Writing Lives – Collaborative Research Project on Working-Class Autobiography

Mrs Yates: (b.1882) Life & Labour

“No I never liked the mill. I’ve nothing against… I liked my companions and I had nothing against the mill owners or anything like that. It was just the machinery that I was scared of” p.11 Cotton mill factories in the nineteenth century were not pleasant places to work, with …

James A. Gordon (b.1885): Habits, Culture & Belief

‘Something more is demanded of the Church than passing pious resolutions on the evil of drink or gambling’ (54) Naturally, James was raised in a religious household. He had been brought up as a Congregationalist by his mother. He implies that his family were originally Methodists because he left this …

John Robinson (b. circa: 1850): The Servant Problem – The Issue at Hand

It’s the late 1800’s and there is a new issue on the tip of everyone’s tongue. The magazines are awash with it, …

John Robinson (b. circa 1850): A Butler’s View of Men-Service – Memoir Transcript

A Butler’s View of Men-ServiceJohn Robinson Published in: The Nineteeth Century Review Vo. XXXI. January-June, 1892. Preamble: Articles on ‘the servant problem’ …

Lucy Luck (1848-1922): Author Blog

“How often I was tempted to lead a bad life, but there always seemed to be a hand to hold me back.” …

Mrs Yates (b.1882): Leisure and Recreation

From glorious sandy beaches to fish and chips and walks on the pier- just some of the things associated with the English …

Introducing George Acorn -One Of the Multitude (b. Early 1890’s)

By Leah Magee From the ratty ways of the east end, is the biography One of the multitude (Acorn, 1912)was written throughout …

John Robinson (b. circa: 1850): A Day in the Life

Robinson doesn’t have a very high opinion of servant life. In fact, his discussion of life under-stairs can be broken down into …

Introducing Our Authors – Isaac Edward Brown

Edward Brown (1880-1974): An Introduction “One feature of this suburban life was the way in which all the city workers looked down …

Mrs Yates (b.1882): Education and Schooling

“We had good teachers. Marvellous teachers, like I mean to say because I remember all the things that we was taught then, …