Works of historical non-fiction invariably rely on the efforts of all those who have helped to lay the groundwork, through the cataloguing of archival resources, or the digitalization of material such as the vast array of nineteenth-century newspapers in the British Library. I must therefore thank staff at the many record offices I visited, most particularly my local archives at Redbridge and Newham. I am indebted to historian Tim Couzens for sharing his expertise on the Long family, for providing family trees and transcripts of wills, and for meticulously answering my many questions. Historian Georgina Green has also been hugely generous with her time, knowledge and friendship.
Heartfelt thanks to my agent Sallyanne Sweeney, of Mulcahy Associates, for having faith in me and helping to shape this book. Thanks also to everyone at Macmillan, especially my brilliantly insightful editors George Morley and Zennor Compton, my scrupulous editorial manager Nicholas Blake, the design team for creating the exquisite front cover, plus Philippa McEwan and her team for an amazing publicity campaign. My professors at Queen Mary, University of London, have been inspirational: Lisa Jardine, Amanda Vickery, Peter Hennessy, Mark Glancy, Virginia Davis and my mentor Colin Jones. I must express thanks to everyone who critiqued early drafts of this book: Georgina Green, Elizabeth Fremantle, Marisa Verazzo, Jan and Ian Thompson, Linda Foster, Mia Lampshire, Lorraine Hart, Laura Spencer, plus my daughters Sophie and Izzie Roberts. Numerous friends have spurred me on – thank you all – especially Helen Burnett, Matthew Gaughan and my siblings Rob and Susan Jason. Although many people have contributed to this book, errors are all my own.
Undoubtedly, my biggest debt of gratitude is owed to my husband, Greg Roberts, who is currently a part-time Ph.D. candidate at Queen Mary, University of London, working on the scandalous life of Wicked William Wellesley. He has been my sounding board throughout and we have spent many hours discussing and researching together. In fact, it was Greg who got me started on this project by cataloguing and transcribing letters held at Redbridge Archives. His initial research laid the foundation for this book, which would never have been written without his encouragement, perseverance and generosity.
Finally, I must thank my wonderful parents, Roy and Rita Jason, who made many sacrifices without complaint and continue to provide much love and support.
To find out more about the writing of this book, including further information about characters and Wanstead House, please visit my website: www.geraldineroberts.com.