The Victorian Town Child

by Pamela Horn

As 19th-century Britain became increasingly urban and industrialized, the number of children living in towns grew rapidly. At the same time, urban society itself became increasingly divided, as rich and poor became more segregated. The difference between the well-off children of the smart town houses and the poor children of the slums, in their dress, education and activities, was all too obvious. In response, there was a great change in public attitudes towards children and childhood and a widening of legislative regulation and control, particularly with regard to youngsters at the lower end of the social scale. By the end of the century, concern over the position of deprived children found expression in the newly-formed charitable organizations, such as Dr Barnardo's and the NSPCC. Drawing on contemporary accounts and original research, this book describes in detail the changing lives of all classes of Victorian town children.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

About the author

Pamela Horn is an historian specialising in Victorian social history. The author of acclaimed books on rural life, servant lives and childhood, she lectured on economic and social history at Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, for over twenty years.

Reviews

[David Forsyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horn's work, dense with insights and statistics, is an interesting study of the lives of urban nineteenth century minors with respect to their employment, education and well-being. The book explores the efforts of adults to both exploit and protect urban children amid varying conditions throughout Queen Victoria's reign. While those who read for entertainment alone may find The Victorian Town Child slightly lacking, those with a passion for histroy, particularly social history, will find this non-fiction work worthy of the investment of a few hours of reading.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read and re-read. Excellent book if you want to learn about life in the Victorian era

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It told me a lot about what life was like for my Great Grandmother and her siblings at the end of the 19th century.