Working Children
Children were made to do lots of horrid jobs during the Victorian times. Children as young as 5 years old were expected to work in order to earn money for their family. Some of the jobs they did were:
-Pure finder (finding dog muck in the streets to be used as cement)
-Mudlark
-Chimney sweep
-Coal miners
Coal mines
Children that worked in the coal mines would work very long hours for such little pay. Some of the jobs in the coal mine were:
-trapper (a child who opened and closed the doors in the mine)
-putter (a child who pushed the carts that were filled with coal)
-getter ( a child who would dig for the coal)
There were many risks for children that worked in the coal mines. For example, poisinous gases would cause explosions in the mines. In addition, rainwater would enter the cave and cause flooding. This caused many children to drown.
Watch the following video to find out what life was like for a child working in the coal mines.
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