Word list Victorian England (Industrial revolution).
Abacus .This was a wooden frame with beads on it. It was used to
help children with counting sums.
Agricultural gang. This was a group of workers in the countryside, doing jobs like weeding,
sowing seeds, and harvesting crops. Often these gangs would include young children.
Barrel organ. A musical instrument which was taken round the streets. It played music when
the handle was turned. Often the owners of barrel organs had tame monkeys.
Band of Hope. Temperance organization which tried to stop people, especially children,
from drinking alcohol.
Boarding school. A school where children live during term
time, coming home for the holidays.
Boys' Brigade. Youth organization started in 1883 in Glasgow.
British Empire. Countries ruled by Britain; later became the
Commonwealth.
Cane. Thin stick used by teachers to beat children who misbehaved.
Census. This is the record of people living at a certain time. It records how many people
there are, where people live, their age and what they do.
coal mine. A place where coal is dug from under the ground.
Coal. Remains of prehistoric trees, burned in fires. In Victorian times, coal heated homes
and provided steam power for machines, trains and ships.
Contraception. Another term for birth control, or stopping unwanted pregnancies.
Cotton. Comes from a plant. It is spun into thread then woven to make cloth.
E to G
dame school. A school run in her home by an elderly woman, known as a dame, where
children were taught basic reading and writing.
Diphtheria. Infectious throat disease that killed many children.
Emigrated. To emigrate is to leave your own country to go and live in another.
Empress. The female ruler of an empire, or the wife of an emperor.
Factory. Building with machines for producing goods in large numbers.
Factory commission. A group of men who travelled around Britain to investigate the
working conditions of children in both factories and mines.
Fire grate. The metal part of a fire and fireplace.