# Mines and Collieries Act restricts underground labour (1842)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1842-mines-and-collieries-act-restricts-underground-labour
Categories: main-event

Parliament banned women and girls and very young boys from underground mine work. Within the broader Victorian Britain period, industrial society, mass politics, public-health reform, global empire and the Irish question dominated public life. This event is placed at 1842 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The law reflected rising concern about industrial conditions and state responsibility for labour standards.

## Why it matters
The law reflected rising concern about industrial conditions and state responsibility for labour standards.

Ruler at the time: [Victoria](https://english-history.com/rulers/victoria)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Mines and Collieries Act restricts underground labour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Mines+and+Collieries+Act+restricts+underground+labour&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Mines and Collieries Act restricts underground labour](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Mines+and+Collieries+Act+restricts+underground+labour)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%281800%E2%80%931899%29)
- [The National Archives — Victorian resources](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/)