Pauper apprenticeship, the industrial economy, and the old Poor Law in London

"The apprenticing of poor children in the early stages of industrialisation is generally viewed from the standpoint of factory labour. This article examines the age at binding of London pauper apprentices, the types of trades they were bound to, and the locations to which they were sent, in order to investigate their impact on regional economies, the role of London in early industrialisation, and the use of children as a source of labour. It argues that while factory labour had an important part to play for these children, it was not numerically the most significant area of employment. Instead, pauper apprentices continued to support a ‘traditional’ small-unit manufacturing sector, with different authorities prioritising links to particular areas of employment. "