Factory Acts

A series of Acts providing for the inspection and regulation of factories in Great Britain. The first Act dealing with this question was the Cotton Industry Act of 1831, and further legislation took place in 1834, 1844, 1850, 1864, 1867, 1870, and 1874, some of these Acts relating to factories as a whole, and others to particular trades. The most important enactment, however, is that of 1878, which deals with factories and workshops of all kinds, as well as with domestic workshops. Regulations are made limiting the hours of employment of women, young persons, and children, forbidding the carrying on of certain trades by women, and providing for systematic inspection by Government officials.