Robert Peel

:{{about|the British Prime Minister|other people named Robert Peel|Robert Peel (disambiguation)}}

Factory Act

Peel finally had a chance to head a majority government following the election of July 1841. His promise of modest reform was held to, and the second most famous bill of this ministry, while "reforming" in 21st century eyes, was in fact aimed at the reformers themselves, with their constituency among the new industrial rich. The Factory Act 1844 acted more against them than the traditional stronghold of the Conservatives, the landed gentry, by restricting the number of hours that children and women could work in a factory, and setting rudimentary safety standards for machinery. Interestingly, this was a continuation of his own father's work as an MP, as the elder Robert Peel was most noted for reform of working conditions during the first part of the 19th century.

Related Topics:
Factory Act 1844 - Landed gentry

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Notably, in 1843, Peel was the target of a failed assassination; a criminally-insane Scottish woodsmen named Daniel M'Naghten stalked him for several days before accidentally killing Peel's personal secretary Edward Drummond by mistake.

Related Topics:
1843 - Daniel M'Naghten - Edward Drummond

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