the night. Unable to afford a more salubrious establishment, they were forced to resort to the common lodging houses.
Lousy surroundings and the prospect of another day’s hard graft in front of them made the lodgers yearn for home comforts and in particular, female company. Consequently, the second scourge of Spitalfields arrived – prostitution. At first, the Spitalfields prostitutes were just another part of life for a busy market area with a highly transient population. However, by the middle of the 19th century, Spitalfields was undergoing a period of damaging social change that would transform the area for nearly 150 years.
In 1826, the remaining Spitalfields silk weavers were dealt a devastating setback when, in the spirit of free trade, the Government finally allowed French silk to be imported to the UK. Although a 30% tariff was levied on the imports, the market was flooded and in consequence, the weavers’ wages were halved virtually overnight. Had this state of affairs occurred 50 years previously, the weavers may have had the energy and resources to protest and halt the trade, but by the 1820s, the departure of most of the master weavers from Spitalfields had left their erstwhile workers barely able to scratch a living. The fact that their already insufficient wages were now halved made their position impossible. The vast majority of the firms that had stayed in Spitalfields either packed up shop or moved out to the country, where at least their overheads would be lower.
The journeymen weavers and throwsters were left with the option of either deserting the area in search of work elsewhere or staying put and finding a way to supplement their wages. Crime increased as impoverished weavers were compelled to steal food for their families and some of their womenfolk were forced into the ultimate indignity of prostitution. Families were forced to move to cheaper lodgings and some even had to resort to the foul common lodging houses.
In 1846, the Spitalfields silk weaving industry received its final, fatal blow when the duty on French silk was halved. This time, the impoverished weavers resigned themselves to the fact that the good times were never coming back and didn’t even bother to register much of a protest. The devastating blow suffered by Spitalfields as a result of the demise of the silk weaving industry is clearly shown in statistics from the period. In 1831, (when it must be remembered that many weaving firms had already left the area) there were up to 17,000 looms in Spitalfields and 50,000 residents were dependent on the silk weaving industry. By 1851, just 21,000 individuals were employed in the silk industry in the whole of London.
The Huguenot families who had made their fortunes in Spitalfields tried their best to help their impoverished ex-employees. For example, in 1834, George Fournier left a large bequest to the Spitalfields poor in his will. His generosity was remembered by renaming the road that ran along the side of Christ Church, Fournier Street. However, the silk industry was by this stage terminally sick and nothing could be done to prevent its ultimate demise.
Chapter 8
Serious Overcrowding
By the 1830s, the plight of the silk weavers had created a problem the parish couldn’t ignore. As Spitalfields’ fortunes faded, local properties, particularly those around Christ Church, became ridiculously overcrowded as residents attempted to reduce individual rent bills. In addition, the buildings into which the poor families were crammed were very old and had been neglected for so many years that they were beginning to fall apart at the seams. These rookeries posed two problems for the Parish Council and local members of Parliament.
Firstly, the old and dilapidated houses had not only become home to hundreds of Spitalfields poor, but their maze of ancient alleyways and courts also attracted felons who found them perfect hideouts and meeting places. In addition to this, Spitalfields
Lousy surroundings and the prospect of another day’s hard graft in front of them made the lodgers yearn for home comforts and in particular, female company. Consequently, the second scourge of Spitalfields arrived – prostitution. At first, the Spitalfields prostitutes were just another part of life for a busy market area with a highly transient population. However, by the middle of the 19th century, Spitalfields was undergoing a period of damaging social change that would transform the area for nearly 150 years.
In 1826, the remaining Spitalfields silk weavers were dealt a devastating setback when, in the spirit of free trade, the Government finally allowed French silk to be imported to the UK. Although a 30% tariff was levied on the imports, the market was flooded and in consequence, the weavers’ wages were halved virtually overnight. Had this state of affairs occurred 50 years previously, the weavers may have had the energy and resources to protest and halt the trade, but by the 1820s, the departure of most of the master weavers from Spitalfields had left their erstwhile workers barely able to scratch a living. The fact that their already insufficient wages were now halved made their position impossible. The vast majority of the firms that had stayed in Spitalfields either packed up shop or moved out to the country, where at least their overheads would be lower.
The journeymen weavers and throwsters were left with the option of either deserting the area in search of work elsewhere or staying put and finding a way to supplement their wages. Crime increased as impoverished weavers were compelled to steal food for their families and some of their womenfolk were forced into the ultimate indignity of prostitution. Families were forced to move to cheaper lodgings and some even had to resort to the foul common lodging houses.
In 1846, the Spitalfields silk weaving industry received its final, fatal blow when the duty on French silk was halved. This time, the impoverished weavers resigned themselves to the fact that the good times were never coming back and didn’t even bother to register much of a protest. The devastating blow suffered by Spitalfields as a result of the demise of the silk weaving industry is clearly shown in statistics from the period. In 1831, (when it must be remembered that many weaving firms had already left the area) there were up to 17,000 looms in Spitalfields and 50,000 residents were dependent on the silk weaving industry. By 1851, just 21,000 individuals were employed in the silk industry in the whole of London.
The Huguenot families who had made their fortunes in Spitalfields tried their best to help their impoverished ex-employees. For example, in 1834, George Fournier left a large bequest to the Spitalfields poor in his will. His generosity was remembered by renaming the road that ran along the side of Christ Church, Fournier Street. However, the silk industry was by this stage terminally sick and nothing could be done to prevent its ultimate demise.
Chapter 8
Serious Overcrowding
By the 1830s, the plight of the silk weavers had created a problem the parish couldn’t ignore. As Spitalfields’ fortunes faded, local properties, particularly those around Christ Church, became ridiculously overcrowded as residents attempted to reduce individual rent bills. In addition, the buildings into which the poor families were crammed were very old and had been neglected for so many years that they were beginning to fall apart at the seams. These rookeries posed two problems for the Parish Council and local members of Parliament.
Firstly, the old and dilapidated houses had not only become home to hundreds of Spitalfields poor, but their maze of ancient alleyways and courts also attracted felons who found them perfect hideouts and meeting places. In addition to this, Spitalfields
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