From homeworkers .

to factory workers 2
Most of the goods we buy today are made in factories. But in
the 1700s, most goods were hand-made in people's homes,
or in small workshops next to their homes. This was known * Explain how products were
as the domestic system (‘domestic’ describes the home or manufactured in Britain before |
family). However, in the late 1700s and early 1800s a change the mid-1700s.
took place that would transform the way many goods were * Examine how and why
made and introduce the world to the idea of ‘factories’. How machines changed the way
did this happen? 3 goods were made in Britain.

1
Its a family affair! Meanwhile. ‘
The domestic system involved the whole family:
grandparents, parents and children. The goods that were The soft fibres of the cotton plant were brought
from British colonies such as India and America.
made included shoes, socks, buttons, lace, hats, gloves, ’ . . n
nails, chains and clay pots. One of the most popular Skilled British spinners would turn this ha
into thread
goods made in people's homes was woollen cloth. This and then expert weavers would weave it into a light
high-quality material became famous around the world L and comfortable cloth. )
and, as the population increased, was in great demand in
Britain, too.

From sheep to shop Flying Shuttle

In the domestic system a clothier (cloth merchant),
for example, bought wool from farmers who had
sheared their sheep. The clothier then took the wool
to villagers in their houses, who spun it into threads to
weave into cloth. The family could work the hours they - - [
wanted, as long as they finished the cloth in time. Then ; T
the clothier would collect the cloth, pay the family,
and take the cloth to a different house to be dyed and
made ready for sale.

Money-mad merchants and cash-

crazy clothiers
Many cloth merchants made a fortune from the cloth Spinning Jenny
trade. Their profits were made larger by clever inventors
who built brilliant machines to speed up the cloth-
making process. For example, in 1733, a machine called
the “Flying Shuttle’ helped weavers make cloth much
more quickly. In 1764, the “Spinning Jenny’ made the
production of thread quicker. If more cloth could be u
made quickly, then more cloth could be sold — which
meant more profits! —

ME Chapter7: The Indusirial Revolution: from farming to factories

Arkwright and the first factory e
Both the ‘Flying Shuttle’ and “Spinning Jenny' were small and still domestic system factory system
allowed the cloth to be produced in homes. However, the next
invention changed all that — and the lives of millions of British workers.
The man most responsible for the ending of the domestic system was
3 Arkwright inspired others to invent
a former wig maker called Richard Arkwright. In 1769, he invented machines that produced cloth even
a machine called the ‘Spinning Frame”. It could produce good, strong more quickly and cheaply. In 1779,
thread very quickly — but it was so big it couldn’t fit in people's homes. Samuel Crompton invented the
Also, the moving parts were so heavy that it couldn’t be operated by “Spinning Mule’, which produced thread
ofa higher quality than Arkwright's.
hand and had to be powered by a waterwheel. Arkwright's solution In 1785, Edmund Cartwright designed
was to put his huge spinning machines in specially created buildings — the ‘Power Loom', which sped up the
known as factories” or ‘mills’. His first factory opened in 1771 at weaving process.
Cromford in Derbyshire and it was a great success. Look at the
diagram below to find out more.

4 When working
at home, people
2 In one week, a machine worked whenever
operator could produce they chose. Now
over 60 times more workers had to
cloth than a whole family work when the
working at home — for a factory owner told
fraction of the wages. This them to.
meant Arkwright could sell
his cloth for a much lower
price and make a big profit.

All the machines in

Arkwright's factory
were powered by
one waterwheel. 5 The factory
The wheel turned owners made huge
all day and night, profits. Arkwright
so the machines opened lots of
(and workers) factories and made
could work a fortune (over
24 hours a day. £200 million in
today's money).

