The role of women in industrial history has often been hidden, overlooked, or forgotten. However, research carried out by social historian Ruth Goodman, on behalf of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, has revealed new insights into the fascinating and vital contributions that women have made to the industrial history of the Ironbridge Gorge. In this interview, Ruth Goodman discusses her research with the Trust's Interpretation Curator, Lauren Collier.
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Women's contributions to industry and mining have been, and continue to be, overlooked and underrepresented in the histories of the industrial revolution. Women were, however, employed in a range of industrial roles and here we will look at the work of one particular group, the Shropshire Pit Girls of the East Shropshire Coalfield.
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In 2023, Blists Hill Victorian Town is celebrating its 50th Anniversary. Since it opened in 1973, the museum has grown significantly as local buildings have been rebuilt or copied at Blists Hill to recreate a small industrial town. The museum aims to show what life was like living and working in the East Shropshire Coalfield around 1900, but what can be seen at Blists Hill today is very different to how the site looked in the 19th century.
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Whilst the abundance of raw materials and the innovations of industrialists and entrepreneurs sparked industry in the Gorge, it was the ordinary workers who drove it forward and made it possible for this area to become ‘the most extraordinary district in the world’.
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The ironworkers of Coalbrookdale helped to develop innovations that revolutionised industry, power, and transport across the globe.
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The role of women in industrial history has often been overlooked, forgotten, or hidden. Yet thousands of women worked in industry across the Ironbridge Gorge, as well as industries across Britain. All these women made a vital contribution to the nation’s industrial past.
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In the heat of ironworks, the darkness of the mines, and the toxic and dusty clay industries, danger, disaster, and death were the constant companions of industrial workers in the Gorge.
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Many industrial workers living in the Gorge throughout the 18th and 19th centuries would disagree with this observation. Consistently poor conditions and wages resulted in strikes and riots as workers fought to improve conditions.
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Just like today, the amount of money earned for a day’s labour was often a sensitive issue.
For a greater level of skill or a greater risk of danger, as in ironworking and mining, workers would sometimes receive higher than average wages. However, wages could be affected by both booms and severe depressions in trade.
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Children worked in every industry across the Gorge, in the same dismal and dangerous conditions as adults, to help support their family’s income. They were generally employed in unskilled roles supporting adult family members but earned much smaller wages. Yet, without their wages, their families could not survive.
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The Daily Grind was held as a physical exhibition, at the Coalbrookdale Gallery, 28th April - 5th November 2023. We asked our visitors if they or their ancestors worked in the industries of the Gorge.
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