Prequel to the Wales Rising series. Evan and his parents endure the dangers of work in a slate quarry in Wales, while Elen’s family ekes out a meagre living spinning and cloth finishing in rural Yorkshire. When their lives and livelihoods are threatened, desperation forces them to seek work in northern England’s new industrial heartland. Will their hopes of a better life turn into a nightmare?
Machines take the place of skilled men, and in the woollen mills of Wakefield, Evan and Elen are cruelly exploited as cheap child labour. War with France, recession, mass unemployment, and poor harvests bring the north of England to the brink of starvation.
As Evan and Elen’s love deepens, the textile workers’ only option is to rebel against the harsh mill owners and an uncaring government or starve. Rebellion led by ‘General Ludd’ grows stronger and more violent as they break the machines and attack the mills that are taking their jobs. Will their actions lead to salvation or a tragic end?