The death of the

domestic system er to You
As more factories were built,
1 Define: a the domestic system b the factory system.
millions of people left their
villages and went to work in 2 Write a list of advantages and disadvantages of the domestic system for
them. Factories guaranteed a family of workers.
year-round work and a steady
3 Richard Arkwright is often called ‘the father of the factory”. Do you
wage. The workers rented
think this is a suitable nickname? Explain your answer.
rooms and homes, near to the
factories, that the owners had o Cromford, and you have to write a
built. By the 1820s, it was clear report : for someone considering opening a factory. Describe how
the domestic system was dying the factory operates, what is inside it, and who works there. Perhaps
out — and was being replaced include a pictureor diagram. Write no more than 150 words. |
by the factory system.
Revolution, Industry and Empire: Britain 1558-1901 q
 How did factories
create towns?
Eight out of ten people lived in the countryside in the
1750s. Most towns were very small and their biggest
buildings would probably have been the church, cathedral * Explain how factories caused the
or castle. But the new factories changed all this. So how population of towns to increase.
did factories create towns? How were these factories * Evaluate the impact of steam power
powered? And what did these new towns look like? on factories and towns. |

The countryside empties Y B The birth of a town.

The new factories pulled people into towns
from the countryside — with the promise
of regular work for all the family and good
wages. Factory owners built houses for R¿cwry
their workers to rent, and people began to
set up shops and inns so the workers could
buy food and drink. Soon, roads were being
built, along with churches, schools and
places of entertainment.
These places needed shopworkers, Workers.
teachers and nurses, for example — as well
as the builders, carpenters and labourers to
build them. And all of these people needed
more houses. Before long, places that were
once tiny villages had grown into large
towns —and small towns became huge,
overcrowded cities. Diagram B shows how
the building of a factory could lead to the
creation of a large town. Chart A shows
how some of Britain's towns and cities grew
at this time.

Y A This chart shows the approximate Builders, carpenters, labourers, engineers, drivers, shopkeepers, _craftspeople
increase in population of some towns v v v v
over 100 years. M

1751 1801 1851

Liverpool 35,000 | 82,000 | 376,000 á ( More shops. Eehools.
Manchester | 45,000 | 75,000 | 303,000 More
houses More transport services hospitals

Leeds 14,000 | 53,000 | 172,000 v

Bradford | 7,000 | 25,000 | 105,000 7
Birmingham | 30,000 | 71,000 | 233,000

( More: cobblers tailors teachers nurses, etc. )

ME Chapter7: The Indusirial Revolution: from farming to factories
Y MAP C These maps show Built Leeds
how one town, Bradford, 1800 AEE 1834 \ ….gnd
grew in size from 1800
to 1873.

The Bradford branch of the

Leeds and Liverpool Canal
opened in 1774, making it
easier for goods made in
Bradford to travel to these
two cities.

At the time of the Great

Plague (1665), there
were only four places in
Britain with more than
20,000 people living there
— London, Edinburgh,
Norwich and Bristol. By
1821, there were over 100 Railway lines linking Bradford to other
places with a population of L major cities were built from 1846. ‘

20,000 or more.
Over to You
1 Explain how the building of a factory might lead to the
Y MAP D Some of Britain's major
growth of a town.
industrial towns.
- Look at Chart A containing figures for the growth
of towns between 1751 and 1851.
a Turn the figures in Chart A into a bar chart that
represents the growth of each town.
b What does this chart tell us about the growth of towns?

3 In your own words, explain how Bradford expanded

between 1800 and 1873. Use Map C and some of the
information in the population chart in your explanation.

