Bridport
History Society is an association for people with a lively curiosity about both
local history and wider historical matters. The Society’s meetings offer its
Members not only the opportunity to attend a variety of interesting talks, but also
the opportunity to engage with others in discussions about historical issues.
The Society is also a forum for sharing information on Members’ own research
and projects.
Next Meeting and Talk
Thursday, 9 May 2024 2.15pm for 2.30pm
Professor Karen Hunt (Keele University)
'Tales from the Outworkers’
Ledger: trying to make a living in the Bridport netting industry in the
twentieth century’
Prof. Hunt says: A large ledger can be found in a corner of
Bridport Museum. Page after page of handwritten figures may not look that
exciting but each page is a window into one Bridport net worker’s working life;
their household and neighbourhood; as well as the town and the industry that
dominated it. Most of the outworkers — those who were paid by local net
manufacturers to make nets of all shapes and sizes in their own homes — were
women. Reading against the grain of these apparently unpromising documents I
will conjure up individual life stories that tell us about making a living in
the challenging times that the ledger covers —
1916–25.
For a view of the Bridport ledger see below:
