1833Reputable sourceWell documented
The Factory Act of 1833
On the timeline · around 1833 ·
What happened
As reformers exposed the plight of children working long days in mills and mines, Parliament passed the Factory Act of 1833. It barred the employment of children under nine in textile factories, limited the hours of older children, required some schooling, and — crucially — appointed factory inspectors to enforce the law.
Why it matters
One of the first genuinely effective pieces of industrial labour regulation, the Act began the long process by which the state took responsibility for conditions at work.