Where the facts come from
Every factual claim on this site links to its source. This is the full list.
How we checked
Each fact was written alongside its source. We read every source page on 30 Oct 2026 and saved the sentences we rely on; our build script then checks, for every fact, that the key words and figures really appear in that saved text. 149 of 149 checks passed when this site was last built (checked 30 Oct 2026). Where we couldn’t read a source, we left the claim out. We quote short phrases only, and never reproduce anyone else’s images.
Figures that change
What the national curriculum says can change as policies are updated. Facts like these are marked “checked 30 Oct 2026”. Some Victorian figures, such as visitor numbers, were estimates even at the time, and we say so.
What we leave out
This is a history site for all ages, so we keep a balanced tone and leave out gory detail, including executions. We don’t use computer-written summaries as sources, and we left out one Britannica picture caption that gives the wrong place and date for the Crystal Palace. Our drawings are simplified, not copies of real things. Where sources disagree, we show both rather than choose silently.
The National Archives (4)
- The National Archives: Examine an anti-Poor Law poster (9 facts)
- The National Archives: Victorian children in trouble with the law (7 facts)
- The National Archives: Victorian prisons (7 facts)
- The National Archives: What was Chartism? (8 facts)
British Library (4)
- British Library: Education in Victorian Britain (19 facts)
- British Library: Charles Booth’s poverty map of London (7 facts)
- British Library: The Industrial Revolution (6 facts)
- British Library: Perceptions of childhood (1 fact)
Victoria and Albert Museum (2)
- V&A: The Great Exhibition of 1851 (21 facts)
- V&A: Building the Museum (7 facts)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (7)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, queen of the United Kingdom (19 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, relations with Peel (5 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, widowhood (4 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Victoria, last years (4 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Isambard Kingdom Brunel (10 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Florence Nightingale (8 facts)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Great Exhibition of 1851 (1 fact)
GOV.UK (Department for Education) (1)
When sources disagree
Where sources give different figures, we show all of them, with links, and say how we handle it.
How fast did crime rise?
- The National Archives says recorded crimes rose from about 5,000 a year in 1800 to 20,000 a year in the 1830s. The National Archives: Victorian children in trouble with the law
- The National Archives’ prisons page says crime went up from about 5,000 a year in 1800 to about 20,000 a year by 1840. The National Archives: Victorian prisons
How we handle it: Two National Archives pages give the same starting figure (about 5,000 recorded crimes a year in 1800) but put the 20,000 mark at slightly different times: “in the 1830s” on one page and “by 1840” on the other. We quote each with its page.
How many prisons were built?
- The National Archives says that between 1842 and 1877, 90 new prisons were built in Britain. The National Archives: Victorian children in trouble with the law
- The National Archives’ prisons page says that between 1842 and 1877, 90 prisons were built or added to. The National Archives: Victorian prisons
How we handle it: Both National Archives pages give 90 prisons between 1842 and 1877. One calls them new prisons; the other says built or added to. We use “built or added to” when we need one wording, because it is the more careful.
How many people visited the Great Exhibition?
- The V&A’s Great Exhibition article says there were over six million visitors. V&A: The Great Exhibition of 1851
- The V&A’s museum history says six million people were estimated to have visited. V&A: Building the Museum
- The V&A says the six million visitors were about one-third of the British population, and included Charles Darwin and Charles Dickens. V&A: Building the Museum
How we handle it: One V&A page says over six million visitors; another says six million were estimated. Counting tickets is not the same as counting people, so we say “over six million visits” only with its source, and treat the figure as an estimate.
How many signed the 1848 Chartist petition?
- The Chartists claimed their 1848 petition had six million signatures. The National Archives: What was Chartism?
- It was said to contain 1,975,496 names, and many forgeries, including “Queen Victoria” and “Mr Punch”. The National Archives: What was Chartism?
How we handle it: The Chartists claimed six million signatures. The National Archives says the petition was said to contain 1,975,496 names, including forgeries. We give both, and make clear the first figure was a claim.