Real stories; real people; real lives. Working families in Victorian Lancashire had few choices. Work; starve; or face the workhouse and the break up of their family. "Narrow Windows, Narrow Lives" recreates everyday life for textile workers, canal boat families, coalminers, metal workers navvies and glassblowers using contemporary eyewitness accounts and interviews. It depicts the dire state of towns and the dreadful hazards workers faced on a daily basis. Who was the 'knocker-upper'? Why did families eat 'tommyrot'? Why couldn't 'Lump Lad' sleep soundly in his bed? Men, women and children endured incredibly long working hours in appalling conditions - but their toil helped make Britain 'Great.'
Sue Wilkes was born in Lancashire; she has lived in Cheshire since 1981. Sue read Physics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She is a member of the Society of Authors. Her first book 'Narrow Windows, Narrow Lives' (History Press, 2008), recreates everyday life for working families in Victorian Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution. Regency Cheshire' (Robert Hale, 2009) tells the story of county life during the age of Beau Brummell, Walter Scott and Jane Austen. Her third book 'The Children History Forgot' (Robert Hale, 2011) explores children and young people's working lives during the late Georgian and Victorian eras. 'Tracing Your Canal Ancestors' (Pen & Sword, 2011) is a guide for family historians on how to trace ancestors who worked on the canals network (boatmen and land workers) in the British Isles.
Sue writes for adults and children, and contributes regularly to magazines in the UK and USA. Her specialities are social and industrial history, literary history, and family history. Sue is also a creative writing tutor specialising in non-fiction. She is married, with two children. Sue is a Jane Austen fan. She loves country walks and exploring Britain's history. Sue is currently working on 'Tracing Your Lancashire Ancestors' for Pen & Sword.
Read Sue's blog at http://suewilkes.blogspot.com/
