The Victorians

The Victorians

Children at work

Rich and poor families

In the Victorian times, many families had 10 or more children. Unfortunately, some of the children died as babies, or of diseases such as smallpox and diphtheria; Smallpox is a serious and contagious disease due to a virus. Symptoms usually occur about 12 - 14 days after you have been infected with the virus. They may include: Backache; Delirium; Diarrheal; Excessive bleeding. You would have been lucky if you made it to the age of 6!

Rich families could afford to wear warm clothing and were well fed, and could afford to go to go to school or were educated at home. Poor families did not have warm cloths and the children had to start work at 5 years of age. So you were lucky if you went to school!

Children at school

Who went to school?

At the start of the 19th century very few children went to school. Most poor children worked. If they went to school, their families lost the money they earned.

There were some good schools for boys like grammar schools.  Poor girls did not go to school meaning they had little education. Wealthy girls went to boarding school.