From Fields to Factories: The History of Child Labour in Britain

We trace how children first contributed to rural economies and then were exploited under the Industrial Revolution’s cotton mills and coal mines. The episode explores Parliament’s early investigations, laws limiting working hours, and the rise of compulsory schooling that reshaped childhood. It shows how economic necessity, state intervention, and changing public conscience transformed Britain’s labour market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices