Britain’s first effective Factory Act limiting child labour was passed in 1833. Officially called the Labour of Children, etc. in Factories Act 1833, it introduced enforceable national rules for children working in textile factories.
The Act prohibited the employment of children under nine in regulated textile mills and limited the working hours of children aged nine to thirteen. Their working day was restricted to eight hours, and children aged thirteen to eighteen could work no more than twelve hours. The law also required some schooling for younger workers.
Earlier legislation, including the 1802 Health and Morals of Apprentices Act and the Cotton Mills and Factories Act 1819, had attempted to protect child workers, but enforcement was weak. The crucial innovation in 1833 was the creation of a professional Factory Inspectorate with authority to investigate workplaces and prosecute violations.
Later Factory Acts extended regulation to women, reduced working hours, and improved safety requirements. The 1833 Act is therefore remembered not as Britain’s first factory law, but as the first one with a realistic enforcement system.