I knew from my own experience how terrible were the conditions in Lancashire. In 1805 a weaver could earn fifteen shillings for a six-day week and keep his family without fear. In 1815, when the wars with Napoleon ended (and the wars ended with the Battle of Waterloo), those same workers might earn five shillings at best. In response, the government brought in the Corn Laws, forbidding the import of cheaper foreign grain to feed the starving families.
