Legal Definitions - half-timer

A half-timer was a historical legal designation in England for a child who was permitted to attend school for only part of the day while simultaneously working part-time in a factory or workshop.

This arrangement was allowed under specific legislation, such as the Factory and Workshop Act of 1908. It reflected a period when child labor was regulated rather than entirely prohibited, aiming to balance basic education with the economic necessity or practice of children contributing to family income through industrial work. The system of "half-timers" has since been abolished with the introduction of stricter child labor laws and compulsory full-time education.

• Example 1: In 1910, a ten-year-old girl named Elsie lived in a mill town in Lancashire. Her family depended on her small earnings, so she spent her mornings working at a spinning frame in a textile factory. In the afternoons, she would attend a local school for her lessons.

  Explanation: Elsie would have been considered a "half-timer" because, as a child in England during that specific historical period, she was legally excused from full-time school attendance to work part-time in a factory.

• Example 2: Young Thomas, aged twelve, lived in Birmingham in 1915. He worked for several hours each morning in a small metalworking workshop, assisting with simple tasks like sorting materials. After his work shift, he would then attend school for the remainder of the day.

  Explanation: Thomas fits the definition of a "half-timer" as he was a child working part-time in a "workshop" setting, balancing his employment with partial school attendance as permitted by the laws of the time.

• Example 3: Around 1909, a child in a rural area of England whose family ran a small business making baskets was designated a "half-timer." This allowed the child to work part-time in the family workshop during school hours, attending school only for a portion of the day.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates a "half-timer" in a smaller "workshop" context, where a child's time was legally divided between contributing to a family enterprise and receiving partial schooling under the Factory and Workshop Act.