This article examines the attitudes of the Guardians of the Poor in Birmingham towards childhood and child labour from the end of the eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. Utilising minutes of meetings for the Birmingham Asylum for the Infant Poor, it finds that children were removed from the workhouse to separate accommodation with workshops sited on the premises so that children as young as five years old could become economic contributors to their own welfare. It argues that over the course of five decades, pauper children made significant contributions to Birmingham finances.

中文翻译：

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维持生计：伯明翰贫困婴儿收容所的童工，1797-1852 年

本文考察了伯明翰穷人监护人组织对 18 世纪末至 19 世纪中叶儿童和童工的态度。利用伯明翰贫困婴儿庇护所的会议纪要，它发现儿童被从济贫院转移到单独的住处，并在该处所设有车间，这样年仅 5 岁的儿童就可以成为他们自己福利的经济贡献者。它认为，在过去的五年中，贫困儿童为伯明翰的财政做出了重大贡献。