1 Complete the sentences below with an accurate term:

a Factories promised regular work and wages, so
many people left their homes in the
— to workin them.
b Between 1751 and 1851 the population of Bradford
increased from 7000 to 5
€ Te _ — Canallinked
Bradford to these two fast-growing cities.
d Bythe 1870s, Bradford was further linked to other
tOWns by

Revolution, Industry and Empire: Britain 15581901 m

 Tve got the power!
By 1800, factories were producing all sorts of items Lunar Society members included scientists, inventors,
— and making their owners rich. But factory owners astronomers, mathematicians, engineers and
faced a problem. They wanted their machines to manufacturers. They met to discuss interesting issues and
run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in order to were committed to using new ideas or developments
maximise their profits. Most of the early factories to improve people’s lives. One famous member was US
used water power as an energy source to drive politician and inventor Benjamin Franklin, who attended
the machines. This power was created by a huge meetings when he visited Britain.
waterwheel that was turned by the fast flow ofa
nearby river. This type of energy was free and clean,
but water power had several key problems (see E). Y SOURCE F A water wheel in action. This water
wheel powered a mill on the River Eye in Gloucester.
VY SOURCE E Based on extracts from the diary
of John Ward, a Lancashire cotton worker
between 1860 and 1864.

29 May 1861: Another very warm day, and this -

dry weather is much agaínsrtyus as the Bw& Rg:ble g
is very low, and in the afternoons our looms
— very slow for want of water. 8
;
- 26 November 1861: It vas very wet an
all night, and rhe Ribble was so high vi
— flood that we could not start worle unril th
frernoan,
z August 1864: There were thirty mills Nstopped
i

a B!%fld;mn‘khis last week for];a:[lgof" water, and

— will not start agaín until wet weather setsín, —

Full steam ahead! Factory fever

Water power was just not reliable enough. So The effect on Britain was incredible. Not only was steam
factory owners turned to a new form of power that power faster and more reliable than water power, it also
scientists had been developing — steam engines. meant that factories no longer had to be built next to
These had first been used to pump water out of fast-flowing rivers — they could be built anywhere. By 1871,
underground mines but they were slow, expensive only 3 per cent of factories were using waterwheels.
and kept breaking down. Then, in 1768, a Scottish Steam-powered factories started to spring up all over Britain
inventor named James Watt met a businessman and even more people left the countryside to work in them.
called Matthew Boulton at a science club called Factory towns like Birmingham, Sheffield, Manchester,
the Lunar Society in Birmingham. Together they Bolton and Bradford started to grow and grow. By 1850,
developed a new kind of steam engine that Watt had Britain's factories produced two-thirds of the world's cotton
been working on. It included a new ('sun-and-planet”) cloth — even though cotton didn’t grow in Britain. Nearly half
gear system that turned a wheel just as a river would of the world's hardware (tools, pots, pans and so on) also
(see G). This new type of steam engine became very came from Britain. Industry had become mechanised and
popular as soon as factory owners realised they Britain was now known as ‘the workshop of the world'. For
could power the machines in their factories by ‘steam the first time in British history, more people were now living
power” rather than water power. in towns and cities than in the countryside.
m Chapter 7: The Industrial Revolution: from farming to factories
Y GAsteam engine turns a wheel. To do this, coal is industry — mechanised
burned to turn the water in the boiler into steam.
mine — steam engine
This steam escapes into the cylinder and pushes
up the piston — which in turn pushes up one end
of the beam. When the piston reaches the top of Y SOURCE I A picture of factories in Sheffield
the cylinder, the steam escapes and the piston and in the 1800s. The chimneys (sometimes called
beam are allowed to fall back down. The whole “smokestacks') take away the dirty, toxic smoke
process begins again and the see-saw action of the produced when coal is burned.
beamis used to turn the wheel through the ‘sun- -
and-planet’ gears.

Beam 3 Steam removed here,

which lets piston drop down.

4 "Sun-and-
2 Steam planet' gears
pushes piston change the
up in cylinder. vertical
— = motion into a
\ circular one
— which turns
the wheel.

1 Read Source E.
a What type of power is used in this factory?
1 Water
turns to b Name two problems that this type of power
steam. caused the factory owner.
2 Lookat G. Write a sentence to explain the role of
the following:
* coal < piston - sun-and-planet gears
+ beam - boiler - wheel

[Wheel attached to belts that drive factory machines. j 3 Read Source H. Do you think this source
Was written before or after Britain's industry
had become mechanised? Give reasons for
your answer.

