Back to the End Of The Georgians calendar
Following on from the changes in the Factory Act of 1833, in 1842 the government introduced the Mines Act of 1842. At the start of this century, men, women and children all worked in incredibly dangerous conditions in the coal mines. There had been some improvements. Sir Humphrey Davy had invented a safety lamp that made it less likely that the methane gas, found in the mines, would explode as it used to do when the candles the miners carried ignited the gas.
By 1841, nearly a quarter of a million people were employed in the mines. An accident in 1838 when a stream overflowed into a mineshaft at a mine near Barnsley in Yorkshire after heavy thunderstorms made everyone aware of the dangers and who was involved. 26 children died in that disaster, 11 girls and 15 boys, all under 16 years old.
The Act banned all women from working underground and all boys under the age of ten. It was another major change in the old and dangerous practices that had been going on since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
Also in this year, and not connected in any way but affecting all workers, the government introduced an income tax. For every pound people earned, they had to give 7 pence (3p in today's money) to the government as a tax.
Forward to 1846AD
