The handloom weavers: a study in the English cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution

'No other group of workers in the history of the English working-class has received more sympathy and less scholarly attention than the handloom weavers of the Lancashire cotton industry during the Industrial Revolution.' Mr Bythell's is a detailed study of this important group. His aim is to examine the transition from the domestic system to the factory system in cotton weaving in the first half of the nineteenth century. He provides detailed information on the geographical distribution of handloom weaving, the size and structure of the labour force, the varying history of employment, wages and standard of life, the efforts made by the weavers to alleviate their distress through industrial and political action, and their final displacement and disappearance. The results of his research enable Mr Bythell to challenge several of the generally accepted views about the weavers. Case study of the lancashire handloom textile workers during a period of major technological change affecting the cotton textile industry in the UK - covers working conditions, standard of living, trade union and strike action, public opinion, social reform, etc., and includes sociological aspects, political aspects, economic implications and social implications. Bibliography pp. 281 to 289, map and references