1. By Victoria MacLeod, Aynsleigh McGhie & Lily O’Mahony-Gibson

2.  In the late eighteenth century, context classes became the more or less social groupings of British society. They tended to be split into 3 different categories.  Upper Class  Middle Class  Working Class

3.  The Upper Class were very much ‘the elite’. They lived in luxury, with servants, grand houses, majestic parties, flamboyant clothing and delicious food.  The Upper Class were in control over political issues.

4.  The Middle Class were the persons whom worked in respected jobs, such as teaching, law, accountancy, clergymen, civil servants and doctors.  They received political power in 1832. 

5.  The working class were treated very poorly. They lived in deprived slums which were unsanitary and overcrowded. They received low wages, had a poor diet, insecure employment and were constantly effected by illness and disease.

6.  The Workhouses of the Victorian era were filled with poor families working to earn their living. They were over-crowded and in some cases, extremely dangerous. Their welfare was not cared for and crime was a common occurrence in this type of workplace.

7.  Prostitution – ‘The great social-evil’ rapidly evolved during the Victorian age. Women were selling themselves on the streets in a desperate strive for money. In the 1850’s there were reportedly 8600 prostitutes in London alone They were commonly found in areas such as Whitechapel in London and this ‘profession’ led to the spread of disease. Prostitutes tended to be within the age of 15-22  Child Labour was another huge problem in the Victorian era. Children as young as three years old, were being sent to work in dangerous workhouses, handling large machines and working in mines. Children were also used as Chimney-sweeps because there small frames were able to fit through chimney tunnels. At the beginning of the century children worked up to 16 hours a day, eventually this rate was reduced to 10 hour working days.

9.  Crime was a huge problem. Not only in the workhouses but on the streets and in the slums. Murder and rape were regular episodes, with theft following as a main occurrence. ‘Pick- pockets’ were found everywhere, various children survived on what they stole.  Jack the ripper – a famous murderer from Whitechapel, was never found and still remains a mystery. He murdered various prostitutes and dissected their bodies, leaving their anatomy severed.

10.  The Political status in the Victorian era was controlled by the upper-class, including the royal family. The working class had no say whatsoever and it wasn’t until mid- century when the middle-class became involved.  Queen Victoria, the longest reigning monarch to date, was in power from 1837-1901.

11.  Charles Dickens showed great concern for the despicable conditions of London slums and campaigned for their improvement. His hatred for the slums lead to some of his famous work such as Oliver, which includes child labour. As well as Great Expectations which provide the reader with the truth of what it was like to live in the different urban classes of the Victorian age.  He included vivid characters, plot complications and were overflowing with humour and drama.  He also wrote for various newspapers to try and raise awareness of the terrible conditions poor people were working and living in.

12. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primary history/victorian_britain/rich_and_poor _families/#resources-videos