An Essay Towards Regulating the Trade, and Employing the Poor of This Kingdom: Whereunto is Added, an Essay Towards Paying Off the Publick DebtsCary, John
History
An Essay Towards Regulating the Trade, and Employing the Poor of This Kingdom: Whereunto is Added, an Essay Towards Paying Off the Publick Debts
Cary, John
Great Britain -- Commercial policy; Great Britain -- Economic conditions -- 18th century; Poor -- Great Britain
A Mistress, whose Business was to look after the Kitchen and
Lodgings, to provide their Meals at set times, and other things which
related to the Government of the House.
Tutresses to teach them to Spin, under each of which we put Five and
Twenty Girls.
A School-Mistress, to teach them to Read.
Servants in the Kitchen, and for washing, &c. but these we soon
discharged, and caused our biggest Girls to take their Turns every
Week.
We also appointed an old Man to keep the Door, and to carry forth and
fetch in Work, and such kind of Services.
Being thus provided, we received in One Hundred Girls, and set them
to Work at Spinning of Worsted Yarn; all which we first caused to be
stript by the Mistress, Washed, and new Clothed from Head to Foot;
which, together with wholesome Dyet at set Hours, and good Beds to
Lye on, so incouraged the Children, that they willingly betook
themselves to their Work.
We likewise provided for them Apparel for _Sundays_; they went to
Church every Lord’s Day; were taught their Catechisms at home, and
had Prayers twice every Day; we appointed them set Hours for working,
eating, and playing; and gave them leave to walk on the Hills with
their Tutresses, when their Work was over, and the Weather fair; by
which means we won them into Civility, and a love to their Labour.
But we had a great deal of trouble with their Parents, and those who
formerly kept them, who having lost the sweetness of their Pay, did
all they could to set both their Children and others against us; but
this was soon over.
Hitherto things answered above our Expectations; our Children grew
sober, and Worked willingly, but we very much questioned, whether
their Labours at the Rates we were paid, would answer the charge of
their Maintenance; and if not, our great doubt was how we might
advance it, without prejudicing the Manufactures.
To clear the first, we supposed ourselves in a fair way, having
appointed their Diets to be made up of such Provisions as were very
wholesome, afforded good nourishment, and were not costly in Price,
_viz._ Beef, Pease, Potatoes, Broath, Pease-porridge, Milk-porridge,
Bread and Cheese, good Bear, (such as we drank at our own Tables)
Cabage, Carrots, Turnips, &c. in which we took the Advice of our
Physician, and bought the best of every sort. They had three Meals
every day, and as I remember, it stood us (with Soap to wash) in
about Sixteen pence _per_ Week for each of the One hundred Girls. We
soon found the effect of their Change of Living, Nature being well
supported, threw out a great deal of foulness, so that we had
generally Twenty down at a time, in the Measels, Small-pox, and other
Distempers; but by the Care of our Physician, and the Blessing of God
on his Endeavours, we never Buried but Two, though we have had seldom
less than One hundred in the House at any time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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