Summary

The lesson looks at the typical people who would live in an industrial town - it focuses on Merthyr Tydfil and asks the students to think about status.

The lesson then continues to look at the consequences of industrialisation upon towns under the guise of living and working conditions. Although the example given specifically focuses upon Merthyr Tydfil there are ample opportunities to draw the attention of students to other towns within Wales and Britain as a whole. The more able should be able to relate the experiences of Merthyr Tydfil to some of the industrial towns.

Suitable for

Year 9

Prior learning required

It would be ideal if the students had an overview of the 19^th century and an introduction to agricultural ways of life and could study the concepts of the agricultural revolution in order to place the Industrial Revolution within its context. It would be useful if the students could experience why people moved to towns as a link to this topic and it could also provide a comparative study between rural and urban Wales at a later date. For a more complete understanding of the period as a whole they would ideally need to look at the previous lesson - though both can be used in isolation if need be.

Aims and objectives

By the end of this lesson students should:

have gained background knowledge on the growth of industrial towns
understand the different social structure in 19^th-century Wales
be able to make links to how life changed for Welsh people over the course of the Industrial Revolution
understand the nature of living and working conditions in industrial towns
understand the nature of historical sources from the period

Timings

Within the context of the prior learning it is envisaged that this would take one or two lessons, dependent upon class ability and time constraints of the lesson and access to IT facilities. It would in all probability only form part of an in-depth study of industrialisation in Wales, and only one of several resources for teachers of this period.

Suggestions for differentiation

Differentiation built in.

Further activity suggestions

Students to investigate English towns and look at the growth and consequences there in order to place Welsh towns within their British framework and to allow comparative studies to take place. Possibly even communicate with an English school which is working on similar topics.
Investigate other aspects of industrialisation, for example working children, by investigating the reports of the Royal Commission.
Investigate the different aspects of society in the town to make a contrast with the rural setting at this time.
Could investigate the growth of towns in north Wales and undertake a study of the slate quarrying communities or even look at the Rhondda and coal in the later part of the century to see if the same mistakes were made or improvements initiated.
Use as a basis to look at Wales' position within the wider framework of the world - "Where did iron from Merthyr go?"

Further reading

K Strange, Merthyr Tydfil in the 1840s, Ph.D. thesis, University of Wales.

Although black and white, there is a good mix of text and pictures. Probably of more use to more able students due to the terminology used in the text. It can provide an ideal insight into life in an industrial town, as Merthyr is an excellent Welsh example to highlight a British phenomenon during the 19^th century. A teacher may wish to merely use sections of the book or adapt for a particular class.

John Simkin, Wales in Industrial Britain, National curriculum Welsh history, Spartacus, 1993.

A book produced as a result of the introduction of the national curriculum and it provides good coverage of the whole period. Extension tasks could be set from this book in addition to work already completed by the students but the tasks given are again, probably more suited to the more able student. However, teachers will need to assess this themselves given their own knowledge of their particular students.

JF Aylett, In Search of History or Understanding History, Hodder and Staughton Educational.

Two old favourites that are usually found in history store cupboards. Does life in the industrial town well for all types of students.

Curriculum links

History - Wales in Industrial Britain, c 1760-1914
Students should be taught about the social, economic and technological transformation of Wales and Britain during a period of industrialisation, its effects and the social, cultural, religious and political response to them in Wales and Britain.

An investigation on the Victorian poor could take place in conjunction with the English department - an investigation into Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. Historical investigation from the history lesson, extension of literacy and literature through English. This would be ideal as poverty and paupers increase during the industrial age. From this point, students might even wish to investigate further the health of the Victorian populace and links could be made to either health and social care or food technology.