OASTLER RICHARD 1789-1861 MANUFACTURER

Letter to John Foster of 1 Vincent's Square, Westminster, referring to his work on factory legislation and friend Michael Sadler.

Richard Oastler 1789 - 1861

Richard Oastler, the son of a clothing merchant, was born in Leeds on 20th December, 1789. Oastler attended a Moravian boarding school from 1798 to 1810 and became a commission agent. In 1820 he was appointed as steward for Thomas Thornhill, the absentee landlord of Fixby, a large estate near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Unlike many of the people in the factory reform movement, Oastler was a supporter of the Tory Party. He opposed universal suffrage and trade unions. At the same time, Oastler believed it was the responsibility of the ruling class to protect the weak and vulnerable. He thought the 1834 Poor Law was too harsh and campaigned for reform. Oastler believed the best protection for children was to implement a maximum ten hour day. On 29th September 1830, Oastler wrote a letter to the Leeds Mercury attacking the employment of young children in textile factories. John Hobhouse, the Radical MP read the letter and decided to introduce a bill restricting child labour. After details of Hobhouse's Bill was published, workers began forming what became known as Short Time Committees in an effort to help promote its passage through Parliament. The first Short Time Committees were formed in Huddersfield and Leeds but within a few months, with the help of Richard Oastler, they were established in most of the major textile towns.

Hobhouse's proposals for factory legislation were discussed in Parliament in September 1831. Richard Oastler and the Short Time Committees were furious when Hobhouse agreed to make changes to his proposals. Although Hobhouse's Bill was passed it only applied to cotton factories and failed to provide any machinery for its enforcement. Unhappy with what Hobhouse had achieved, the Short Time Committees continued to work for factory legislation. Known for his oratory, Richard Oastler soon became leader of what was now known as the Ten Hour Movement.

In 1836 Oastler began advocating workers use strikes and sabotage in their campaign for factory legislation and changes in the poor law. When Thomas Thornhill heard about this he sacked Oastler from his post as steward of Fixby. He also began legal proceedings against Oastler for unpaid debts. Unable to pay back the money he owed, Oastler was jailed for debt in December 1840. His friends began raising money to help him but it was not until February 1844 that the debt was paid and Oastler was released from Fleet Prison. Once released, Oastler returned to his campaign for the ten hour day.

In 1847, Parliament passed an act that stated that children between 13 and 18 and women were not to work for more than ten hours a day and 58 hours a week. However, the 1847 Factory Act only applied to parts of the textile industry. It was not until 1867, six years after the death of Richard Oastler, that the Factory Acts applied to all places of manufacturing.

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