When I write historical romance, I take the time to research. All of my books are carefully laced with background material regarding the setting and era in which my characters lived. Thorncroft Manor was no different. The majority of my research in this novel related to the city of Pendeen and the Cornish mines along the coast of Cornwall, England.
Most of the facts about Cornish mining were taken from the websites linked below. If you are interested in learning more, here is an opportunity to read about the real miners who toiled in the depths of the earth.
Life from the past always fascinates me, no matter what the subject. Research helps stories come alive when you travel back in time to how people lived, worked, and loved in centuries past.
“In 1839, 7,000 children were employed in Cornish tin mines. Until the age of 12, young boys worked largely above ground, breaking up rock as it was brought to the surface.
Women, known in the trade as ‘Bal Maidens’, were also employed to perform similar duties.
Using small hammers, the women and children would break the ore down to manageable sizes before loading into trolleys and pushing it to the ore crushing machine.”
Quoted from BBC Nation on Film
Mining Research:
- Cornwall – Last Mine Standing (BBC – Nation on Film)
- Cornwall – Working Conditions in Cornish Tin Mines (BBC Nation on Film)
- Cornish Mining World Heritage Website
- How Quest for Metal Took Men Under the Ocean Floor (Daily Mail Article)
Medical Research: