Industrialisation in Ulster 1825-55

UNFINISHED

What is a domestic market?

market of a product within a particular country

What is an export market?

market of a product abroad after being exported

In 1811 how many people manufactured cotton?

50,000

Name the three textile industries which developed in Ireland

Wool, cotton and linen

What were the textile industries protected by?

Tariffs imposed by government- stable growth of countries’ economy due to preferential treatment of Irish goods

Which two textile industries enjoyed particular growth in the 1770s?

Linen and cotton

Where was the main importer of Ulster’s wool?

Britain- specifically Liverpool

Why did Britain decide to safeguard its own woollen industry after 1825?

advantage over competitors \`

Name one reason why the Ulster wool industry was not competitive?

stock market crash 1825 → expensive coal which increased production costs

Why was Britain able to produce cotton at a lower cost than Ulster, making it more competitive?

machinery more updated- use of steam powered looms

Why did cotton manufacturers switch to linen production after 1825?

wet spinning, expense of coal due to shortage (2% cost), stock market crash led to withdrawal of investors

Name one reason the demand for Irish linen increased after 1803

Better quality than British linen- Napoleonic wars, used for sail cloth

What is meant by the development of a cottage industry in Ulster?

Businesses operated inside private homes- in the fallow months, yarns would be exported to farmers who would weave the flax into it, marriage of industry and rural

What did the linen industry in Belfast become known as?

Linenopolis

How many yards of linen were produced in 1715?

2 million

How many yards of linen were produced in 1790?

40 million

What fraction of exports to Britain was linen?

1/3

Why was railway expansion needed for Ulster’s linen industry?

get out of the ‘linen triangle’- Lisbun, Dungannon, Armagh → access to ports

What was a negative impact of the lack of good rail links in Ulster before expansion?

access to ports limited- held up steam ships exporting linen

How did the creation of good rail links ensure prosperity for all?

not just merchant classes interacted with industry (cottage industry)

How did the creation of good rail links encourage investment?

stable investment

How many miles of track had been laid in Ulster by 1900?

1000

What percentage of Ulster were connected by the railway?

90%

What new technology was harnessed to increase the production of a finer yarn of linen from 1825?

Steam powered looms- wet spinning, steam ships- trade routes from Belfast to Liverpool

What raw material was needed for linen production and why was it cheaper to buy than cotton?

yarns of flax- could get it locally, abundant in Ireland as grew well in conditions

Why was mechanisation of the weaving process not adopted straight away?

early power looms could only weave coarse linen- Ulster demanded finer weaves

What percentage of Ulster cloth exports were to the USA?

40%

What was the impact of mechanisation on the linen industry?

enabled it to take off, made markets adaptable to circumstance

Who created Belfast’s first steam ship in 1826?

Ritche and MacLaine

When was Belfast’s first steam ship built?

1826

What was the impact of Ritche and MacLaine being taken over by Charles Connell?

most dominant shipbuilding firm in 1853

Why did Hickson acquire Thompson and Kirwan?

growing demand for iron ships meant small firms could not manage the cost of new techniques so went under

What was the impact of Hickson’s acquisition on Belfast as a whole?

set precedent for future in shipbuilding on Queen’s Island

What was the name of the first ship to bring tea to Belfast?

Where did Connell & Sons expand to?

When was the largest ship built and what was it called?

Aurora 1838

What was the impact of Connell & Sons on Belfast’s reputation as a shipbuilding centre?

increased street cred so increased international trade and foreign markets

How was the River Lagan adapted to suit shipbuilding?

windy corners chopped off and river widened to straighten it out

How many ships did Belfast build 1820-1850?

50

How did new techniques ensure Belfast succeeded in shipbuilding?

move to steam meant they weren’t reliant on wind to sail and were faster, iron ships adopted 1838 which were more reliable and durable against increment weather

Who started the transformation to iron ships>

Victor Coates & Co

Where did Belfast receive extra work from during expansion works?

Liverpool and Glasgow

What changes did Belfast make which enabled their success in shipbuilding?

expanded docks to accommodate development of shipbuilding yards- benefited international trade → internationally recognised

How did shipbuilding affect employment in Belfast?

more specialised- new form of industrial worker with higher wages

How did shipbuilding affect industry in Belfast?

promoted diversification of industry in Belfast- associated industries such as rope manufacturing and engineering emerged

What was the impact of shipbuilding on Belfast’s economy?

economic security and employment at a time when agricultural jobs were less stable due to the famine

What was the impact of shipbuilding on Belfast’s population?

encouraged population growth in Belfast as people moved for employment

What was the impact of shipbuilding on trade?

enabled trade with USA- overtook Britain as importer in 1840s which led to less reliance on Britain

What was the ballast board?

1785 Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port and Harbour of Belfast

Who did the Ballast Board commission to find a solution to access problems?

Walker and Burgess in 1830

How much did the changes to River Lagan cost?

£180-200,000

Who opposed changes to the River Lagan?

local interests who saw it as an opportunity to change advantageous concessions, Lord Donegall said he would only support if MPs on board

What Act allowed the Ballast Board to purchase land for the channel?

Act for the further improvement of the Port and Harbour of Belfast in Ireland and other purposes 1831

How many acres were bought for Queen’s Island?

900

Who was the first firm on Queen’s Island?

Thompson and Kirwan

When was the Ballast Board replaced with the Belfast Harbour Commissioners?

The Belfast Harbour Act 1847

What did the Belfast Harbour Act grant the BHC?

greater powers to manage and improve the facilities in Belfast harbour

When were iron shipyards allowed to open on QI?

1853

Who were bought out by Hickson to take up the lease on QI for iron works?

Gladstone and Pace

When was the first iron ship built on QI?

1854

Whose work did Hickson expand on to use modern iron shipbuilding techniques?

Victor Coates & Co

What did Edward Harland do to improve the company?

made company more profitable by tightening up working practices and cutting wagesm which had been above average

What was the impact of Belfast’s golden age in iron and steel on shipbuilding?

more competitive, more contracts, economy flourishes

How did Hickson negotiate improvements to Belfast’s docks?

wrote to BHC in 1853 asking them to create new slipways and sheds for his intended shipbuilding venture

What technology did Mulholland pioneer?

Wet-spinning

When did Mulholland become mayor?

1845

What tragedy led to Mulholland’s success?

Cotton mill burnt down 1838 so moved to linen

Who established Mulholland’s company?

his father, success partly due to brother who died one year after switch

Who invented wet-spinning?

Kay

How many were employed by Mulholland in 1852?

800

What impact did industrialisation have on Ulster’s prospects?

became Ire’s most prosperous region due to employment opportunities

Whose income was improved by industrialisation?

employers because they were protestant

What was the impact of the growth of divide between rich and poor due to industrialisation?

political instability, increase of Catholics doing menial jobs in Ulster

What was the impact of industrialisation on housing?

pressure on limited infrastructure led to poor housing and sanitation, which led to disease and cholera outbreaks

What was the impact of industrialisation on working conditions?

lungs filled with flax dust, heat and heavy manual labour- high job competition

How much did Ireland’s population increase 1821-41?

2 million to 2.4 million

What percentage of the population lived in towns in the second half of c19th?

40%

Why did bad living conditions lead to disease?

communal water pumps and sewage pits not dug sufficiently far away from each other or lined to prevent pollution

Why was there a growth of back-to-back housing?

factory owners hastily built cheap housing maximising space

When were there cholera epidemics?

1832 and 1848

What percentage of people died in Belfast in 1832 from the epidemic?

0\.7%

How many died from cholera in 1848?

35,000

When was the Sanitary Committee created?

1848

What did the sanitary commission do?

gave poorest families straw bedding and instituted a programme of house whitewashing to improve sanitation

What Act regulated mechanisation to prevent accidents?

1844 Factory Act

What diseases could be caused by bad working conditions?

pouce (inhalation of flax dust), phthisis

How many hours a day did employees work?

11-12

What was the Board of Guardians?

pre-sanitary commission with Dr Andrew Malcolm, ran workhouses, treated people for cholera