Adopting a broad national and longrun approach, this book examines the issue of sweated labour and the legal control of low pay in Britain between 1840 and 1930. It explores the definition of sweated labour and the forces that generate it, as well as tackling the image of the sweated labourer and how it has changed over time. Having focused on these issues, the book then looks at how the problem was dealt with and analyses the success of reforms aimed at eradicating the practice.