Did children go to school in Victorian England?

At the start of the Victorian era, very few children actually attended school. Children from rich families would be educated at home by a governess (a female teacher). At the age of ten, boys would go to public schools, such as Eton or Harrow, and girls would continue their education at home.

Did all children go to school in Victorian England?

In 1880, laws were enforced that meant every child between 5 to 10 had to go to school. For parents of large families who could barely afford enough food, paying a penny a week for their children to go to school was a great expense.

Who was allowed to go to school in the Victorian era?

It was not until more than forty years after the Victorian Era began that the Education Act was passed in England in 1870, making it required that both females and males get an elementary education, while secondary education in even upper-class families was not a consideration for females until the 1890s (Demir).

What was childhood like in Victorian England?

With no laws to protect children, this meant they had few rights and were badly treated. Seen as simply the property of their parents, many children were abandoned, abused and even bought and sold. Thought to be born evil, children needed to be corrected, punished and made to become good citizens.

What was the literacy rate in Victorian England?

Between 1851 and 1900, there was a rise in British male literacy from 69.3% to 97.2%, while for the female part of the population, the improvement in literacy rates was even more pronounced, from 54.8% to 96.8%.

Victorian Schools // 19th Century For Kids

When did literacy become common in England?

The steep hike in literacy came in the 19th century among the working class. In 1800, 60% of men and 40% of women were literate, but within a century the number had soared to 97% for both sexes, with the rise almost totally attributable to education.

How much poverty was there in Victorian England?

It's necessary to actually understand what Victorian poverty was. Late 19th century Britain had some 25% of the population living at or below the subsistence level. This subsistence level is not a measure of inequality, nor of the lack of winter clothes.

How many children did a normal Victorian family have?

Answer and Explanation: On average, a Victorian family was expected to have 5-6 children. However, it's worth noting that these numbers were more common in the mid-19th century.

What was the life expectancy of a poor Victorian child?

For example, in 1850 in England and Wales life expectancy at birth was 42, but over 25% of children died before the age of five. For those who survived, life expectancy rose to 57.

What did Victorian children do all day?

What work did Victorian children do? In the 1850s one in nine girls over the age of 10 worked as domestic servants for wealthy homes. Poor children often had to work instead of going to school. Many worked with their parents at home or in workshops, making matchboxes or sewing.

How healthy were Victorian children?

Scarlet fever, tuberculosis, typhus and typhoid are now quite rare but were untreatable killers 150 years ago. Living in such terrible conditions meant that poor children were weak, malnourished and unable to fight off illness.

What did they eat in the Victorian era?

Victorians with more money enjoyed mutton, bacon, cheese, eggs, sugar, treacle and jam as part of their meals. Breakfast may involve ham, bacon, eggs and bread. People who lived near to the sea often ate a lot of fish too. Dishes like kedgeree were very popular.

How did rich Victorian children go to school?

At the start of the Victorian era, very few children actually attended school. Children from rich families would be educated at home by a governess (a female teacher). At the age of ten, boys would go to public schools, such as Eton or Harrow, and girls would continue their education at home.

How were girls treated in the Victorian era?

Victorians believed that a woman's proper and only place was to be within a household environment. The women were expected to marry, have children, and keep a nice household. Those were the only acceptable roles for women during that era.

How were Victorian children treated?

But with the increased demand for work during the Victorian era and industrial revolution came more and more demanding roles for children to fulfill. Many were used as cheap labour. Working long hours, children were often treated badly. Children started work as young as four or five years old.

What did Victorian children do for fun?

Children from rich families played with rocking horses, train sets, doll's houses and toy soldiers, whereas children from poor families tended to play with home-made toys such as peg dolls, spinning tops and skipping ropes. A popular toy during Victorian times was the thaumatrope.

What was the most common cause of death in the Victorian era?

Infectious diseases were the greatest cause of Victorian mortality. Most of these, such as smallpox, tuberculosis and influenza, were old scourges, but in 1831 Britain suffered its first epidemic of cholera.

What did poor Victorians drink?

Beer and gin were cheap, costing about 1d. Drink was also easier to get hold of than clean drinking water. This meant that many people drank alcohol instead and drunkeness was a problem in some areas. Illness and death were common, especially in children.

Why were there so many orphans in the Victorian era?

Smith found that dirt, and diseases like Typhus , Consumption and Cholera were responsible for high mortality rates in adults during the Victorian period (1979). Accordingly, there was a significant amount of children who would experience the loss of his parents.

What did Victorians call their parents?

The use of the terms "mum" and "dad" to refer to one's parents is a relatively recent development in the English language, dating back to the 19th century. Prior to this, it was more common to use formal titles such as "mother" and "father" or affectionate nicknames such as "mama" and "papa."

Did Victorians love their children?

Wealthy Victorian Children

While the wealthy children may have been spoiled and had a much better life than the poor children, they also had what would seem to be a sad, redundant and affection-less existence. Children were mostly raised by a nanny who would teach the child what was proper and what was not.

What was life like for a rich child in Victorian times?

Children from wealthy families were raised by nurses. They would often only see their parents once a day and had to call their fathers 'Sir'. These children played with expensive toys like clockwork trains or elaborate dolls houses. Girls from poor families played with dolls made out of wooden clothes pegs.

How did the Victorians treat the poor?

It was widely believed by the wealthiest Victorians that the poor only had themselves to blame for their pitiful existence and should not be helped. The very poor were treated like criminals, with nowhere else to go when they could no longer look after themselves but the workhouse.

What did poor Victorians do for a living?

Luxuries were not available to the millions of working poor, who toiled for long hours in mills (like Stott Park Bobbin Mill, Cumbria), mines, factories and docks. The dreadful working and living conditions of the early 19th century persisted in many areas until the end of the Victorian age.

Was life miserable in the 1800s?

Life for the average person in the 1800's was hard. Many lived a hand-to-mouth existence, working long hours in often harsh conditions. There was no electricity, running water or central heating.