Y SOURCE H Written by George Weerth, a 4 Look at Source l.

Cerman writer, living in Bradford in 1840. a How do you think the mills and factories of
Sheffield were powered? Explain your answer.
“We look in astonishment as our coach drives on,
The further we go, the more houses there are, collected b What negative effects does this form of
along the road. All around we see flames, hissing and power cause?
N
rattlíng. The windows of factories shaking as we go by.
The sun darkens as if cloud has blocked it; suddenly it
is evening on a bright day! As our horses stop, we sce
d dirty, evilsmelli
ng town.” 1 Explain why many factory owners introduced
steam power.
Revolution, Industry and Empire: Britain 1558-1901
 Britain's ea'.'rlx factories were dangerous, harsh places to work.
Most factory?'.\uwners only cared about making a profit, not
about providing a safe place to work. There were also no strict Examine why so many
, government guidelines or laws to control what went on in the children worked in factories.
early factories. Machines did not have safety guards and workers Describe working conditions
did not wear protective gear. Noisy, dusty factories made many in some factories.
e o”faler deaf and sick. Many factories employed children. What
» ( — was life like for them? *
i

| Work started at 5.30am, Monday 2 Factory rules were very strict. 6d was
Child labour to Saturday. Sunday was a ‘short about half a day's pay for a woman.
day' (4-6 hours of cleaning!). Some
Poor children didnt go to school, children spent years lifting heavy
so they would go to work with baskets, deforming their bodies.
their parents — even as young as
Factory rules
five. Orphans — children without Tm fined if m late. My job is to
parents — were often sent to work load, unload and carry around those Late for work — 3d fine. Not let
in factories by local authorities. heavy baskets all day. h s exhausting! into the factory until breakfast
. time.
They were known as pauper
2 Leaving the room without
apprentices, and were given food,
. permission — 3d fine.
clothing and a bed in an “apprentice
3 All broken brushes, oil cans,
house’. In return they had to work
windows, wheels etc. will be paid
very hard for the factory owners. for by the worker.
Read the story of Peggy, a pauper Talking to another, whistling,
-

apprentice in one of Britain's singing or swearing — 6d finc.

mills. Would you have been tough TIl worker who fails 10 find
C

somcone to do their job — 6d fine.

enough to survive her life?

3 Workers werent just fined or 4 There was a short break at 8.00am and 5 A 12-hour working day was common,
sacked for breaking rules — they another break at lunchtime. but at busy times it could be as
were sometimes beaten with sticks long as 14 or 15 hours. On average,
or whipped. In one factory in the pauper apprentices like Peggy were
Midlands, a common punishment was T hardly feel like eating smaller and lighter than boys and girls
to nail an ear into a wooden bench. because the dust; heat and of a similar age who didr't work in
smell make me feel sick. factories.

ME Chapter7: The Indusirial Revolution: from farming to factories

o The children who lived with their
parents earned about half the amount
7 Pauper apprentices worked in shifts — some in
the day, the others in the night.
=cy Words B
that women did, so it was cheaper for pauper apprentice
factory owners to employ women and
children than men. When one group getsin at the
end of a shift; the others crawl
out of the same filthy beds that
we share. We have no spare time
to play and meet up with friends.

We will do +his
until we are 21 — and
then get a job as an
Us pauper apprentices Work adultin this factory.
for no wages but are given food,
clothing and shelter. Only the
ordinary workers get paid.

