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The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution changed Britain from a land of small towns, villages and
farms into a land of cities, large towns and factories. The population grew from 16
million in 1801 to over 41 million by 1901. Cities grew fast, as people moved from the
countryside to work in factories.
Men, women and children worked in factories, and in coal mines. Factory and mine
owners became rich, but most factory and mine workers were poor. They were paid
low wages, and lived in unhealthy, overcrowded slums.
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Who went to school?
At the start of the 19th century very few children went to school. Most poor children
worked. If they went to school, their families lost the money they earned.
There were some good schools for boys, for example, grammar schools and public
schools. Only richer families could afford to pay the school fees, though some
schools gave free places to poor boys. Poor girls did not go to school when the
Victorian age began meaning they had little education. Girls from wealthy families
would usually be taught at home by a governess. Sometimes, wealthy girls may have
attended boarding schools too.
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Dame schools
'Dame' schools were usually run by one woman. The 'dame' often did her best, but
she was a child-minder not a trained teacher. Often quite poor herself, she took as
many children as she could cram into her house. Poor parents working hard to earn a
living paid her a few pennies a week to look after their children, and perhaps teach
them the alphabet or how to sew. Most of the time, the children amused themselves
and did not learn very much.
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Ragged schools and Sunday schools.