Factory legislation had first passed parliament in 1819 - limiting those aged nine and above to a twelve hour day. Further legislation in 1833 prohibited the employment of under nines in mills and further restricted the time over nines could work. An act of 1844 moved the position further but, in 1850, the Factory Act restricted all women and young people to no more than ten-and-a-half hours work a day.From the 1850s, Britain was the leading industrial power in the world. Superseding the early dominance of textiles, railway, construction, iron- and steel-working soon gave new impetus to the British economy.
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