Victorian Britain - 1837 to 1901

64 years, longer than any other British monarch.

Her reign was a period of significant social, economic and technological change, which saw the expansion (развитие) of Britain's industrial power and of the British empire.
20 June 1837 - 22 January 1901.
Victoria married her cousin, Prince Albert.
In 1837 most people lived in villages and worked on the land;
by 1901, most lived in towns and worked in offices, shops and factories.

richest country in the world, with the largest empire that had

ever existed, ruling a quarter of the world's population. - Towns and cities got piped water, gas and, by the end of the century, electricity
The number of people living in Britain more than doubled from 16 million to 37 million, causing a huge demand for food, clothes and housing. 
- Factories and machines were built to meet this demand and new towns grew up, changing the landscape and the ways people lived and worked. 
- Railways, originally built to transport goods, meant people could travel easily around the country for the first time. Railways brought new foods to towns and cities.

Up until then children had to pay to go to

school.
Queen Victoria's reign brought many improvements to the education of children, especially for the poor children.

The Victorians came up with the idea that all children should go to school, and they checked to make sure the schools were up to scratch too. They were the first people to ask whether it was right to allow children to work. They introduced laws saying what you could and could not expect children to do.

never went to school at all and grew up unable

to read or write. Instead they were sent out to work to earn money for their families. Only the upper and middle class children went to school.
Rich Children
Children from rich families were taught at home by a governess until they were 10 years old. Once a boy turned ten, he went away to Public schools like Eton or Harrow. There were very few schools available for girls, however, until near the end of the Victorian time.  Wealthy girls were mostly educated at home.

free charity schools or 'Dame' schools (so called because they

were run by women) for young children. They also went to Sunday Schools which were run by churches. There they learnt bible stories and were taught to read a little.
Why go to school?
The Victorians soon realised that it was important for people to be able to read and write and education became more important. The Church of England became active in the field and erected 'National Schools' which taught children reading, writing, arithmetic and religion.

became mandatory. All children had to attend a school until

they were 10 years old. In 1889, the school leaving age was raised to twelve, and in 1891, the school's pence fee was abolished and schools became free.
What were the schools like?
There could be as many as 70 or 80 pupils in one class, especially in cities. The teachers were very strict. Children were often taught by reading and copying things down, or chanting things till they were perfect.