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Children of the Mill: True Stories From Quarry Bank
Channel 4's The Mill captivated viewers with the tales of the lives of the young girls and boys in a northern mill.
Focusing on the lives of the apprentices at Quarry Bank Mill, David Hanson's book uses a wealth of first-person source material including letters, diaries, mill records, to tell the stories of the children who lived and worked at Quarry Bank throughout the nineteenth century.
This book perfectly accompanies the television series, satisfying viewers' curiosity about the history of the children of Quarry Bank. It reveals the real lives of the television series' main Esther, Daniel, Lucy and Susannah, showing how shockingly close to the truth the dramatisation is.
But the book also goes far beyond this to create a full and vivid picture of factory life in the industrial revolution. David Hanson has written an accessible narrative history of Victorian working children and the conditions in which they worked.
Focusing on the lives of the apprentices at Quarry Bank Mill, David Hanson's book uses a wealth of first-person source material including letters, diaries, mill records, to tell the stories of the children who lived and worked at Quarry Bank throughout the nineteenth century.
This book perfectly accompanies the television series, satisfying viewers' curiosity about the history of the children of Quarry Bank. It reveals the real lives of the television series' main Esther, Daniel, Lucy and Susannah, showing how shockingly close to the truth the dramatisation is.
But the book also goes far beyond this to create a full and vivid picture of factory life in the industrial revolution. David Hanson has written an accessible narrative history of Victorian working children and the conditions in which they worked.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
320 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2014
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298 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 7, 2025
I actually read three chapters of this 7 years ago (I used a receipt as a bookmark my memory isn't that good) and it bored me silly, so back it went into the TBR pile... Finally thought hey maybe it wasn't that bad, let's get it read. The biggest issue is it leans too heavily on the TV series and frequently refers to it - these stories are interesting enough to stand alone and it makes large chunks of the book pointless. Poorly written anyway, and to add extra annoyance the line spacing of the print is really odd - I assume to make the book look longer but it just makes it weirdly difficult to read. Still it's off my shelf now, hurrah!
July 22, 2020
Initially I couldn't put the book down. I found the research and information given to me about the lives of the children in the mill to be fascinating as well as heartbreaking. But as the book moves on it loses momentum and also spends a lot of time focusing on the mill owners; which would be fine if not for the fact that the children should be the eponymous characters discussed. I found this to be a great start but a disappointing end.
September 16, 2022
It's more about Quarry Bank mill and the surrounding community than child workers specifically, but there is a lot of information about everyone involved, from the wealthy owners down to the youngest "apprentices". The highlight for me was the number of personal anecdotes about the workers and their daily lives.
August 18, 2025
I found this book easy to read and interesting. I haven’t watched the TV series, and I think it could have been a better book if it had skipped the references to it.
July 24, 2015
Children of the Mill: True Stories From Quarry Bank, by David Hanson, was written to accompany the Channel 4 series, The Mill, which first screened as two series in 2013 and 2014. The TV show is a drama based on fact. The book reveals the real lives of the main characters, showing how close to the truth the dramatisation is. I had not watched the TV show prior to reading the book.
Quarry Bank Mill was built in 1784 on the banks of the River Bollin near Styal in Cheshire. It was built by Samuel Greg, the son of a wealthy Scottish/ Irishman whose business empire included slave plantations in the American South and Dominica, and privateering in the Atlantic. The Mill was built to spin cotton and later went on to include weaving. It was owned by the Greg family until being handed over to the National Trust in 1939.
The Gregs were careful, pragmatic, paternalistic millowners. Employee conditions at Quarry Bank compared favourably to those in nearby city mills in the 18th century, although when looked at through 21st century eyes they still appear harsh.
The author quotes extensively from source material including letters, diaries, mill records and court documents to bring to life the mill workers, particularly the children. Quarry Bank Mill employed child apprentices until 1847. Between 1790 and then most lived in an Apprentice House built near the factory. Greg hired a superintendent to keep the children in order and, most unusually for the time, a mill doctor, although medical care for all at the time was rudimentary at best.
Most of the apprentices were sourced from workhouses. Parishes received a payment for them and they were then indentured until their eighteenth birthday, a date that would be guessed at as few records existed. They worked long days, 5.30am to 8pm, with schoolwork and gardening after their shift at the mill. The work was dangerous, with fingers at risk of being severed and limbs crushed by the machines. Arguably, life at a workhouse could be even worse, at least at the mill the children were fed, but ultimately they had no choice in their fate.
