Discover the forgotten world of nineteenth century female miners in Denise Bates’ debut book

Pit Lasses Women and Girls in Coalmining c1800-1914

Women have long been recognised as the backbone of coalmining communities, supporting their men. Less well known is their key role as the industry developed, moving coal underground as well as running a home and bringing up a family.

When an government investigation into child labour in 1842 discovered that ungodly and undomesticated women and girls worked topless alongside naked men, public fury erupted and women were hastily banned from underground toil, to protect them from moral corruption.

The report has been neglected as a historical source, and information from 400 female workers about their lives has been ignored for 170 years. Based on their evidence, Pit Lasses examines the social and economic reality of females working underground, drawing out the largely untapped evidence within contemporary sources and challenging long-standing myths. Did women really work topless, or did the investigators have an ulterior motive for reporting as they did?

Pit Lasses adds enormously to our understanding of the role of women in coalmining, as well as shedding new light on Victorian society and its values.

Lancashire Evening Post

An eye-opening, even quite shocking read, illuminating as it does, an aspect of Victorian life that mainstream social histories have hitherto largely overlooked.

Jarrow and Hebburn Gazette

This book gives a fascinating insight into the hardships faced by the Pit Lasses as they struggled to earn a living and look after their families.

Tameside Reporter

This comprehensive exploration of the subject is a revelation

Doncaster Family History Society

Published by Pen and Sword Books