Family Tree February
February for our ancestors was a harsh time of year. For most, it was a month of hard work in cold conditions, with no fresh food and little to warm them. For example, failing harvests in the late 1820s and the introduction of the threshing machine reduced the number of hands needed. By 1830 there were riots, with many labourers out of work. Landowners and employers were in turn confronted with machine wreckers and calls for higher wages on one hand, but by cheap imports which threatened long established industries on the other. Yet soon the Victorian era was underway, the economy boomed and conditions improved for all members of society. Whether from lowly or high ranking backgrounds, their determination stands as testimony to us today, and we honour them by finding each individual's story in whatever century.
12 February 2006