Grace Fradd 1899

Grace Fradd was born about 1899 in Torquay, Devonshire, England.  She was one of eight children born to Thomas and Mary Fradd [nee Unknown].

Grace was employed as a part-time Frame Tenter in a Cotton Mill in 1911 in Bankside Cottage, Darwen, Lancashire. Her elder brother Ernest worked as a Cotton Weaver while her sister Florence was employed as a Cotton Winder. 

Victorian attitudes towards children were vastly different from those of today. "Childhood", they said, "was a time of preparation for adulthood, for work and responsibility."

Children of the lower classes did not play but rather worked to help support the family. A father with children could actually be refused Parish relief, as it was felt that the children could help support the family. Many families could not afford having a mouth to feed that did not pay its way. There were precious few schools for the masses to attend and even less opportunity to consider the luxury of an education. For many, just keeping food on their table, a roof over their head and clothes on their backs was a daily struggle.

Children from lower class families were sent out to work in mines, brick yards, woollen mills, and factories of all kinds from the time they were very young. Children were a source of income and so were put to work as soon as possible to add even a few pence to the meagre family income.

Grace was listed as a part- time Student and Cotton Winder at just 12 years old in the 1911 census.

 

1911 Census

Child Labour has always played a part in textile manufacture. Under the domestic system children assisted their parents whether they were spinners or handloom weavers. This pattern was carried on in the early years of the factory system that was dominated by spinning.

But with the widespread introduction of the power loom in Blackburn 1830, after the power loom riots of 1826 the demand for the labour of both women workers and children grew.
Children were quite capable of performing many of the tasks required in weaving and had the added attraction of being cheap. The type of jobs the children had to perform was varied but mainly the least skilled.
The most common was ‘scavenging' or cleaning the machinery and floors. This could be hazardous since work did not cease whilst they performed these tasks and, therefore, they often found themselves completing these tasks, including cleaning under the machinery, whilst they were still working.
Many children were injured or even killed cleaning whilst the machines were in motion was finally banned under the 1878 Factory Act. Children also had to oil and wipe down the machines during the midday mealtime break and at the end of the day as well replenishing the fire buckets and making tea when required or fetching the dinners of the workers.
The main role for children in the Blackburn weaving mills was as ‘tenters'. Their job was to watch over the looms warning the weavers when anything appeared to be going wrong or needed attention. This allowed the weavers to look after more looms whilst at the same time the children were leaning the job.
Factory Acts were passed from 1819 to limit the age of those employed and their hours and conditions of work. In Blackburn, however, because of the half-time system 29% of all twelve year olds were still being employed on a part time basis in 1914 mostly in the cotton mills. After the age of thirteen was reached full-time working was allowed.