farms, one day, my grandmothers waters broke when picking potatoes, she went to a nearby barn and had my uncle, all in a days work I guess….

[@Kiki-cs8xv]

My great grandmother was the same. Born on the dirt floor of a peach packing shed. It was harvest time and her mother was sorting and packing fruit while in full labor, because if they didn't get their fruit to market, they starved. Life was brutal back then.

[@mehere8038]

My ancestor's leg was amputated on the kitchen table when he was a child. Details of why it was needed have been lost to history, only the details of the kitchen table survived (and that he wasn't able to carry on the family farming tradition, due to the missing leg)

[@0w784g]

Some of the talk about conditions I find genuinely funny. I know people today who work 12 hr shifts 6 days a week (6 nights, 6 days with one day break to adjust) in an enourmous factory which is freezing in winter and baking in summer, doing really tough work for not much pay.

[@weltvonalex]

No one should waste his life like that or be proud of being exploited

[@jtt8237]

This isn’t something to celebrate, this sort of thing should be illegal, the bosses / managers would be in prison in a sane society. Fines aren’t a punishment to the rich, just a businesses expense

[@cocochocookiedough]

​@@weltvonalex❤❤❤

[@keith800]

With todays twelve hour shifts and zero hours contracts along with forty five minute breaks after four and a half hour work spells we seem to be sliding back to those days.

[@taffykins2745]

Not in my country. It's against the law what you just described. Maybe you should get busy and get some laws on the books where you live. Sorry bub..

[@magpie1492]

We don't get 45mins break after 4.5 hours work. We get 30mins after 6hrs, that's the NHS!

[@rameeziqbal8711]

​@@magpie1492What the hell is NHS? Don't use short forms for everything idiot

[@moschettiflavio3635]

And thaaaaats absolutely amazing! What a Great way to make documentaries

[@agtom1329]

Well done guys. Very enjoyable and informative as usual!!

[@stanleyjobson1567]

Interesting to see a comparison between cotton mill workers and cotton plantation workers working conditions and lifestyle..

[@mjanny6330]

A life in a log cabin picking cotton with family, or a short brutal life stuck in a dangerous factory.

[@kimberleysmith818]

@@mjanny6330 I think they each came with their own different hardships

[@jeremycox2983]

I love these videos keep them coming

[@yungsouichi2317]

Love that these guys fail to mention the enclosure acts when they start talking about how much more reliable industrial work was in comparison to agricultural work. Also fails to mention wages could often be months or even years in arrears.

[@hannahdyson7129]

It wasn't that reliable . If you had a bad day there where ten people who could take your place . You could be dismissed for being unwell etc People dropped dead from exhaustion .

[@ajrwilde14]

I know that really annoyed me too, repeating the Establishment bollocks, these people were forced into slavery

[@jenni6924]

Quarry bank is such a big part of my childhood. We used to go on visits to the mill with school. Then in the summer holidays we used to walk a far while down the lanes to go swimming in the Bollin. This was a great watch!

[@adamcrookedsmile]

the irony is that the descendants of those subsistence factory workers are supposed to pay reparations for slavery, when slave owners were 2-3000 out of a UK population counting about 24 million in 1830. Strangely enough, Saudi Arabia or Kuwait never seem to meet demands for reparations for slavery from NGOs.

[@mchlle94]

The idea is that the state profited immensely as well. So the state would have to pay. But you make a solid point. I wish they would take a percentage of profits of companies now that have profited from both slavery and indentured servitude and put them to good use.

[@peter7582]

We've thrown away everything these people gave their blood sweat and tears for. These party politicians need to go now

[@magpie1492]

That's because apparently working in these conditions was white privilege! Makes me mad, somehow our daily poverty and working lives how been forgotten.

[@magpie1492]

​@@mchlle94'State' doesn't pay, taxpayers pay, that's us.

[@JackieWelles]

Fascinating, informative and fun docu!

