From Crow-Scaring to Westminster; an Autobiography

, a couple of poor people by the name of Thomas and Mary Edwards. Thomas Edwards was the second husband of Mary Edwards, whose first husband was Robert Stageman. He died in

served ten years, was sent over to Spain, and f

ore enlistment, and further, he was looked upon by the general public as a rather undesirable character, no matter what his record mig

exemplary character. When the Civil War broke out in Spain this country decided to render help to the Queen. Thomas Edwards was sent over with the 60th Rifles. The war lasted a

own King and Country, and were promised that at the conclusion of the war each man that returned should receive a boun

ed that a grateful country would assist him to make a start again in civilian life. But no such good fortune awaited him. On returning to his village he soug

form. Bread was 1s. 6d. per 4 lb. loaf. Married men received a wage of 9s. per week, single men 6s. per week. The Guardians adopted a system of supplementary wages by giving meal money according to the number

m held a meeting which was largely attended, the unemployed turning up in strong force and showing a very threatening attitude. The meeting, however, commenced with the repetition of t

was present told him he might go and pluck blackberries agai

ithout food, was forced to pick blackberries from the hedges to eat. One day this particular farmer caught hi

to this honest man who had foug

which was then at Buxton. There he remained all the winter. In the

hough he had to work seven days, he received the noble sum of 8s. per week. The reason given for paying this low wage wa

married the young widow, Mary Stageman. She had been left with three little childre

my mother was able to add a little to her husband's wages by hand-loom weaving (which was quite a village industry at that time), the family would have been absolutely starved. Hand-loom weaving was a most sweated industry. One man in the village would go to Norwich and fetch the raw material from the factory and take the finished work back. This weaving was principally done by women, who were paid for i

of the twenty-four, and for these long hours she would not

IRTHPLACE, MAR

850, that Mary Edwards

n bed with the infant the mother's only food was onion gruel. As a result of the bad food, or, properly speaking, the want of food, she was only able to feed the child at her breast a week. After the first week he had to be fed on bread soaked in very poor ski

ld George, a record of which can be found in

or him different from the rest of the family, I am unable to say, but I sometime

What gift of vision this mother must have possessed, for in those days it was never imagined that the doors of Westminster would open to the child of such humble parentage! Her prophecy was par

s wages were reduced from 9s. to 8s. per week, and single, men's wages from 7s. to 6s. per week. It was the rule in those days that the single men should work for 2s. per week less than the married men. Before the repeal of the Corn Laws had the effect of reducing the cost of living to any great extent, the great Crimean War broke out. This, it will be remembered, was in 1854. Food rose to famine prices. The price of bread went up to 1s. per 4 lb. loaf, sugar to 8d. per lb., tea to 6d. per oz., cheese rose from 7d. per lb. to 1s. 6d

d married men's wages did rise again in Norfolk to 9s. per week. Single men did n

twelve years old, was at work for 1s. 6d. per week, my second brother John, ten years old, was working for 1s. 2d. per week. My sister worked filling bobbins by the aid of a rough hand machine to assist my mother in weavin

nips from his master's field. These were boiled by my mother for the children's supper. The

r another slice of bread, and she, with tears in he

to wash and mend our clothes, and we have them clean and tidy for the Sunday. We had no change of clothes in those days. This work kept my mother up

only schoolin

ather used to keep our little boots in the best state of repair he could. God alone knows or ever knew how my parents worked and wept and the suff

ther and mother. It was they who taught