Women of Victorian Sussex offers the historian a wealth of information about working women in 19th Century England.

Writer and historian Helena Wojtczak has a passion for accuracy and an eye for detail that will keep the reader spellbound.

The book examines the occupations and lifestyles of Victorian women in depth. Sources include local trade directories, Sussex newspapers and census returns. A substantial amount of fascinating information has been gleaned from magistrates and county court reports.

I was particularly impressed by the use of advertising facsimiles to illustrate ways Victorian women involved themselves in various forms of commerce. Mrs Barnes the lozenge maker, Miss Tooth the milliner and dress maker and Mrs Osborne the letterpress, copperplate and lithographic printer are just a few of the many examples shown.

Although the book concentrates on Sussex the information relates to women all over England. Much of the research has specific relevance to Hastings (the second largest town in Sussex) but careful attention has been paid to ensuring a comprehensive geographical spread of appropriate data.

This is a fine reference book and worthy of a place on any historian’s book shelf. The research is meticulous and presented in a way that is extremely easy to understand. The author’s skilful use of contemporary newspaper reports makes this book compulsive reading for anyone with an interest in local and regional history.

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