[@Alex-cw3rz]

3:51 this Water Wheel was 60 feet in diameter and built in 1826, in the village of Egerton in Bolton another huge textile town, just a bit further north than Manchester it required over 4 million gallons of water a day to turn and produced around 120hp. It was so large it became a tourist attraction in of itself. Interestingly enough it was designed by George Bodmer a Zurich born engineer who wanted to introduce his techniques pinoneered in France and Germany to the UK however he wasn't really listened to as he wasn't British. So he teamed up with a Italian born merchant man called Philip Novelli, to build a mill, using the new techniques. The mill was a success and Bodmer's techniques were accepted in other Mills and Novelli moved onto other venture. The mill wss sold and then moved to steam power later on and therefore the wheel was unfortunately lost.

[@clioflano421]

Well that is fascinating...t"wud get you thinking about renewable energy-nature's power. Is that Wheel in Bolton still a tourist attraction I'd love to go and see it. P.S(*an Italian)

[@dnstone1127]

Yes, water wheels had been around for centuries, the big game changer for the Industrial revolution was the steam engine.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@clioflano421 no unfortunately not, there is still the huge waterwheel in the Isle of Man but no Italian connection from my knowledge

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@dnstone1127 yes

[@flouisbailey]

@@Alex-cw3rz A 1.5L 4 cylinder auto engine would replace that giant wheel. Then you could have lots more oppressed people.

[@merobedas]

Really a great documentary, thank you!

[@HistoryHit]

Thank you!

[@robashley8216]

I'm honestly surprised none of the floor supervisors or bosses had an " unfortunate industrial accident"

[@horatiohuffnagel7978]

I hear ya. Especially the ones who took advantage of the young girls. That's just sick. I'd toss the bugger into the most gruesome piece of equipment I could find.

[@amh9494]

I'm sure some of them did.

[@mchlle94]

Unfortunately the police were always (and still are) on the side of the capitalists

[@AdamoFiscella]

This is incredible well produced. Bravo

[@gareththomas4390]

Love quarry bank . Good walk around the grounds

[@MollymaukT]

"Could You Survive as a Victorian Factory Worker?" I'm two minutes in and my answer is already no

[@zebulonstevens305]

They moved to the cities because they were forced off the countryside by game and enclosure laws written to force them into the cities to work at mills, factories, etc.

[@dreamjackson5483]

This was good. Informative!

[@HistoryHit]

Glad you liked it!

[@rustbeltpipes]

Saw it yesterday. This movie is gold. Absolutely fantastic from start to finish.

[@richardrichards8401]

The historical connections are mind blowing…I only wish the reality presented here was taught in schools years ago. We can’t hide from history.

[@nedludd7622]

The people were migrating not in search of a better life, but just to live. They had been living rather well in their earlier occupations. No wonder there was a violent response to the greater violence of the capitalist. A similar thing happened in France centered in Lyon. They were the Canuts. The government had to send troops to suppress their movement.

[@mchlle94]

Exactly. It's interesting how we learn very little about these movements in our history books...

[@Spridium1Jono]

That was surprisingly interesting and engaging for something I just randomly stumbled across.

[@nadbed2550]

Reminds me of a documentary I watched about Amazon warehouse employees. The inability to go to the toilet, being monitored constantly, the high pay, the dangerous conditions, people losing their lives in accidents. And the extreme wealth of the owners. History repeats itself even in things like this.

[@Kennephone]

I'm genuinely shocked there was only 4 deaths here in all the years it ran, of course that's not including deaths from infection from dismemberment, which probably happened to at least hundreds of people.

[@JJLewin1]

Very interesting, this should still be taught at school as so many people would not believe it and it is so very important.

[@mind5403]

It is, we learned all this in primay school 30+ years ago, we had multiple visits to the Industrial museum in my city, which is very similar to this mill.

[@rachelkristine4669]

And so they should with the people who harvested this cotton in the 1st place! Methinks the slaves had a far worse time then any of these British mill workers! 😕

[@JJLewin1]

@@rachelkristine4669 I agree, it is so sad to think that the profit was used to buy slaves to transport to the Caribbean and other areas to grow even more cotton, so the circle ontinued. I totally disagree with the use of children as slaves, it was a very cruel time in history.

[@reddwarfer999]

@@JJLewin1 I disagree with the use of children as slaves as well. It's very very bad!

[@mjanny6330]

@Rachel Kristine that's the only group they *do* talk about, often with overt emotional manipulation and exaggeration.

[@patricialong5767]

This is amazing!!

[@J.J._Mason]

I can't get over the french cuffs and tie not being done correctly 😭 but no seriously, fantastic video!

