This is the first study of Victorian countrywomen of all kinds from teh aristocracy and gentry to the artisan and labouring classes. Previous accounts of nineteenth–century rural life have tended to concentrate on men, an imbalance which this book seeks to rectify. The author examines the mixture of stability and change in these women's lives, and considers their distinctive role in the shaping of rural England and Wales. Pamela Horn brings to life the daily round of chores and relaxation in manor house, rectory, farm and cottage. Her account provides a fascinating picture of women at work, and her vivid descriptions of the lighter side of country life, including social events, courtship and marriage make particularly captivating reading. The contemporary preoccupation with female domesticity undoubtedly affected women's social and economics status in their communities. Yet, the author show how the rise of the professions, and the training of women to work as eachers, nurses and midwives gave thema new prominence in rural society widely at variance with the traditional picture of the Victorial wife and mother.