In some factories, wages were paid in tokens,

which could only be spent at the owner’s shop. The
‘ In 1833, two out of every five accident cases quality of goods at the owner’s shop might be very
- received at Manchester Infirmary (a hospital) were poor — but the workers would have no choice but
| caused by factory machinery. to buy them.

er to You
Were all factories the same?
Some employers believed that happy workers were 1 a Writea list of ways in which pauper
good workers, so they tried to provide decent living apprentices like Peggy were treated harshly.
and working conditions for their workers. Robert b Suggest reasons why dangerous, unhealthy
Owen, for example, built good quality houses, schools, and harsh conditions were so common in
shops and parks for his workers in New Lanark, factories at this time.
Scotland. He also reduced working hours. Elsewhere, < In what ways did Robert Owen treat his
factory owners built good quality villages for their workers differently?
workers at Saltaire (Yorkshire) and Bromborough
Pool (Cheshire). But these villages and towns were Make a 24-hour timeline for a typical day of
exceptions, and the vast majority of factories and the your week. Include:
towns that surrounded them were dangerous and * your sleep time
unhealthy places to live and work. * times for food, travel, breaks and spare time
* what work you do (a paper round, for

)
1
example)
* something that a factory boy or girl
It did not take long for factories to appear in other wouldnt have done — school!
countries. The first factory in the USA was built in b Write at least five sentences, each one stating
1790 by Samuel Slater, an English-born businessman how your day is different from a child's in the
who took lots of British ideas to America when he early 1800s.
emigrated there. He is referred to as ‘Slater the
Traitor' by some people in the UK because they Knowledge and Understanding *
think he stole British ideas on machinery design and
used them for his own factories in the USA! 1 Describe two features of factory life.

Revolution, Industry and Empire: Britain 1556-1901 q

 t o r y w ¿ Í ' k : l n g :
'How were fac
? =
' 'conditions improved
On 4 June 1§32,’23-year—old Leeds factory worker Elizabeth
Bentley was interviewed by Michael Sadler, ,a,ypolftician who was
investigating working conditions. Part of the interview is given * Identify why some factory
below. Sadler's report, published in 1833, shocked the public. owners were unwilling to
Soon other investigations and reports followed and working improve working conditions.
Examine key reforms that
else, as well as Sadler, tried to change things? And how did eventually improved life for
pé gíha_n'ges benefitjpeople like Elizabeth Bentley? Britain's workers.

i A S i

VY SOURCE A From the Sadler Report, published Y SOURCE B Adapted from an investigation
in 1833, for which 89 people were interviewed. into mine conditions in 1842. Sarah Gooder was
This is adapted from Elizabeth Bentley's asked to describe her working conditions.
interview. She was born in 1809.
I have to trap without a light and P'm
scared, [ g0
Question: What age did you begin work at
er: Whien ] hs six eny ol a factory? & dam, and come outat 0p
ÁQh:]stht e Some times 1 síng when 1 have light,1 never E
but not in the
ee dlark; I dare not sing then, I don’t like being
pit. Lam very slepy when 1 20 sometime
in the
A: Asa child T worked from 5am till s. I would
5am tll
Q: Whatif you got tired, or were late, 9pm. like to be at schoof far better than in the
pit.”
what would
they do?
A: Hituswitha strap.
Q: Whatis the factory like? z
A: Dusry. You cannot see each other for dust. Y SOURCE C An image from the 1842 mines
Q: Did this affecto
N your healúth? > report. ‘Trappers’ would open and close wooden
E doors to allow fresh air to flow through the mine
ty, ust got up my !ungs, .
The children pushing the coal carts were kno
Was so hard. I got so bad in health, wn
that when I worked, T pulled my bone as ‘putters’
s out of .
their places.
Q: You are considerably deformed
because of this?
A: Yes, lam.
2: How old were you when this happened?
: Twas about 13 years old when it be;
c ming,
and it has got worse since, ..

Were conditions in mines

any better?
Elizabeth Bentley worked in a factory — but mines
weren't much better. One eight-year-old girl who
opened and closed wooden doors (known as ‘traps’)
describes her job in Source B.

