In 1849, the Morning Chronicle, a leading Victorian newspaper, embarked on a social investigation of working class life in England and Wales. Set in the immediate context of concern over Chartism and the cholera epidemic, its intention was to provide a full and detailed description of the moral, intellectual, material and physical condition of the industrial poor.

First published in 1973, this book reflects through the survey the highly complex nature of nineteenth-century social structure throughout England and South Wales, covering descriptions of contrasting political orientations, work and leisure patterns, sex and family, education and religion. In doing so, it provides a classic introduction to the social structures of the working class during the nineteenth century.

This book will be of interest to those studying Victorian history and sociology.