The Rural Districts VII

Rural life in 1850. On the ground reporting in Victorian England—with personal accounts from the labouring poor.

Title:

Labour and the Poor Volume VII: The Rural Districts

Author:

Alexander Mackay & Shirley Brooks

Formats:

Hardback, Paperback & Kindle

ISBN (Hardback):

978-1-913515-07-2

ISBN (Paperback):

978-1-913515-17-1

Pages:

440

Preview:

Print Edition (includes TOC & Index)

 

Kindle Edition (via Amazon)

The concluding Rural Districts volume takes us into the Northern and Midland counties and further explores the South Eastern and Eastern counties of England.

From hop-picking in Kent, to opium-eating in Cambridgeshire, we traverse these counties and discover a vast range of places, occupations, and people. We look at education, crime, and destitution in the northern counties. We visit the hop growing, straw-plait, and lace-making districts and spend time with the boot and shoemakers of Northampton. Along our journey through the various counties we again enter the abodes of the agricultural labourers, discovering just how they lived.

The Table of Contents for Volume VII is shown below but for a better appreciation of the material we suggest previewing the Print Edition Sample which includes the Table of Contents, a sample letter, and the Index.

Labour and the Poor Volume VII: The Rural Districts

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Table of Contents

• List of Illustrations
• Preface
• Introduction
• Letter XXIII.
  • The Northern Counties—Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland.
  • The History and Social Condition of the Northern Counties.
• Letter XXIV.
  • The Four Northern Counties—Durham.
  • Condition of the Working Classes in the County of Durham.
• Letter XXV.
  • Northern Counties—Durham and Northumberland.
  • Education, Crime, Destitution and Moral Degradation.
• Letter XXVI.
  • Northern Counties—Northumberland.
  • Agriculture, Education and the Fishermen.
• Letter XXVII.
  • Northern Counties—Cumberland and Westmoreland.
  • Mining, Agriculture and Education.
• Letter XXVIII.
  • The Stone Quarries of Swanage.
  • Quarriers, Monopolies and Currencies.
• Letter XXIX.
  • The Southern and Western Counties.
  • Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, and Kent.
• Letter XXX.
  • The Southern and Western Counties.
  • The Hop-growing District—Cultivation of the Hop.
• Letter XXXI.
  • The Southern and Western Counties.
  • Cultivation of the Hop—Hop-Picking.
• Letter XXXII.
  • The Southern and Western Counties.
  • Condition of the Labourer in the Hop Districts.
• Letter XXXIII.
  • The Southern and Western Counties.
  • The Dwellings of the Labourer in the Hop Districts.
• Letter XXXIV.
  • Herts, Beds, Hunts, Cambridge.
  • The Straw-Plait and Lace-Making Districts.
• Letter XXXVI.*
  • Herts, Beds, Hunts, and Cambridgeshire.
  • Agricultural Improvements—The Malting Trade.
• Letter XXXVII.
  • Herts, Beds, Hunts, and Cambridge.
  • The Dwellings of the Labouring Classes.
• Letter XXXVIII.
  • Herts, Hunts, Beds, and Cambridge.
  • Employment and Wages of the Agricultural Labourer.
• Letter XXXIX.
  • Herts, Beds, Hunts, Cambridge.
  • Cottage Accommodation.
• Letter XL.
  • Herts, Beds, Hunts, Cambridge.
  • The Cottages of The Duke of Bedford.
• Letter XLI.
  • Herts, Hunts, Beds, and Cambridge.
  • Opium-eating, Crime and Beggary.
• Letter XLII.
  • Herts, Hunts, Beds, and Cambridge.
  • The Spinning House.
• Letter XLIII.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • Condition of the Counties.
• Letter XLIV.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • The Town of Northampton.
• Letter XLV.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • The Boot and Shoemakers of Northampton.
• Letter XLVI.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • The Boot and Shoe Makers of Northampton.
• Letter XLVII.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • Rutland.
• Letter XLVIII.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • The State of Agriculture—County of Northampton.
• Letter XLIX.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • The Agricultural Labourer of Northamptonshire.
• Letter L.
  • Counties of Northampton, Leicester, Rutland, Nottingham, and Derby.
  • Leicester.
• Letter LI.
  • Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Shropshire.
  • Condition of the Agricultural Labourer.
• Alexander Mackay
• Shirley Brooks
• Index   ** print editions only **
•  
• * Mis-sequenced (Letter XXXV. was never published).

For anyone interested in family history or social history, the “Labour and the Poor” series really is an invaluable resource.