Description:Click on the images on the left to learn more about the people listed below:
Mary Brassington, Newcastle
Mary was a widow in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Read about her struggle to pay her rent.
Rachel Henney, Trentham 1804
Rachel had worked on the Leveson-Gower family’s Trentham estate for over thirty years. Afflicted with illness, she was allowed to live in her cottage rent free. Read about how a change in regulations left Rachel facing destitution.
Sarah Renshaw, Lane End
Read about Sarah’s struggle to pay for repairs to her husband’s property in Trentham.
Samuel Woolley, Lane End
Samuel’s father had worked as a manufacturer in the Staffordshire Potteries. Plague and disease had caused the collapse of his business enterprises abroad, leaving the family with nothing. Read their story here.
Elizabeth Mayer, Blurton 1797
Elizabeth wrote to the Marquis of Stafford in 1797 complaining about the estimate given for rent on her property. Read her protest here.
The image above shows a petition sent by Mary Brassington from Newcastle to the Marquis of Stafford.