[@mikehart5619]

Amazing how little things have changed. 2023 and you work til you drop.

[@troyp9485]

Truth. Two jobs just to pay rent and car.

[@amh9494]

You don't know you're born.

[@HelEn-qw6qs]

"Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!“

[@HPsawus]

School trips were wicked mate proper good place , some fond memories from my school trips there

[@gabbycamacho4878]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🕰️ Introduction to Victorian Cotton Mills - Introducing the life of Victorian factory workers in cotton mills. - Highlighting the grueling work schedule and dangerous conditions. - The role of industrialization in the 19th century. 03:11 🏭 Cotton Mills in Britain - The significance of fast-flowing rivers and steam power in cotton mills. - The role of densely populated cities like Manchester in the cotton industry. - The impact of cotton production on Britain's economy. 06:33 💧 The Power Source: Water Wheels - The importance of water wheels in providing energy for cotton mills. - The use of rivers like the River Bollin as a power source. - The role of infrastructure in choosing mill locations. 12:29 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The Mill Workforce - The diverse roles within a cotton mill, from mule spinner to engineer. - The hierarchical structure in the mill workforce. - The prevalence of child labor in cotton mills. 17:12 👧 Child Labor in Cotton Mills - The exploitation of child labor in cotton mills. - The use of child indenture contracts and long-term commitments. - The harsh conditions and dangers faced by child workers. 20:24 🔗 Working Conditions and Discipline - The strict discipline enforced in cotton mills. - The consequences of idleness and the use of physical punishment. - The relentless work pace and lack of breaks for mill workers. 24:04 🕰️ Factory Time and Control - The introduction of factory time and its impact on the workforce. - The role of synchronized slave clocks in maintaining productivity. - The potential manipulation of clock speeds by mill owners. 26:04 ⚠️ Risks and Accidents - The increased risk of accidents toward the end of a long workday. - Common accidents, such as lost fingers and broken bones. - Recorded fatalities and serious accidents in cotton mills. 27:44 💥 Workplace Hazards and Injuries - Workers in Victorian cotton mills faced serious risks and accidents. - Examples of workplace injuries included lost fingers and broken bones. - Some accidents resulted from simple mistakes, like unsafe handling of machinery. 28:11 🏭 Factory Worker Hardships - Victorian factory workers endured harsh working conditions and hardships. - Workers had a sallow complexion, bowed legs, and were often physically and mentally affected. - The average life expectancy for these workers in the mid-30s was due to various factors, including overcrowding and diseases like tuberculosis. 30:29 🔍 Legal Changes and Workers' Rights - Legal changes in the 19th century aimed to improve conditions for factory workers. - Some of these changes included reducing working hours, increasing the minimum age for child labor, and introducing education requirements for children. - Workers, however, had few rights, and changes often resulted from the actions of campaigners and lawmakers rather than the workers' own preferences. 32:49 🌍 Global Connections and Moral Questions - Victorian cotton mills, including Samuel Greg's enterprise, relied on cotton from slave plantations in the Americas. - Cotton garments produced in these mills were used to clothe enslaved workers. - The moral cost of such operations was questioned, leading to changes in how workers were treated, and the Industrial Revolution's impact on society was scrutinized. Made with HARPA AI

[@jeffreywoods4040]

Imagine a world where a wide broom or other simple tool was too much of an ask for worker safety…

[@SimonBauer7]

or even a broom attached to the moving machine so you wont need anyone to clean the floor.

[@custos3249]

You ever have to ask management for equipment or anything else you needed? No need to imagine that world at all.

[@bobw9297]

My Mom worked in a mill in N Ireland , she was pulled out of school after grade 6 . Her first job was to clean under the spinning wheels , she worked there until she was 15 years old . By her self at 15 she got on a steamer and came to Canada . My how times have changed ..... for the better ????

[@LittleKitty22]

Your mom was a strong girl with a good character! But no, times haven't changed for the better. Nowadays, teenage girls get themselves pregnant to live a life on welfare. At least here in the UK but it's similar in the US. They are also violent, obese, promiscuous and both boys and girls get into drugs at an early age - either street drugs or prescribed (antidepressants, tranquilizers etc). This robs them of their intelligence and they are left with a very low IQ. It's a tragedy! Also, it would be impossible nowadays to emigrate to another country for a better life. It costs a fortune and most civilized countries are now off limits to immigrants unless they are from the third world and male - then they are welcome with open arms.

