 |
|
|
 | |
Saggar maker & assistants c1890
© Geoffrey Godden
|
| |  |
Children in Staffordshire's potteries |
 |
Children’s Evidence from the Scriven Report into the Employment of Children and Young Persons
The punctuation, spelling and layout of the children’s responses are taken verbatim from the published report.
Mr Hackwood’s Earthenware Factory, Shelton
no. 114 Josiah Bevington, aged 8
Have been a mould-maker a year. I work for George Stanaway; he give me 2s. a week; we work very near every day. I carry the moulds from the worker to the hot-house and back again. I come about six o’clock, sometimes five, to light fires. Father’s a dipper; he’s got no work to do. I have one sister at work; she gets 3s. a week, as paper-cutter. I get meal and water for breakfast, and tatoes for dinner; sometimes a bit of bacon; I don’t get enough; I could always eat more if I had it. I’ve go no more clothes than what I have on. I can read and write a little; can sign my name. I have been to day-school at ‘National’ and go now to Sunday-school always. I go Monday nights to write.
Messrs Maddock & Seddons’ earthenware Factory, Burslem
no. 184 Jos. Wilkinson, aged 11
I run moulds and wedge clay for Wm. Bentley; have been at work five years; I am sure I was but six years old when I began; cannot read or write; never went to day school; go to Sunday school and learn a b ab; have got a father; he’s a collier, but has had no work this good while; my mother is a baller [supplies the thrower with balls of clay]; she is out of work; have three sisters and four brothers; one brother drives donkeys, another works in pit, another has nothing to do; one sister turns wheel, ‘tother two canna work, them is little ‘uns. I get 3s. 3d. a-week; come at half-past six to work, go home at nine; work Mondays and every day. Wm. Bentley licks me sometimes with his fist; he has knocked me the other side the pot-stove for being so long at breakfast; half an hour is allowed, but he makes me work before the half hour is up. I go home to dinner, but only stop half an hour, he won’t let me bide an hour. I live a quarter of a mile away, and have to run home and back out of it, and get my dinner too; I never get a bit of play, am very tired when I get home at night, get my supper and am glad to go to bed. I get milk-meat for breakfast, and taters and salt for dinner, sometimes a bit of bacon; would rather work 10 hours a-day than 15; should not care then if I had less wages a good sight. I should go to school then and have a bit of time for play. I don’t wear shoes and stockings while I am at work; have got a pair at home and better clothes than this, what they gave me at school: my father is very good to me; he is a totaller.
Words: Miranda Goodby
Your comments
| |
 Print this page |
|
Archive
Look back into the past using the Legacies' archives. Find nearly 200 tales from around the country in our collection.
Read more > |
| | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external Web sites. |
| | | |
| | |
| |
|
