Demise of a system
The Apprentice House was built in the 1790s, and by 1800 around 90 apprentices lived there. At Quarry Bank girls were preferred because they were thought to be more biddable and less troublesome than boys. As the workforce grew and the mill expanded, the Apprentice House had to expand to house more children. It was extended twice during the early 19th century, reaching its current size by around 1830.
Gradually it became less convenient to employ child workers and their numbers at Quarry Bank fell. The debate around the morality behind child labour gathered pace, and by 1833 mill owners were forbidden from employing children under the age of nine. From 1838, only girls were apprenticed to the Gregs and in 1847 the practice was discontinued. By this time, almost 700 children had lived and worked at Quarry Bank as apprentices. The house was then divided into three separate dwellings.
As the industrial revolution took hold, there was a growing movement for workers’ rights, with demands for higher wages and better conditions. In 1799, fear of a revolution in the factories led to the government banning trade unions, making it illegal for workers to go on strike. Those who did strike faced three months in prison or two months hard labour. Nevertheless, there were strikes among cotton spinners in Manchester in 1818, and eventually Parliament bowed to public pressure and repealed the law.
The earliest action for workers’ rights concerned children. Early in the industrial revolution, it was common for children to work 12-14 hours with minimal breaks and in dangerous conditions. Many accidents occurred, injuring or killing children on the job. Rumours of mistreatment and overwork started to circulate, forcing the government to act.
The vey first piece of legislation directed at the new factory system was the ‘Health and Morals of Apprentices Act’ of 1802. Passed by parliament in response to growing public concern over the treatment of child workers, it targeted the employment of parish apprentices. It limited the working day for apprentices to 12 hours, outlawed night work and required that every apprentice should receive basic education. The 1816 Act introduced a 40-mile limit of movement to prevent the estrangement of parents and their children. In 1819, the Cotton Mills Act declared that no child under the age of nine was to be employed in cotton mills. There was a maximum 12 hour working day for all those under 16.
The 1833 Mills and Factories Act – was broader than the 1819 Act. It set a nine-hour working day for children under 13 and a 10 ½ hour maximum for children aged 13-18. Children were to attend school for no less than two hours during the day.
The Factory Commission was set up as part of the 1833 Mills and Factories Act and introduced factory inspectors to ensure owners complied with the new laws and to investigate labour conditions in the factories of the textile districts. The Greg family strongly opposed calls throughout the 1830s and 1840s for legislation restricting working hours. They argued it would destroy the ability of the domestic cotton industry to compete with its rivals abroad.
Frank Scott, the guide in our trail, stayed at Quarry Bank after his apprenticeship finished and became a mill mechanic. He’s listed in the wages books below in 1850, now aged 43. He lived in Oak Cottages with his wife Sarah and sons William and Thomas. Later in life, still a mill mechanic, Frank rented a 52-acre farm in Styal village, employing two workers. He died in 1867, aged 61.
