Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T03:38:33.026Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Infant Mortality and Living Standards of English Workers During the Industrial Revolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2009

Paul Huck
Paul Huck
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27109.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Infant mortality data gathered from the registers of nine parishes in the industrial North of England are used as a concrete indicator of living standards for the early nineteenth century. Rising infant mortality in the sample parishes provides evidence that the standard of living was not improving substantially in these towns up to midcentury. This conclusion remains after considering the effect on mortality of population growth, climate, and feeding practices.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Economic History , Volume 55 , Issue 3 , September 1995 , pp. 528 - 550
Copyright
Copyright © The Economic History Association 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Armstrong, W. A. “The Trend of Mortality in Carlisle between the 1780s and the 1840s: A Demographic Contribution to the Standard of Living Debate,” Economic History Review, 2nd ser. 34, no. 1 (1981): 94–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bickmore, D., and Shaw, M., eds. The Atlas of Britain and Northern Ireland. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963.Google Scholar
Bourgeois-Pichat, J. “La Mesure de la Mortalite Infantile.” Population 6, no. 2 (1951): 233–48.Google Scholar
Boyer, , George, . “Malthus Was Right After All: Poor Relief and Birth Rates in Southeastern England.” Journal of Political Economy 97, no. 1 (1989): 93–114.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brinkman, , Jan, Henk, Drukker, J. W., and Slot, Brigitte. “Height and Income: A New Method for the Estimation of Historical National Income Series.” Explorations in Economic History 25, no. 3 (1988): 227–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, , John, . “The Condition of England and the Standard of Living: Cotton Textiles in the Northwest, 1806–1850.” this JOURNAL 50, no. 3 (1990): 591–614.Google Scholar
Bythell, D.The Handloom Weavers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1969.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Church of Latter Day Saints Genealogical Library. Collections. Salt Lake City, UT.Google Scholar
Clark, , Gregory, . “Agriculture and the Industrial Revolution: 1700–1850.” In The British Industrial Revolution: An Economic Perspective, edited by Joel, Mokyr, 227–66. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1993.Google Scholar
Crafts, N. F. R.British Economic Growth during the Industrial Revolution. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1985.Google Scholar
Easterlin, , Richard, , Pollak, Robert, and Wachter, Michael. “Toward a More General Economic Model of Fertility Determination.” In Population and Economic Change in Developing Countries, edited by Richard, Easterlin, 81–135. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.Google Scholar
Farr, , William, . Vital Statistics. Edited by Humphreys, N.. London: Sanitary Institute, 1885.Google Scholar
Feinstein, , Charles, . “The Rise and Fall of the Williamson Curve.” this JOURNAL 48, no. 3 (1988): 699–729.Google Scholar
Fildes, , Valerie, . Breasts, Bottles and Babies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1986.Google Scholar
Floud, , Robert, , Wachter, Kenneth, and Gregory, Annabel. Height, Health and History: Nutritional Status in the United Kingdom, 1750–1980. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freeman, T., Rodgers, H., and Kinvig, R.. Lancashire, Cheshire and the Isle of Man. London: Nelson, 1966.Google Scholar
Galloway, , Patrick, . “Annual Variations in Deaths by Age, Deaths by Cause, Prices, and Weather in London 1670 to 1830.” Population Studies 39, no. 3 (1985): 487–505.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Great Britain. “The Fifth Annual Report of the Registrar-General.” Parliamentary Papers (1843). Vol. 21.Google Scholar
Great Britain. “The Sixth Annual Report of the Registrar-General.” Parliamentary Papers (1844). Vol. 19.Google Scholar
Great Britain. “The Eighth and Ninth Annual Reports of the Registrar-General.” Parliamentary Papers (1847–1848). Vol. 25.Google Scholar
Great Britain. “Census of Great Britain.” Parliamentary Papers (1852–1853). Vols. 85–88.Google Scholar
Greene, , William, . Econometric Analysis. New York: Macmillan, 1993.Google Scholar
Haines, , Michael, . “Inequality and Childhood Mortality: A Comparison of England and Wales, 1911, and the United States, 1900.” this JOURNAL 45, no. 4 (1985): 885–912.Google ScholarPubMed
Hobsbawm, , Eric, . Labouring Men: Studies in the History of Labour. New York: Basic Books, 1964.Google Scholar
Horrell, , Sara, , and Humphries, Jane. “Old Questions, New Data, and Alternative Perspectives: Families’ Living Standards in the Industrial Revolution.” this JOURNAL 52, no. 4 (1992): 849–80.Google Scholar
Huck, , Paul, . “Infant Mortality in Nine Industrial Parishes in Northern England, 1813–1836.” Population Studies 48, no. 3 (1994): 513–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huck, , Paul, . Seasonality of Infant Deaths in Urban England During the Nineteenth Century. Unpublished Manuscript.Google Scholar
Jason, , Janine, , Nieburg, Philip, and Marks, James. “Mortality and Infectious Disease Associated with Infant-Feeding Practices in Developing Countries.” Pediatrics 74, no. 4, Pt. 2 (1984): 702–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jenkins, D., and Ponting, K.. The British Wool Textile Industry, 1770–1914. London: Heinemann Educational Books, 1982.Google Scholar
Jones, R. E. “Further Evidence on the Decline in Infant Mortality in Pre-Industrial England: North Shropshire, 1561–1810.” Population Studies 34, no. 2 (1980): 239–50.Google ScholarPubMed
