The Victorian Times

Nona Almenario

1845

Blight Strikes Plants in England

In September 1845, potato plants began
rotting all over Ireland as the fungus spread to other
plants. Potatoes were a huge part of their daily diet.
The North American ships travelling to England
caused this disaster.
This is not the first time this has happened,
but this is worse than the others. Some of the signs
that diseased plants show are a sick stench and
discolor of potato leaves. Because of the moist
conditions of England, when one potato got diseased,
the blight was easily spread throughout the potato
farms.
The shortage of potatoes caused the
population of England as millions of people starved
to death and moved out of the country. The decrease
in population led to a shortage of workers and a
lower birth rate.
When news spread to London in October
1845, the prime minister hired a commission to
overlook the problem. They announced it was caused
due to wet rot. The townspeople thought the blight
was from vapors or electricity from the new trains.

Child Labor Hurting Children

Why are children working with terrible
conditions? Many children work for 12-16 hours with
not enough food to satisfy their diet. Also nearly
22,000 people die in their workplaces. We should
come together and recognize that we shouldnt put
these children in danger anymore.
These children are degrading as they work
with little muscles. Although people think that
children are the better size to work in these factories,
they are at more risk to hurt themselves, for they are
not as careful as adults.
There needs to be a stop to this madness.
Children should be in school or be with their mothers
and fathers. We need to write a law that only allows
people at the age of 14 and above to work in these
factories.
These changes can make people in the future
more able to work and live a healthier life. They will
be able to help make their country a safer place to
live in.

Queen Buys House

In October 1845, Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert buy an Osbourne house. They wanted to find a
home that was free from the stressful life of London.
It was used to show people that they were happy.
The 342 acre house was built by Thomas
Cubitt and was designed in an Italian Renaissance
style. Also, it was filled with elaborate art work and
furnishings. The Royal Pavilion was sold to pay for
the furnishings.
The house links to other royal families and
provided a place for their children and a place to
celebrate each others birthday.

Explorer Lost
In May 1845 Sir John Franklin, explorer, set
with two ships and 129 men to find the Northwest
Passage. This was his third voyage. Franklin wanted
to search by of Lancaster Sound and continue from
there.
Everything seemed okay. There was enough
food, heating, books, etc. Although there was enough
ship supplies, there clothing was not suitable for the
weather, for it was too thin.
His crew was last seen by whalers in July
1845. They most likely died from the ice or lead
poisoning.

Child in the Industrial Revolution working in the

tough conditions of his workplace.