In 1901 over 180,000 women were recorded in the census as working in laundries as washerwomen, ironers and manglers. Every town and village had women working at laundries, small hand laundries existed by the thousands in large towns and the suburbs of London. Alongside these were homebased workers, and also the vast, steam driven laundries… Read more »
Tag: Bethnal Green
F is for Fur Puller
Today, the wearing of fur is uncommon. However, in Victorian society it was commonplace among the middle and upper classes. Everybody from small babies to the elderly wore fur. The coats of the military fighting in the Crimea were lined with rabbit fur leading to many more women entering the profession as seen in a… Read more »
C is for Charwoman
In the census of England and Wales of 1901, there were 111,841 women recorded as being a charwoman, of which 86, 463 were married or widowed. Every single Census Enumerator’s Book studied during the course of my research has charwomen listed, often in great number, and so it seems sensible to consider the role of… Read more »
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