Kaye Jones

After a long break and a career change, I have come back to writing. Looking over old ideas, old research and old posts has sparked something of a philosophical conversation in my mind. Namely, why do I do what I do? Why do I care about the topics I write about and, more importantly, why would anybody else? Generally speaking, when I have talked to people about the kinds of historical research that I have been involved in and about the topics I write about, particularly my more recent work, they react with a sort of macabre interest. It tends to come under the umbrella of the true-crime genre. It's Jack the Ripper, it's Victorian London, it's something shadowy and gruesome. Understandably, true crime has a huge following in the UK and while I do enjoy it, I have never viewed any of my own work in that light. I have always been clear in my mind that my work is history work. At this point, I feel I need to make it clear that I do not view true-crime writing as something...

I came across the story of Eva Pierlo while researching Christiana Edmunds' time in Newgate prison. The pair were cellmates and Christiana complained to the prison governor about sharing with Eva, a woman accused of bigamy, on the grounds that she had a low moral character. This is rather ironic when you consider that Christiana was accused and found guilty) of one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder! Anyway, while the details of Eva's case are scant, I think her story is one worth mentioning. Very little is known about Eva's background until she stood in the dock of the Old Bailey on 9 January 1872. The Times commented on Eva's "ladylike appearance and manners." Eva had no counsel but this was a good thing, wrote one reporter from the Leeds Times: "This compelled her to state her case to the court in her own way and, judging by the result, her oratorical powers must be of no mean description." Reading her trial transcript...

C is for Chimney Sweep The chimney sweep was an indispensable figure in Victorian society.   Dubbed the great "fire-defender," the chimney sweep's day began as early as 3 a.m. He swept out the nation's chimneys, making sure that the Victorian home was a warm, comfortable and safe place to be. Despite the continued and widespread need for their services, however, chimney sweeping was not a well-paid occupation. In 1867, for example, the typical sweep earned between 21 and 23 shillings per week, a figure comparable to postmen, tailors and miners. In this same year, England had around 4300 chimney sweeps, serving a population of almost 20 million people. To work in this profession, a chimney sweep was first apprenticed to an older, more experienced man, called a master sweep. This process generally began in childhood, with many apprentices still in single figures when they entered the workforce. It was only in 1834, just three years before Queen Victoria's ac...

B is for Bar Worker In Victorian England, the pub was more than just a place to buy a drink. It was the social heart of its community; a place for business and leisure that came to life every evening. As such, we might idealise those who worked behind the bar but, in reality, those employed in this industry were at risk from a number of serious ailments. After conducting a number of interviews and visits, the report of the Dangerous Trades Committee painted a rather bleak view of the health of publicans and barmen: Without any exercise in the open air, his long day is too often spent in an atmosphere reeking with the odour of spirits and tobacco smoke, and emanations from the men and women who lounge at the bar; and this, coupled with the numerous temptations to drink, and his irregular meals, sooner or later, induces structural alterations in the liver, lungs and heart, that life to a premature close. [i] The “temptation to drink” was especially problematic. The Committe...

A is for Acrobat The circus was hugely popular in the 19th century. In fact, it was so popular that alongside the traditional circus, circus acts often performed in theatres and music halls to warm up the crowd before the main show began. In part, it was the arrival of the railway which enabled the circus to thrive. For the first time, travelling circuses toured towns and cities, reaching the very farthest corners of the country. Unsurprisingly, audiences flocked to see these exciting shows in their thousands. Generally, the most popular performers were the equestrian trick riders but all types of acrobats, including trapeze artists and tightrope walkers, drew large crowds in their own right. From the historian's perspective, acrobats are an interesting group to study since women formed so many of their number and society viewed these women in overtly sexual terms. Their costumes, for example, were a particular source of concern for the Victorian spectator, as shown by th...

After writing the story of Christiana Edmunds, I signed a contract with my publisher to write a book about the most dangerous jobs in Victorian England. The idea for this book came from the story of England's "mad hatters." I had always believed that the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland was the product of fiction but actually, Lewis Carroll drew his inspiration from real life. Victorian hatters were well-known for their eccentric behaviour and having the shakes.  Of course, we now know that hatters went "mad" because they routinely came into contact with mercury while manufacturing felt hats, but the Victorians believed their madness to be the product of drunkenness and vice. So the idea of the mat hatter was a well-established stereotype long before Caroll ever ventured into Wonderland. The hatters weren't the only Victorian workers to come into close contact with dangerous substances on a daily basis, nor were they the only occupational group to be...