ME Chapter7: The Indusirial Revolution: from farming to factories

Time for change m Act — deformed
In the 1800s, many people thought that the Y D New acts to public — reformer — trade union
government should not interfere with the way protect workers. —
factories and mines were run. They believed that — —— — — 1833 FAE’[TOI;Y ACTI‘7 =
it was up to the owners to decide how to run f factories. —
them, and that introducing laws to force owners + No children under nine to workin to 13.
dren aged nine
to spend money on improvements could harm + Nine hours of work per day for chil
profits. They also argued that reducing the hours + Two hours ofschool per day.
d (but there were only four!).
1
* Factory inspectors appointe
1
that children and women worked might cause

842 MINESACT — ]
money problems for the family.
However, a growing number of people were very [ + Nowomen or children
1844 FACTORYACT |
* No women to work more
concerned about working conditions, especially under ten to work dow
n than 12 hours per day.
for children. Reformers like Lord Shaftesbury, a mine. * Machines to be made safer.
ointed. -
Richard Oastler, John Fielden and Michael Sadler w * Mine inspectors app
began to campaign for laws to protect factory |, 1871 TRAy DE UNION ACT
and mine workers. Some of these people were —_—
1847 TEN HOUR ACT Trade unions made legal.
motivated by their religious beliefs, while others Wurkers all doing the sam
Maximum ten-hour e
thought that people might work harder if they job (trade) — like railway
day for all women and
were treated better! Some (such as Sadler) workers or dockers, for
workers under 18.
collected evidence to prove how bad things were. example — were allowed to
Jom together (form a union)
Change is coming 1878 FACTORY AND 10 negotiate with their
After reading the reports, Parliament accepted WORKSHOPS ACT employers for improvements
that it had a duty to look after the more No women to work more 10 pay and working
than 60 hours per week. conditions. As a last resort,
vulnerable people in society. From 1833, new laws
No children under ten all union members could go
(or Acts) made changes to the working lives of — on strike,
to work.
women and children. Men, it was believed, could Laws on safety, ventilation
look after themselves. and mealtimes. 1895 FACTORY ACT
Some factory owners hated the changes. They felt « Children under 13 to
politicians had no right to interfere in their business. worka maximum of
But new laws kept being passed and, gradually, 30 hours per week.
they began to protect more and more workers.
Inspectors were appointed to enforce the laws
and by 1900 factories and mines had become safer
At the time, some people argued that Sadler exaggerated
and more bearable. They still weren't particularly
when writing up his investigations. They said he wanted
pleasant places to work, however.
conditions to appear worse than they were, because that
would shock people into supporting his campaign.

1 a Why did reformers want to change

working conditions in factories and mines? Source Analysis
b Why were some factory owners Read Source A.
reluctant to change things?
1 Write down three words or phrases that a reader of
2 Lookat D. this report might feel.
a Write down what you think are three of 2 Michael Sadler was accused of exaggerating some of
the most important changes to working the interviews. Does that mean the interviews are not
conditions between 1833 and 1895. useful to a historian?
b Next to each one, explain why you think 3 How could you follow up Source A to find out more
it was an important change. about factory life in the 1800s?

Revolution, Industry and Empire: Britain 1558-1901 q

 ‘Black gold and .
the new Age of Iron
The way people lived and worked changed dramatically
from the late 1700s. New machines changed the way
goods were made, and a large proportion of the population . Examine why there was an increase |
moved from the countryside into the growing towns and in the demand for coal.
cities. ‘Black gold' and the iron industry were responsible . Outline how iron was produced.
for many of these changes. But what was ‘black gold'? . Describe how iron-making became
Why was iron so important? such an important business.

What is coal? A new Iron Age

Coal is a hard, black rock that is buried underground. The eighteenth century saw major advances in the
Specialist workers, called miners, get coal out of the iron industry. Iron had been produced in Britain since
ground from mines. Once it is lit, coal burns for a long Roman times but in the 1700s it began to be used in
time — much longer than wood. In the late 1700s, coal all areas of life. The army used it for cannons, the navy
was very cheap and used mainly to cook with and for “iron-clad' ships, and the new factories were held
heat houses. As the population increased, more coal up with iron beams and used iron machines that were
was needed, and it began to be used to power steam powered by iron steam engines. Iron was used to make
engines in the new factories that were springing up all tools, trains and railway tracks, and at home people
over the country. Coal was also used in the making of had fireplaces with iron grates and cooked on iron
bricks, pottery, glass, beer, sugar, soap and iron. stoves using iron pans.

