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
won’t
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.
Henry’s 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 baby’s death, Albert’s 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 Henry’s 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
Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, “but 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.” See Preface
for
more comments by agencies and readers.
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