Time
Slide 4
Their husbands and fathers were almost certainly lead miners. In the nineteenth century everyone around here worked in the lead industry.
Notes
Working in a lead mine was, of course, a hard and dangerous job. Miners also often had to lodge away from their families as the mines were in isolated locations. They lived in communal dormitories, which were often dirty and noisy. On the other hand, lead miners had more independence than coalminers. They worked in partnerships of two to twelve men, who contracted with the mine owner to produce a certain amount of lead ore. They had much more control than coal miners over how many hours they worked each day. In the nineteenth century boys began working as labourers at the age of 12 and could become full partners at around 18 years.