Who were the Victorians?

The Victorian Period

Cartoon image of Queen Victoria in a horse and a carriage with crowds waving their hats and flags.

The Victorian Period took place between 1837 and 1901 when Queen Victoria ruled. It was a time of significant change as the British Empire grew and the Industrial Revolution changed the country.

From new inventions like the steam engine, to changes in literature, science and culture, Britain became a powerful and wealthy industrial country.

The gap between the rich and poor increased, but new laws were made to improve the working conditions for many workers and made sure children attended school.

Important words for the Victorians

Keyword	Definition
Empire	A large group of countries that are ruled by one ruler or government.
Slum	A poor part of a Victorian city where many people often lived in crowded homes.
Trade	The buying and selling of goods.
Steam engine	A machine which uses steam from boiling water to create movement.
Rural	An open area of land which has a low population, such as a village.
Industrial	The making of different goods.
Coal	A hard black rock that can be burned as a fuel.
Locomotive	The front of a train. It uses fuel like coal to power itself and pull other carriages along the track.

What was the British Empire?

Image of tea leaves that are green. — Image caption,
The British Empire also traded tea which was grown in colonies like India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

The British Empire was a large group of countries that were ruled by Britain. It first began in the late 1500s under Queen Elizabeth I, but it grew to become its biggest in size and power during the Victorian Period.

Some of these countries included Canada, Jamaica, Kenya, India and Australia. The empire was often called ‘the empire on which the sun never sets’ because it was always daylight in at least one of the countries it controlled.

Britain’s empire allowed it to gather and trade many different materials, such as metals, sugar and tobacco which helped Britain become very wealthy.

How did the Industrial Revolution change daily life in Britain?

Image of an old Victorian cotton mill/factory. It is a modern day picture. — Image caption,
An old Victorian cotton mill in Manchester. Many Victorian mills and factory buildings have survived and are now often museums, flats, or offices.

The Industrial Revolution was a time of significant change in Britain. Before this, most people lived in small villages in rural areas. They worked on the land and made things by hand in their homes.

Then new technology, such as the steam engine, helped to power machines in factories that made goods much quicker. It also helped people to travel across the country on trains. By 1800, Britain used over 2,500 steam engines.

Many people moved from the countryside to cities like Manchester, Glasgow and Liverpool to find work.

Working in factories and coal mines was hard and dangerous. To improve working conditions, new laws were introduced like the 1870 Education Act (every child between five and ten had to go to school) and other laws that improved the safety of dangerous machines.

Who lived in Victorian Britain?

Victorian illustration of a factory. There is a large building and a chimney blowing smoke.

Throughout the Victorian period, the gap between rich and poor people became much larger, but a new middle-class of people also started to grow. They had jobs like managing factories and owning shops.

Most people in Victorian Britain belonged to the working class. They were often unskilled workers who worked hard and difficult jobs in places like factories, railways and coal mines. They lived in overcrowded slums that were often dirty and had no running water.

As the British Empire grew, migrants came to Britain to work in many different jobs, such as: sailors and dockworkers who helped to move goods across the seas, domestic servants who worked in the homes of wealthy families, and students who studied in British universities.

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Image caption,
A photograph showing a wealthy middle-class Victorian wedding party. Wealthy and middle-class Victorians lived comfortable lives. They could afford expensive clothes and fine jewellery. They did not work in factories and had time for parties.
Image caption,
Many wealthy middle-class Victorians lived in large houses with many rooms. They paid servants to do all of the housework, such as the cooking and cleaning. Most wealthy families had at least one servant to help them.
Image caption,
Working class people completed many different jobs in Victorian Britain. This photograph shows skilled stonemasons at work. They worked long hours and very hard to build the new houses and factories of Britain.
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Working class families often lived in small, cramped houses built very close together. The streets would often be dirty and did not have fresh water. This illustration shows back-to-back terraced housing in London.
Image caption,
This image shows immigrants arriving in London to start a new life. Many immigrants came to Britain to find work in factories or to start new businesses.

How do we know about the Victorian period?

Image of the entrance of the Victoria and Albert museum. There is a statue of Prince Albert at the top. — Image caption,
The Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum was opened during the Victorian period. This is a statue of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. The museum contains over a million objects and historians use the museum to learn more about the Victorians.

Historians use the many primary sources of evidence from the Victorian period (that's the objects and writing the Victorians made themselves) to study and learn about what happened at that time.

Photographs that were taken during the Victorian Period help historians know what people wore and what cities or streets looked like.
Written records, such as newspaper articles, letters or even people’s diaries (we even have Queen Victoria's diary!) which can help historians understand what people thought about at the time.
Objects, such as toys, tools, clothing, ornaments and even buildings have survived or been discovered. These can help historians understand what they were used for.
Census records which help historians understand and learn about who lived in houses across Britain, what they did and how old they were.

Think like a historian

Orange thought bubble that says Thinking Points!

Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to each question. You could even write them down on a piece of paper or discuss them with somebody else if you want to.

Why was the invention of the steam engine was so significant in Victorian Britain?
How do you think the way people worked changed during the Victorian Period?
What do you think was the most significant difference between the middle and working class in Victorian Britain?
Why do you think the Education Act was so significant for the lives of Victorian children?