For more than twenty years, Ned Weeks preached to packed halls of working men and women, shaping a chapter of Northampton’s religious life that would be remembered long after his death.
On a dark Wednesday night in September 1769, the quiet road between Northampton and Kingsthorpe became the scene of a shocking act of violence that would end on the gallows.
Three generations of the Craddock family of Kingsthorpe, Northamptonshire. (c1680-1770)
In the 1920s, increased opportunities for leisure were an important part of life for the working classes.
In the early 20th century, the increasing demands for a skilled workforce required investment in education, both formal iinformal, in Northampton.
In 1924, the boot and shoe industry dominated Northampton’s workforce. The Boot and Shoe Operatives Trade Union had 13,104 members; officials estimated that only 5% of adult workers were outside the union.
Over 75 years, Northampton’s expansion was steady and undramatic. Outlying villages had become suburbs; only Dallington still remained for future absorption.
Two studies of Northampton in 1913 and 1924 give us a detailed view of working-class life and economic conditions in on the eve of World War 1 and the somewhat better situation in the early 1920s.
The final part of Arthur Ward’s story covers his return to civilian life — a time of hardship, resilience, small joys, and enduring health problems from his wartime injuries. Through employment struggles and union activism, Arthur navigated the uncertainties of interwar Britain.
In this second instalment, Arthur’s experiences on the Western Front intensify. Facing the horrors of the German Spring Offensive and a devastating gas attack in August 1918, this chapter tells of survival, resilience, and recovery against overwhelming odds.