Voices from the Dressing Floors

This third publication is a collection of first hand accounts of working at surface. Some from new sources, others quoted only in part in her previous publications; Bal Maidens (awarded the Holyer an Gof Trophy 2004) and A Dangerous Place to Work! (2007). It brings the direct experiences of philosopher Samuel Drew, preacher Billy Bray & poet John Harris, alongside those whose lives would have been lost to history, had it not been for a chance interview or conversation. These include those who featured in a Royal Commission 1842, the late 19th century Troon balmaidens interviewed for a scrapbook competition 1951, women who worked at a Glass Mine in the First World War, and newspaper interviews with two ex-bal maidens in their old age. In addition, we have autobiographies from a terminally ill bal maiden, a Delabole slate agent, and two workers at Geevor Tin Mine during the Second World War. All remind us of the important part played by these unsung heroes of the mining and quarrying industries of Cornwall.