History of Leeds - Poverty and Riches

Some of the worst working conditions were found in the flax industry. Women and children as young as nine were employed in the mills, because they were cheaper to employ than men and were more submissive. Marshall and Co preferred older children of 11 or 12 rather than the younger ones of nine or 10 as they worked harder and did not have to be supervised. Working conditions were harsh, the hours long, (69 hours a week), and the wages low.

Accidents were common. Working such long hours, on an inadequate diet, meant that the workers were frequently tired and made mistakes in operating the heavy and dangerous machinery. There were usually no guards on the machinery to prevent accidents; the air was full of dust, especially in the heckling room of a flax mill. The work was physically exhausting, and often caused children to suffer physical deformity. Eliza Marshall was one of these. She appeared before the Factory Commission in 1832, as did others working in factories in Leeds. She stated: 'I live in a cellar. I pay 1s a week for it. I have no mother. I live with my little sisters.’

She described working in the factories from the age of 9. By the time she was 11 she was starting to go lame due to the long hours and harsh conditions. By the age of 17 she was too ill to work. The Factory commission also heard how even the youngest children worked from 5 in the morning to 9 at night. One boy, James Carpenter, reported on the number of accidents:

'Harriet Wilson worked at Mr. Tennant's: her arms were taken off by the side gearing of a card, on the opposite side to where the straps run. I saw it done. She was picking the flyings off, just a little before 12 o'clock in the day; and the wheel caught her sleeve and pulled one arm in. In trying to extricate that the other went in.'