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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Census records are often associated with family or house history research but they can be used to investigate the social history of Britain and reveal the diversity of households and family units that existed in the past. The release of the 1921 census opened many new avenues of research and has provided revelations about the lives of many historic individuals and their families, including the family of Cecilia Maw (1876-1942), a locally born artist, and Florence Amy Thursfield (1867-1948).
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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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Emma was one of thousands of women who, during the course of the 19th century, made a vital contribution to the mining and iron industries of the Ironbridge Gorge.
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The school at Blists Hill was moved brick-by-brick to its present site from its original location in Stirchley, where it had been built in 1881. One of its many headteachers over the years was Margaret McCallum.
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The story of Caroline York and her family shows just how easy it could be to lose everything in the late 19th century, and how hard families had to work to stay together.
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Many students at the Coalbrookdale School of Art already worked in the industries of the Gorge, including the Coalbrookdale Company, Craven Dunnill & Co. and Maw & Co. These companies often paid for their employees to attend art classes, to learn their craft and develop their designing skills.
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6 February 2018 marked 100 years since the passing of the Representation of the People Act 1918, which allowed women to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time.
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These are the names, ages and occupations of the 37 women working in the ceramic and iron industries across the Ironbridge Gorge, who gained the right to vote in 1918.
However, women could only vote if they were over the age of 30, and if they or their husband owned a certain amount of property. These strictures meant that more than 120 of their direct contemporaries were still denied the right to vote.
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Following the passing of the 1918 Act of Parliament approximately 40% of women in the UK gained the right to vote. These women were mainly older, wealthier, married women, and millions of younger, poorer women were still excluded, including all of these women who were known to be working in the ceramic and iron industries across the Ironbridge Gorge at the time.
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The passing of the Representation of the People Act in 1918 followed more than fifty years of campaigning by suffragists and suffragettes. The fight for the right to vote took place across Britain, including in Shropshire.
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Discover more about some of the women who worked in the ceramic and iron industries in the Gorge and gained the right to vote in 1918.
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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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