The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Children's Employment was established by the UK Parliament. They conducted hundreds of interviews primarily with children, not merely about their working conditions but also as regards what education they received and their day-to-day diet. They published their report in 1842.

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (28 April 1801 – 1 October 1885), styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was a British Tory politician, philanthropist, and social reformer. He was the eldest son of The 6th Earl of Shaftesbury ...

, set up the commission and

Richard Henry Horne Richard Hengist Horne (born Richard Henry Horne) (31 December 1802 – 13 March 1884) was an English poet and critic most famous for his poem ''Orion''. Early life Horne was born at Edmonton, London, son of James Horne, a quarter-master in t ...

compiled the report. On publication, public opinion was shocked and it inspired a variety of protest literature by such writers as Benjamin Disraeli, Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Barrett Browning ('' The Cry of the Children'') and

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

References

Public inquiries in the United Kingdom {{UK-poli-stub