A little over half of the book is devoted to the lives of the apprentices: their background, arrival at the mill, experiences there, the toll this life had on their health, and how those who survived coped with adulthood. The remaining chapters look at the impact of the mill on the wider community, and at the Greg family who built and controlled Quarry Bank. Although it was a hard life, now difficult to fully comprehend, the comparisons with other mills at the time belie some of the slightly sensationalised wording which the author employs at times.
This is an interesting history of factory life during the industrial revolution told from the point of view of real individuals. It reads like a television documentary rather than a history book being episodic and slightly tabloid in style. The quotes from source add authenticity even if they are sometimes little more than lists.
Useful background reading for anyone wishing to visit the mill, now operated by the National Trust, and providing an interesting factual backup to the TV drama. I suspect a serious historian may find it less satisfying.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
Quarry Bank Mill was built in 1784 on the banks of the River Bollin near Styal in Cheshire. It was built by Samuel Greg, the son of a wealthy Scottish/ Irishman whose business empire included slave plantations in the American South and Dominica, and privateering in the Atlantic. The Mill was built to spin cotton and later went on to include weaving. It was owned by the Greg family until being handed over to the National Trust in 1939.
The Gregs were careful, pragmatic, paternalistic millowners. Employee conditions at Quarry Bank compared favourably to those in nearby city mills in the 18th century, although when looked at through 21st century eyes they still appear harsh.
The author quotes extensively from source material including letters, diaries, mill records and court documents to bring to life the mill workers, particularly the children. Quarry Bank Mill employed child apprentices until 1847. Between 1790 and then most lived in an Apprentice House built near the factory. Greg hired a superintendent to keep the children in order and, most unusually for the time, a mill doctor, although medical care for all at the time was rudimentary at best.
Most of the apprentices were sourced from workhouses. Parishes received a payment for them and they were then indentured until their eighteenth birthday, a date that would be guessed at as few records existed. They worked long days, 5.30am to 8pm, with schoolwork and gardening after their shift at the mill. The work was dangerous, with fingers at risk of being severed and limbs crushed by the machines. Arguably, life at a workhouse could be even worse, at least at the mill the children were fed, but ultimately they had no choice in their fate.
A little over half of the book is devoted to the lives of the apprentices: their background, arrival at the mill, experiences there, the toll this life had on their health, and how those who survived coped with adulthood. The remaining chapters look at the impact of the mill on the wider community, and at the Greg family who built and controlled Quarry Bank. Although it was a hard life, now difficult to fully comprehend, the comparisons with other mills at the time belie some of the slightly sensationalised wording which the author employs at times.
This is an interesting history of factory life during the industrial revolution told from the point of view of real individuals. It reads like a television documentary rather than a history book being episodic and slightly tabloid in style. The quotes from source add authenticity even if they are sometimes little more than lists.
Useful background reading for anyone wishing to visit the mill, now operated by the National Trust, and providing an interesting factual backup to the TV drama. I suspect a serious historian may find it less satisfying.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Headline.
December 31, 2015
This books is very interesting indeed. It gives the real life stories of the people who lived and worked at Quarry Bank Mill and shows how the stories were adapted for the TV series. It deals not only with the apprentice children but with others who worked at the mill and with the Greg family who owned it, really bringing it all to life and showing how the history of the place still affects the mill and village to the present day. I couldn't leave it alone. It makes you realize how fortunate we are today while bringing to life the realities of the past. I cannot recommend it too highly.
April 13, 2016
I couldn't put the book down!!
Styal mill is one of my favourite places, it's history, the stories and it's pure beauty.
The author explores all of this with real emotion and adds his own character into his writing.
I thought it was a fantastic read. Would strongly recommend to anybody who is a lover of history or of Cheshire!
Styal mill is one of my favourite places, it's history, the stories and it's pure beauty.
The author explores all of this with real emotion and adds his own character into his writing.
I thought it was a fantastic read. Would strongly recommend to anybody who is a lover of history or of Cheshire!
November 8, 2014
Finally finished this great read really took me back in time to when i worked in textile mill. it also showed me how it was even further back with the children working there and how hard it was in those times. Nice piece of history in this book for any history lovers.
August 9, 2014
Very good book very interesting
October 2, 2014
Really interesting read - accompanies the series well. Can get confusing with the amount of people in it though - keeping track of everyone can at times make it a hard read.
February 3, 2016
An interesting and engaging book which I highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews