Essay On How Conditions In Styal Differ From Other Mills

How Conditions in Styal Differ from Other Mills

Quarry Bank Mill in Styal differed widely from other textiles mills in the area. Samuel Greg, the owner of Quarry Bank Mill, was a reasonable employer. He treated employees well in return for a hard days work. Robert Owen the owner of New Lanark Mill in Scotland was also a fair employer; the conditions were similar to Styal but slightly better. Owen felt strongly about cutting working hours down. Workers were fortunate, at this time in some ways, to work for Greg and Owen and were content with their lives. In Styal an employer’s working day lasted for 12 hours. In New Lanark employees worked a 10 hour shift, whilst in mills in the towns such as Manchester

Beatings were common, and sometimes vices or weights were attached to the nose and ears. Some masters were accused of having been in the habit of knocking down apprentices with clenched fists, kicking them about when down and beating them to excess with sticks, or flogging them with horse-whips; of seizing them by the ears, lifting them form the ground and forcibly dashing them down on the floor, pinching them until their fingers met. These physical punishments lead to the children being in pain from cuts, bruises and broken bones consequently, finding it difficult to work.

Both Greg and Owen provided a safe comfortable environment for their apprentices to live in. The boys slept on one side of the house and the girls on the other. There was a door between the apartments which was locked at night. The beds were reasonable; they slept two to a bed and had clean sheets at least once a month. They had blankets and rugs which were kept clean; the floor of the rooms was also kept

The boys were taught by a master and the girls by Greg’s daughters. The education Owen provided for his was very similar but more advanced. He had a nursery; nature tables were made the children sang and played games. The older children were taught the 3 R’s. In the mills in the towns the children got no education at all until it became compulsory for factory owners to provide the children with an education in 1802.

Food was good out in the country; they had an endless supply of vegetables form the garden. Styal had a co-op which sold items at reasonable prices and Oak Farm where they purchased fresh dairy. Breakfast was usually porridge with milk; it was thick like oatcake which they eat with their hands. Lunch was also porridge but sometimes included onions and leaks. In the evenings they were given lobstew, a stew with meat and vegetables. The food was always better on Sundays it would include meat, usually pork, and possibly a pudding made with soft fruits from the garden. Greg and Owen made sure the workers had a nourishing diet. This meant they would have more energy and were more efficient when working. The diet of the workers at New Lanark was