When was shaftesbury born

The statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus was erected as a memorial to him. Politician; philanthropist. This image can be purchased from Westminster Abbey Library. At different times of the day, or in different seasons, the light falling in the Abbey will light up something that you have walked past a million times and never seen before. Designed by.

Developed by. Toggle navigation. Born April 28 Died October 1 Endeared to his countrymen by a long life spent in the cause of the helpless and suffering. When his mother-in-law remarried it cemented his links to leading figures of the time: her new husband was the future Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston.

Later he represented Dorchester, Dorset and Bath. In his first significant speech, he called for changes to the care of mentally ill people. At the time, they were shut away in lunatic asylums in filthy, degrading conditions. Shaftesbury visited one in London to find the occupants all but naked, badly fed and spending long periods in chains.

He became chairman of the Lunacy Commissioners and continued to press for reform. By he had pushed through legislation which treated the mentally ill as people needing care, rather than social outcasts. But although it was offered on several occasions Shaftesbury declined.

His passion was to bring about social reform and he felt this was best done by holding a more independent political position. But his rank and influence meant he was consulted by Queen Victoria on occasions and asked by ministers to mediate when riots were brewing in Championing reforms in factories and mines In the early s there was growing unrest about the treatment of workers, particularly children, in mills and factories.

He later said he took up the cause after meditation and prayer. By he was leading the factory reform movement in parliament, pushing to have the working day in textile mills cut to 10 hours for women and children. Critics also accused Shaftesbury of ignorance about the real state of factories. The Ten Hours Act finally became law in , restricting the working time of women and adolescents. But on the ground, change did not always come and Shaftesbury kept up the pressure.

In he produced a report showing that children as young as four were still working in factories from 6am to 10pm Shaftesbury had quicker success in bringing about reform in the mines. Its first report on mines and collieries shocked society — most people were unaware that women and children worked underground. Shaftesbury had discovered that boys as young as four and five were being used. He also campaigned against the use of small boys as chimney sweeps, becoming chairman of the Climbing Boys Society.

A complete ban took decades of pressure but by he had helped introduce laws to regulate the trade. Education, housing and other reforms Shaftesbury was out of parliament for 18 months in For nearly 40 years Shaftesbury chaired the Ragged Schools Union, which provided free education for working class and destitute children.

Over his time in post, it is estimated that the Union helped about , children. Find out more about Victorian factory reforms , learn about William Wilberforce another famous British philanthropist and reformer , or visit our Victorians resources page.

Best website ever! I know. It helped me on my homework so much. I think that this website is good because it states all the facts you need to know about Lord Shaftesbury and is a great use for a History project! Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Very good, helped me with my history homework, and I get a lot!