James
Heywood,
the fifth son of the Nathaniel
Heywood, the Manchester banker, was
born in 1810. Educated at Trinity College,
Cambridge, he married Annie Kennedy,
daughter of John Kennedy, in 1853.
Heywood
represented Lancashire in the House of Commons
between 1831-1857. He favoured moderate extension of the vote but
was against legislation on child labour.
James Heywood died on 17th April, 1872.
Child
Labour Debate Activity (International School of Toulouse)
Child
Labour Simulation (Spartacus Educational)
James
Heywood, speech, House of Commons (16th
March, 1836)
This
is a question in which the interests of a large portion of my constituents.
If the provisions of this bill is enforced, and if all persons under
eighteen years of age were prevented from working more than ten hours
per day, great distress among the working classes would be the inevitable
consequences. They are paid by the quantity of work done, and their
wages would be diminished in proportion to the lessened time allowed
them. I know the case of a single family - a father and eight children,
all upwards of fourteen years of age - whose earnings were diminished
by 13s. in the first week after the act of the last session came into
operation. Now they had before worked thirteen hours and a half in
the day, and were then reduced to twelve. Under the present bill,
reducing the hours to ten, this same family would suffer a further
reduction of 15s. a week.
My fear is, that, from mistaken notions of humanity, we may inflict
upon the working classes a deeper wound than we propose to cure. We
must remember that food and clothing are as essential to health as
air and exercise; and take care that while we give the later we do
not take away the former.
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