The Factory Act of 1833 was an act of the parliament of the United Kingdom, which limited the workday for children in factories. Those between 9 and 13 could only work eight hours, and children between 14 and 18 could work twelve hours. Children under 9 were required to attend school. Eight-hour day banner, Melbourne, 1856 The Eight-hour day movement, also known as the Short-time movement, had its origins in the Industrial Revolution in Britain, where industrial production in large factories transformed working life and imposed long hours and poor working conditions. ...

This broke the pattern of families working together which was prevalent in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the replacement of an economy based on manual labor to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. ...

Before the Industrial Revolution it was common for children to work in mines and agriculture. As factories developed, and dangerous machinery was introduced, the possibility of accident and serious injury became very likely. People also worked very long hours, with tiredness adding to the risks. The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the replacement of an economy based on manual labor to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. ...

There was little regulation in factories and little point in complaining as labour was easily replaced. Factory owners in general wanted as much output for as little cost as possible. Children frequently added to the family income so parents encouraged them to work.

In 1833 the British Government passed the first of a series of legislation, designed to improve the working conditions in factories, although there was little enforcement initially.

• 1833 (Textiles):
  • No child workers under 9 years
  • Reduced hours for children 9-13 years
  • Two hours schooling each day for children
  • Four factory inspectors appointed

• 1844 (Textiles):
  • Children 8-13 years could work for six half-hours a day
  • Reduced hours for women (12) and no night work

• 1847 (Textiles):
  • Women and children under 18 years of age could not work more than 10 hours a day.

• 1867 (All Industries):
  • Previous rules applied to workhouses if more than 5 workers employed

• 1901 (All Industries):
  • Minimum age raised to 12 years.

References

• UK National Archives Learning Curve