Life wasn't all fun back in the day (the 18-19th century day that is) working in t'mill. Not even a socially progressive establishment such as Jebediah Strutt's mill in Belper - where children weren't sent to work there until they were maybe 8 or 9 years old, and despite your standard cotton-mill environmental conditions you did get one day off a week, preferably for education.

Nonetheless even in this shining example of a workforce cared for by its owner there had to be some rules. The Poorhouse was lucky enough to see evidence of these rules in person on a recent trip back into the mists of time.

A set of signs designated the terms of work. If any rules were broken, some of your pay would be withheld - a forfeit, if you will. Many were your standard, tedious rules you'd find in a workplace today; including what may be the Poorhouse's top three rules to break on a daily basis in an office (don't stare out of the window aimlessly, don't steal things, don't break things just because you think it's funny) - but some were quite...unique, and could perhaps teach corporate lawyers a thing or two with regard to contracts of employment. Certainly staffing levels would immediately plummet at many places of work. Photographic evidence to the left (with text afterwards for those picture-non-enabled).

Interactive segment: if you happened to work in this particular mill during these particular years and have photos of one particular employee saved in a computer accessible format - and what could be more likely? - please send in a portrait of S Pearson immediately.