Horsekeeper's Daughter

The Horsekeepers Daughter is a non-fiction book that tells the story of a young girl's fascination with a box of letters and photographs from a pioneer family in Queensland, leading to the discovery of a tale of industrial unrest in County Durham in the 1880s. The book explores the lives of ordinary folk in Seaham and Australia who faced extraordinary circumstances, such as poverty, destitution, adventure, love, tragedy, and an incredible coincidence. It unravels the social and economic factors that resulted in thousands of British women leaving their homes and families for the new state of Queensland through the government-sponsored Single Female Migrant Programme. The real-life experiences of Sarah and her family are paralleled with those of the loved ones she left behind in Seaham, as they faced their own struggles through times of political upheaval and financial deprivation.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 232 pages
\n Publication date: 28 January 2018
\n Publisher: Troubador Publishing
\n

In 1886, a young girl named Sarah Marshall found a weathered box of letters and photographs in her family's attic. Intrigued by the stories they told, she embarked on a journey to uncover the truth about a pioneering family in Queensland, Australia. What began as a simple curiosity soon revealed a captivating tale of industrial unrest and the lives of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances.

Spanning ten thousand miles and six decades, the narrative took Sarah from the mining communities of County Durham to the picturesque mountains of Tamborine Mountain, Queensland. It explored the lives of ordinary folk in Seaham and Australia, who faced poverty, destitution, adventure, love, tragedy, and an incredible coincidence.

The Horsekeepers Daughter tells the story of Seaham and its people, focusing on the remarkable life of Sarah Marshall, a farm servant from County Durham who decided to leave her home and family behind and start a new life in Australia in the winter of 1886. The book delves into the social and economic factors that led thousands of British women like Sarah to leave their homes and families for the new state of Queensland through the government-sponsored Single Female Migrant Programme.

As Sarah journeyed to Australia, she encountered prejudice and adversity, from the Brisbane boom time of the 1880s to the recession of the 1890s and the incessant cycle of flood and drought. The book also explores the impact of the First World War and the Depression of the 1930s on the lives of Sarah and her family, as they faced their struggles through times of political upheaval and financial deprivation.

The real-life experiences of Sarah and her family are paralleled with those of the loved ones she left behind in Seaham. Through their stories, the book reveals the resilience and strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. It sheds light on the complexities of family relationships, the challenges of migration, and the search for a better life.

The Horsekeepers Daughter is a testament to the power of storytelling and the ability of history to connect us to our past. It is a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for a brighter future.

\n Weight: 284g\n
Dimension: 216 x 136 x 26 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781788039741\n \n