[@horatiohuffnagel7978]

​@@LittleKitty22 Canada only takes Indians and Asians. Cause they will work minimum wage jobs no one else here wants. We don't take many blacks. Racist yes I know. There's a no Jamaican policy I've heard. And we take the world's refugees if you could call half of them that. The normal hard working Canadian gets the shaft just to afford to pay for these people. No housing for our young people so everyone lives with their parents now. Big change from 30 years ago or more. Gets a little depressing after awhile. You want your own house and decent job but it's out of reach for most young people now. Hopefully once the boomers go there will be some places to live.

[@amh9494]

​​@@LittleKitty22🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️ wtf, next to none of this is true outside of a minority and still is way way better than back then.

[@hannahdyson7129]

​@@LittleKitty22Nope. She was expoltied and abused.

[@eta10tp1]

what a fantastic video, thanks for that

[@nielsdaemen]

Amazing this factory was preserved so well!

[@claireseyeviewdotcom]

I work four on four off 12 hr shifts in a factory so I feel for those poor souls. I get two half hour breaks and one fifteen min break. It's still tough but at least I get four days off. We can't sit down except on breaks. We do hand signs for things because the noise is overwhelming, even shouting isn't always heard. The ache in feet and legs is constant. But I need the wages.

[@beatrixbrennan1545]

I'm so sorry hunny. I pray God blesses you with something better!

[@claireseyeviewdotcom]

@@beatrixbrennan1545 Thank you Beatrix for your kind words.I'm 2.5 yrs off retirement but not sure I'll last. I have 2 adult dependants to look after so can't leave.

[@beatrixbrennan1545]

@@claireseyeviewdotcom That must be so hard, I'm praying for you!

[@claireseyeviewdotcom]

@@beatrixbrennan1545 Thank you😊

[@54mgtf22]

Love your work 👍

[@HistoryHit]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Zippsterman]

Wonder where that cotton came from... Great stuff, love the sort of glimpse into history

[@annesummers09]

Can't wait for the next video on this.

[@24934637]

'I think you'll find that the clock never lies'........Mill supervisor found 3 hours later unconscious with 2 black eyes and a broken nose.

[@43dno]

Hate to say this I work at a plastics firm. We work 12 hrs shifts. There is mandatory overtime. This is pretty common in industry today.

[@JAR98]

I hear ya, mandatory overtime for us as well, 6 days a week. Worked 13 hour shifts plenty of times. Minimum we ever did was 10 hours and the pay is crap. There are many realities like this. Not much has changed for many factory workers

[@drxym]

It's funny to see the emergency stop button at 14:10 that was installed in modern times. Health and safety gone mad!

[@v.g.r.l.4072]

A very interesting documentary with a pair of hosts that are extremly sympathetic.

[@lnteIIigence]

I really don't think so, but then... I don't think they had much choice really so you'd just get on with it. Let's just say, I'm very grateful to be alive nowadays.

[@TurinInquisitor]

Wooohooo we're devolving back to the victorian era!

[@Tiff-vy5cv]

Really interesting & engaging video !!

[@HistoryHit]

Thank you!

[@sarahkay8784]

I would love to see part two that is teased at the end of the video.

[@baronvonjo1929]

I'm not very sure what part of the family he was, but some memebwr of my family lost his arm as a child in a factory. I saw pictures of him. Just imagine you arm getting cut off in a factory as a child. Just wow.

[@DJL78]

Worth the wait!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼well done folks!

[@heleneverbach]

This is so informative! Could you do one about late 19th century dying factory workers?

[@deanbraden7695]

Wonderful background music playing constantly lalalahhhhh!

[@EmmaCruises]

I love these videos, the editing, the pacing, music, love it all. I need a crew so I can do the same but about ships. 😅🥳

[@HistoryHit]

Thanks Emma!!

[@AnotherOak]

My great great grandfather was a factory worker..he passed down a strong back and mind.

[@anthonymorales842]

The river was not only essential for energy it essential for working water (dyes etc.) and waste disposal

[@overnightOCD]

what a cool video..thanks from Australia