ABSTRACT
Around the turn of the nineteenth century little state provision existed to provide a ‘safety net’ for the poor. At that time children were expected to help towards the family budget, often working long hours in extremely dangerous jobs and in difficult situations for a meagre wage. It was left to charitable organizations to try and plug the gaps. The Waifs and Strays Society was one of the first charitable organizations established to try to alleviate child poverty on a national scale. They highlighted the plight of the climbing boys who were employed to sweep chimneys, and that of the children in the mills who crawled under the heavy machinery (while in motion), to retrieve cotton bobbins. Both boys and girls were employed in the coal mines, scrambling their way through tunnels which were too narrow and low for adults. Children were often required to work to supplement the family income by doing ad hoc work such as flower or match selling or shoe shining (Hidden Lives).
