Industrial Britain, 1745–1901
Who lived on one street in 1851?
What does a single census page tell you about industrial Britain?
Watch first
An English teaching video on this topic from Simple History. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.
What you need
Tick each one as you find it — 0 of 3 ready.
Plan the fair test
- Change: The street or town you choose
- Measure: Birthplaces, ages at work, household sizes and occupations you count
- Keep the same: Twenty households, the same census year, the same four things recorded each time
Objectives this evidences
- Understand ideas, political power, industry and empire in Britain 1745-1901, including the Industrial Revolution and its impact on society
- Understand the methods of historical enquiry, including how evidence is used rigorously to make historical claims
Do it, one step at a time
Step 1 of 5
- Step 1. Choose one street and copy out twenty households: number of people, ages, occupations and birthplaces.
- Step 2. Count how many people were born in that town and how many moved in from elsewhere.
- Step 3. Find the youngest person recorded with a paid occupation, and list every job you do not recognise.
- Step 4. Work out the mean household size, then compare it with the household you live in now.
- Step 5. Write a paragraph answering the question, using two numbers you calculated yourself.
What should happen
Industrial streets are full of people born somewhere else, households are larger than yours, and children appear with paid jobs. The pattern of migration is usually the most striking finding.
Think about: The census records what a householder told an enumerator on one night. Name one kind of person likely to be missing from your twenty households.
Write up your result
A sentence or two is enough to save it.
The lessons behind this practical
Each one opens with the same short film, and the film has a written transcript underneath if reading is easier than watching.
Now the quiz for this topic
Questions come from the lessons behind this practical, so nothing is asked that has not been taught.
Quiz
Industrial Britain, 1745–1901 quiz
4 questions from the lessons in this stage. No timer, and you can try again as many times as you like.