Women's Lives

Women's lives have traditionally gone unrecorded in history. But housewives, factory girls and servants all had their own distinctive voices, and, if you know where to look, there are plenty of sources to explore.

Jennifer Newby's guide to women's social history between 1800 and 1939 includes essential starting points for research. A useful handbook for family historians, as well as an engaging read for social history lovers, each chapter focuses on a different group, with suggestions for further reading and a helpful timeline.

Compare the lives of factory workers, middle-class women, domestic servants, criminals, aristocrats and agricultural laborers. Hear the voices of obscure women alongside those of celebrities – from rebellious servant Hannah Cullwick to daring aristocrat, Lady Colin Campbell, prostitute Ellen Reece, and bored middle-class daughter, Katherine Chorley.