Abby

Abby Weaver’s Monologue

Oh, hi sorry I just have to finish spinning the cotton. There we go all done, by the way my name is Dorothy Weaver and I was born in Stafford, Birmingham, England, on the 25th of July 1842. Friends and family call me Dot. I have two sisters there names are Daisy and Louise, Louise is one of my closest friends and Daisy is so annoying and she lies about EVERYTHING! She gets myself and Louise in trouble for something she did. I also have a Mum a Dad. I am aged 12 and I work twelve hours a day in a Cotton Mill in Stafford. I hate it I start at 7am and work to 7pm. Working in the factory means I get beaten a lot and my arch on my feet are broken down from to much standing and my legs are crooked and I have asthma and a lung disease and I’m only twelve.What’s that you say? What’s life in the factory like. In the factory I work 12hrs a day at this spinner and I work with a lady called Elizabeth. She makes sure that I don’t get dismissed. I only get paid 2 pence a day. When there was the strike the windows got broken and our boss Mr Davis had to fix them. Everyday I have to stay behind to clean up. I’m always scared that I’ll be sleepy and fall in front of the main machine and injure myself. That is what my life is like in factory. Growing Up. I started working in the mill when I was seven and a half. I hate it when Mr Davis watches me because I always feel clumsy and weak. For my 8th birthday I had to work and extra 2hrs. That’s the last time I tell him it’s my birthday. For my 12th birthday just gone I got there on time but got to finish at 3 o’clock because my mum had asked Mr Davis and said that I would still be doing work. On my way out he said Happy Birthday, I was so surprised when he had remembered after four whole years. Now I work everyday of the week and Mr Davis does not let anyone before 7pm under any circumstances. Oh my dad’s here well I guess that’s it for today. See you soon, I hope! ​