‘Black gold How was iron actually made?

By the 1800s, coal was also required to 1 Iron ore — rock 2 The ore is melted
power steam trains and steam ships. The containing iron — is together with
need for more coal meant more money dug from the ground. limestone (to
for mine owners. Some mine owners were remove impurities)
making so much money from their coal that and charcoal (baked
wood) in a furnace. |
they began to refer to it as ‘black gold”. The iron gersso —
Y MAP A The coalfields of Britain hot it melts and
pours out of the
in 1800.
bottom of the
furnace.

4 When castiron is reheated and

hammered, the pockets of air
are removed and it becomes
3 Red-hot, liquid iron
is poured into casts
wrought iron. This is purer and
stronger, and can be bent into
shaped like pots,
pans, pipes, cannons, ¿| shapes to make chains, /4
beams and so on. tools, furniture,
railway tracks
Cast iron is u
strong but andsoon. * M
contains air
bubbles that can
make it brittle.

ME Chapter7: The Indusirial Revolution: from farming to factories

The king's of Coalbrookdale! Key Words cast iron iron ore
As the population and the number of factories miner significance wrought iron
grew, so did the demand for iron. But the
producers of iron faced a problem — Britain was Ironbridge — one of the wonders of
running out of forests. Charcoal — made from wood
the world
— was needed to make iron. It was possible to use
coal, instead of charcoal, but coal contains too Writers, artists and rich tourists came from all over the
much sulphur (a chemical) and makes poor quality world to see this modern miracle — and Darby charged
iron. Luckily for Britain, a family called the Darbys every one of them to walk across it! It was a fantastic
got involved in the iron industry! advertisement for what could be achieved with iron, and
iron production became one of Britain's most important
Abraham Darby | (1678-1717): In 1709, he discovered industries (see C). No wonder people began to call the
a way of using coal to make iron. Firstly, he heated it to period the ‘Age of Iron’.
remove the sulphur. This makes something called coke
(not the drink!). Cast iron made with coke is much better Y Clron produced in Britain 1750-1900. After 1856,
quality than cast iron made with coal — iron production
steel (made from iron ore) started to be produced
could continue.
in Britain too. The figures in the table are in
Abraham Darby II (1711-1763): He improved the process thousands of tons.
invented by his father, removing even more impurities and
allowing wrought iron to be made from coke-fired coal. 1750 | 1800 1850 1900
Abraham Darby III (1750-1789): He decided to show the Coal production 5000 | 11,000 | 50,000 | 225,000
possibilities of the use of iron by building a magnificent iron
bridge. He made the ironworks at Coalbrookdale famous Iron production 30 250 2000 9000
throughout the world. Steel production 300 4250 3500 5000

Y SOURCE B The iron bridge over the River

Severn at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire was
opened on New Year's Day 1781. The world's
1 In no more than three sentences, explain how iron
first major bridge to be made entirely of cast
is produced.
iron caused a sensation.
2 Explain why the demand for coal and iron increased
in the 1700s.
3a Look at Chart C. Draw a bar chart
to show how Britain's iron and coal
production increased.
b Write a description to accompany the chart,
explaining the increase.

4 Why do you think people were so impressed by the

iron bridge at rookdale?

CO
We now know that coal production and use |
To decide if an event or development is historically
significant or not, you have to assess: a) whether it
was important at the time it happened; b) whether it's
contributes to climate change. In 2019, the UK also important over a long time, perhaps even until
used more electricity from renewable sources now. Let's practise just part a for now.
(wind and solar energy, for example) than from — 1 How significant was the coal mining industry for the
coal for the first time in its history. population of Britain?

Revolution, Industry and Empire: Britain 15581901