We are proud to present Labour and the Poor, the extraordinary and unsurpassed mid-19th century investigation into the poor of England and Wales, undertaken by well-known and respected writers and journalists on behalf of The Morning Chronicle, a leading newspaper of the period.

Between 1849 and 1851 these investigators delved into the lives of the poor, interviewing them in their homes and places of work, and discovered much that shocked the Victorian middle and upper classes of the time.

This series of high-quality books is a faithful, complete and unabridged edition of The Morning Chronicle’s “Labour and the Poor” letters as submitted by these investigators or “Special Correspondents”, available in its entirety for the very first time.

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

The reputed inspiration behind the Labour and the Poor series of letters stemmed from an article written by Henry Mayhew on the cholera affected Bermondsey area of London, which appeared in The Morning Chronicle newspaper on September 24th, 1849. This article highlighted the terrible living conditions in one of the poorest districts of the capital and is a beautifully written piece. See A Visit to the Cholera Districts of Bermondsey.

Subsequently a more in-depth and nationwide investigation into the living and working conditions of the poorer classes of the people of England and Wales was undertaken and the Labour and the Poor series of letters started appearing in The Morning Chronicle on Thursday, October 18th, 1849. The letters appeared daily for the first 4 months or so, and then as space permitted, until late into 1851.

The investigation was divided as follows:—

• The Metropolitan Districts (82 letters), Henry Mayhew
• The Manufacturing Districts (32 letters), Angus Bethune Reach
• The Rural Districts (50 letters), Alexander Mackay and Shirley Brooks
• Wales (17 letters), author unknown
• Birmingham (21 letters), Charles Mackay
• Liverpool (20 letters), Charles Mackay

The general introduction to the series that appeared in the newspaper sets out their reasons for undertaking such a vast and unprecedented investigation.

The first letter to appear was on the Manufacturing Districts, followed the next day by the Metropolitan Districts, and then the Rural Districts the day after that. The Wales letters started to appear on March 4th 1850, Liverpool on May 20th 1850, and Birmingham on Oct 7th 1850.

The letters were very well received at the time, and reprints made available to those who had missed the start of the series. The revelations in the letters caused quite a stir amongst the middle and upper classes of Victorian society, Letters to the Editor poured in, and donations were sent in for specific cases of distress that appeared in the letters and also for the general alleviation of the suffering of the poor. A special fund was set up by the newspaper to collect and distribute these donations, and a female emigration fund also arose from these investigations.

We have included many of these Letters to the Editor (in chronological order) in the specific volumes that they relate to. The majority of these were in response to cases of distress revealed in the Metropolitan District letters by Henry Mayhew. These really do make fascinating reading.

Also included are a handful of illustrations from the period in each of the volumes. Although not part of the original letters we felt these would not adversely detract from the text, but provide added interest.

Many emigrated as a means of escaping poverty and starvation at home. This was the period in which Caroline Chisholm and Sidney Herbert M.P. were most active in this cause. You can read some of the articles that appeared in the newspapers at the time on our Emigration pages. The accounts of the emigrant ships and their passengers preparing to leave are especially interesting and can be found in the Female Emigration Society collection of articles. The Liverpool volume includes a wonderful description of Charles Mackay going onboard an emigrant ship about to depart for America.

The quality of both the investigations and writing from the Special Correspondents was particularly well received at the time. They were made up of well-known and respected authors, journalists, poets and dramatists of the period, all considered great thinkers, many with lengthy associations with The Morning Chronicle and each of whom skillfully brought the series to life and made it as popular as it was.

Henry Mayhew went on to produce his own London Labour and the London Poor voluminous series which included a subset of his Metropolitan District letters. Charles Mackay lived for many years after as “The People’s Poet”, Shirley Brooks went on to become a greatly respected contributor and eventual Editor of Punch (of which Henry Mayhew, incidentally, was co-founder back in 1841). Sadly, both Angus Bethune Reach and Alexander Mackay died in the prime of their lives a few years after the series finished.

Printed just prior to the 1851 census the letters provide a rich contemporary description of the lives of ordinary people and will be of incredible interest to anyone interested in family history, providing a tapestry of information and insight into how their ancestors may have lived. The series is equally valuable to the social historian. The letters cover not just where the people lived and their occupations, but what their living conditions were really like, entering into their homes and workplaces, visiting their amusements and describing their struggles for survival, often published in their very own words.

Our books are faithfully transcribed from the original publications in The Morning Chronicle and we hope you enjoy reading them and the related material on this site.

For a sense of what other newspapers thought about the series at the time please see our contemporary reviews. These were reprinted in The Morning Chronicle as the investigation progressed.

You can click on the book covers for specific details of each volume including the Table of Contents and preview each volume, which includes sample chapters and indexes for print editions and a link to Amazon for the Kindle preview.

The Metropolitan Districts I

The Metropolitan Districts II

The Metropolitan Districts III

The Metropolitan Districts IV

The Manufacturing Districts

The Rural Districts VI

The Rural Districts VII

Wales

Birmingham

Liverpool