Tutresses to teach them to Spin, under each of which we put Five and Twenty Girls.
A School-Mistress, to teach them to Read.
Servants in the Kitchen, and for washing, &c. but these we soon discharged, and caused our biggest Girls to take their Turns every Week.
We also appointed an old Man to keep the Door, and to carry forth and fetch in Work, and such kind of Services.
Being thus provided, we received in One Hundred Girls, and set them to Work at Spinning of Worsted Yarn; all which we first caused to be stript by the Mistress, Washed, and new Clothed from Head to Foot; which, together with wholesome Dyet at set Hours, and good Beds to Lye on, so incouraged the Children, that they willingly betook themselves to their Work.
We likewise provided for them Apparel for Sundays; they went to Church every Lord’s Day; were taught their Catechisms at home, and had Prayers twice every Day; we appointed them set Hours for working, eating, and playing; and gave them leave to walk on the Hills with their Tutresses, when their Work was over, and the Weather fair; by which means we won them into Civility, and a love to their Labour. But we had a great deal of trouble with their Parents, and those who formerly kept them, who having lost the sweetness of their Pay, did all they could to set both their Children and others against us; but this was soon over.
Hitherto things answered above our Expectations; our Children grew sober, and Worked willingly, but we very much questioned, whether their Labours at the Rates we were paid, would answer the charge of their Maintenance; and if not, our great doubt was how we might advance it, without prejudicing the Manufactures.
To clear the first, we supposed our selves in a fair way, having appointed their Diets to be made up of such Provisions as were very wholesome, afforded good nourishment, and were not costly in Price, (viz.) Beef, Pease, Potatoes, Broath, Pease-porridge, Milk-porridge, Bread and Cheese, good Bear, (such as we drank at our own Tables) Cabage, Carrots, Turnips, &c. in which we took the Advice of our Physician, and bought the best of every sort. They had three Meals every day, and as I remember, it stood us (with Soap to wash) in about Sixteen pence per Week for each of the One hundred Girls. We soon found the effect of their Change of Living, Nature being well supported, threw out a great deal of foulness, so that we had generally Twenty down at a time, in the Measels, Small-pox, and other Distempers; but by the Care of our Physician, and the Blessing of God on his Endeavours, we never Buried but Two, though we have had seldom less than One hundred in the House at any time.
Having thus provided for their Dyets, we next appointed their times of Working; which in the Summer was Ten hours and a half every Day, and an Hour less in the Winter; by which means we answered the two Objections raised against the Poor, (viz.) That they will not Work, and that they spend what they get in fine feeding.
But we soon found, that the great cause of begging did proceed from the low Wages for Labour; for after about Eight Months time, our Children could not get half so much as we expended in their Provisions. The Manufacturers, who Employed us, were always complaining the Yarn was spun course, but would not advance above Eight pence per Pound for Spinning, and we must either take this, or have no Work. On the other side, we were labouring to understand how we might distinguish, and put a Value on our Work, according to its Fineness. This we did by the Snap Reel, which when we were Masters of, the Committee made an Order, That the Master should buy in a Stock of Wool, and Spin it up for our own Accounts, and then proceeded to set the Price of Spinning by the Snap Reel, wherein we endeavoured to discourage Course Work, and to Encourage Fine, because we saw the latter was likely to bring more Profit, not only to the Poor, but to the Kingdom in general. We likewise ordered some things to be made up of the several sorts of Yarn, at the Rates we had set them; and on the whole, we found the Commodities made of fine Yarn, though they were much better than those made of Course, yet stood us in little more; because what the one exceeded in the charge of Spinning, was very much made good in abatement of the Quantity used. We therefore sent to the Manufacturers, and shewed them what Experiments we had made; but finding them still unwilling to advance above the old Rate, the Committee Voted that they would give Employment to all the Poor of the City, who would make application to them, at the Rates we offered to work, and pay them ready Money for their Labour.