Henry Wakefield, a weaver is working away at his hand loom in his cottage when a stranger arrives in the small Lancashire village. This man brings tidings of change. A mechanised mill has been built in Manchester, where weaving can be done faster and more efficiently, and whole families are needed to do the work for long hours. Should Henry accept this job? His trade is devastated by the cloth factory anyway.
A WEAVER'S WEB recreates these times of great social change as the Industrial Revolution means factory owners seize the opportunity to get rich. 1816, when the tale begins, is already well into the process. Spinning wool is done in factories rather than cottages, and people can wear shirts of imported cotton, not wool tunics. Luddites, people resistant to mechanisation, are burning factories powered by watermills - and being hung for the crime.
Henry's family are tempted. His wife and two eldest children could earn; the middle child could mind the two youngest. They could eat mutton every day, and dumplings with treacle, not just mashed potatoes from their field. Prices, rent and taxes keep rising. There isn't a couple of shillings for school each week, and the factory would provide some schooling. The cottage is falling apart, and Henry's cloth orders are drying up fast. The weaver's reluctance is built on more than pride, however. The big dirty city of Manchester is full of disease, crime and sin, according to the well-fed local vicar, who is bent on keeping his congregation.
Through Henry we learn that Manchester, England's second biggest city, does not have a representative in Parliament. Poor people cannot vote. His boy Albert takes his life into his own hands and runs off to Manchester, showing us the conditions in smaller workshops and the fate of orphans. I was totally drawn into the reality of this world, the struggle against worsening conditions - especially for Henry's wife, obliged to obey her husband and mind her children. Later, due to Henry's tenacity, we see another side of the story amid the city sprawl.
I've read many social history novels, and most are told from a woman's point of view, so I was extremely interested in the male viewpoint of THE WEAVER'S WEB. Author Chris Pearce who was born in Britain and now lives in Australia, counts family history among his interests. This social history tale is engrossing and revealing, a must-read for anyone who wants to know more about living conditions and laws during the Industrial Revolution.
Handloom weaver Henry Wakefield, his wife Sarah and their
five children live in abject poverty in northern England
in
the early 19th century. He hates the new factories and
wonβt
let his family work in them. He clashes with Sarah, a
factory agent, a local priest and reformers, and son
Albert
runs away. They move to Manchester and are even worse off,
living in a cellar in a terrace and have another little
mouth to feed.
Henryβs passion for money overrides his hatred of
factories
and he starts one of his own, but it is beset with
problems.
The Wakefields, or rather Henry eventually becomes quite
wealthy, and this has a devastating effect on the family.
Albert is caught stealing and is transported to New South
Wales. Her babyβs death, Albertβs unknown fate and society
parties become too much for Sarah, who hears voices and is
taken to the lunatic asylum. Son Benjamin falls in love
with
an orphan girl and they have a baby. Henry is furious.
Family members have had enough. Sarah, who got out of the
asylum, and Albert, who returned to England unbeknown to
Henry, plan a fiery night at Henryβs factory. But he keeps
his money there and goes inside to retrieve it. Albert
tries
to rescue him.
UK literary agent The Susijn Agency compared it to John
Steinbeckβs The Grapes of Wrath, βbut with the poor family
finding its wealth. The location of Manchester during the
industrial revolution dictates the action excellently and
I
can see why readers could not put it down.β See Preface
for
more comments by agencies and readers.
No excerpt available.
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