Knodel, , John, . Demographic Behavior in the Past. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knodel, , John, , and Kinter, Hallie. “The Impact of Breast Feeding Patterns on the Biometric Analysis of Infant Mortality.” Demography 14, no. 4 (1977): 391–407.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Komlos, , John, . “The Secular Trend in the Biological Standard of Living in the United Kingdom, 1730–1860.” Economic History Review, 2nd ser. 46, no. 1 (1993): 115–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landers, , John, . “Mortality and Metropolis: The Case of London, 1675–1825.” Population Studies 41, no. 1 (1987): 59–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levine, , David, . Family Formation in an Age of Nascent Capitalism. New York: Academic Press, 1977.Google Scholar
Lewis, , Samuel, . Topographical Dictionary of England. London: S. Lewis and Co., 1844.Google Scholar
Lindert, , Peter, . “Unequal Living Standards.” In The Economic History of Britain since 1700, vol. 1, edited by Roderick, Floud and Donald, McCloskey, 357–86. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.Google Scholar
Lindert, , Peter, , and Williamson, Jeffrey. “English Workers’ Living Standards during the Industrial Revolution: A New Look.” Economic History Review, 2nd ser. 36, no. 1 (1983): 1–25.Google Scholar
Lindert, , Peter, , and Williamson, Jeffrey. “English Workers’ Real Wages: Reply to Crafts.” this JOURNAL 45, no. 1 (1985): 145–53.Google Scholar
Lithell, , Britt, Ulla. Breast Féeding and Reproduction. Uppsala: Uppsala University Press, 1981.Google Scholar
Lithell, , Britt, Ulla. “Breast Feeding Habits and their Relation to Infant Mortality and Fertility.” Journal of Family History 6, no. 2 (1981): 182–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manley, , Gordon, . “Central England Temperatures: Monthly Means 1659 to 1973.” Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 100 (1974): 389–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mata, , Leonard, , and Salas, Pilar. “Mucosal Infection and Malnutrition.” In Neonatal Infections: Nutritional and Immunologic interactions, edited by Pearay, Ogra, 299–313. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1984.Google Scholar
Mokyr, , Joel, . “Is There Still Life in the Pessimist Case? Consumption during the Industrial Revolution, 1790–1850.” this JOURNAL 48, no. 1 (1988): 69–92.Google Scholar
Mokyr, , Joel, . “Editor’s Introduction: The New Economic History and the Industrial Revolution.” In The British industrial Revolution: An Economic Perspective, edited by Joel, Mokyr, 1–131. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1993.Google Scholar
Morris, , D., MorrisMeasuring the Conditions of the World’s Poor: The Physical Quality of Ljfe Index. New York: Pergamon Press, 1979.Google Scholar
Nakamura, , Alice, , and Nakamura, Masao. “On the Relationship Among Several Specification Error Tests Presented by Durbin, Wu, and Hausman.” Economerrica 49, no. 6 (1981): 1583–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholas, , Stephen, , and Oxley, Deborah. “The Living Standards of Women During the Industrial Revolution, 1795–1820.” Economic History Review, 2nd ser. 46, no. 4 (1993): 723–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nicholas, , Stephen, , and Steckel, Richard. “Heights and Living Standards of English Workers During the Early Years of Industrialization, 1770–1815.” this JOURNAL 51, no. 4 (1991): 937–57.Google Scholar
Ogra, Pearay, and Losonsky, Genevieve. “Defense Factors in Products of Lactation.” In Neonatal Infections: Nutritional and Immunologic Interactions, edited by Ogra, Pearay, 67–87. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1984.Google Scholar
Pressat, , Roland, . Demographic Analysis. Chicago: Aldine-Atherton, 1972.Google Scholar
Sen, , Amartya, . The Standard of Living. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985.Google Scholar
Tanner, J. M.A History of the Study of Human Growth. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981.Google Scholar
Williamson, , Jeffrey, . “Was the Industrial Revolution Worth it? Disamenities and Death in 19th Century Towns.” Explorations in Economic History 19, no. 3 (1982): 221–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williamson, , Jeffrey, . Did British Capitalism Breed Inequality?. Boston: Allen and Unwin, 1985.Google Scholar
Williamson, , Jeffrey, . Coping with City Growth during the British Industrial Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolfe, , Barbara, , and Behrman, Jere. “Determinants of Child Mortality, Health, and Nutrition in a Developing Country.” Journal of Development Economics 11, no. 2 (1982): 163–93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woods, , Robert, . “On the Historical Relationship Between Infant and Adult Mortality.” Population Studies 47, no. 2 (1993): 195–219.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woods, , Robert, , Watterson, Patricia, and Woodward, John. “The Causes of Rapid Infant Mortality Decline in England and Wales, 1861–1921, Part I.” Population Studies 42, no. 3 (1988): 343–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woods, , Robert, , Watterson, Patricia, and Woodward, John. “The Causes of Rapid Infant Mortality Decline in England and Wales, 1861–1921, Part II.” Population Studies 43, no. 1 (1989): 113–32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wrigley, E. A. “Births and Baptisms: The Use of Anglican Baptism Registers as a Source of Information about the Numbers of Births in England before the Beginning of Civil Registration.” Population Studies 31, no. 2 (1977): 281–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wrigley, E. A., and Schofield, Roger. The Population History of England 1541–1871: A Reconstruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981.Google Scholar
Wrigley, E. A., and Schofield, Roger. “English Population History from Family Reconstitution.” Population Studies 37, no. 2 (1983): 157–84.Google ScholarPubMed