Dorothy Riley

George's Family Dorothy Riley

The place and the people are inseparable. This is the theme of this charmingly written history in which the author entertains us with the history of her family roots and heritage going back to the Middle Ages. The family hail from a Yorkshire village called Bramley. Concentrating on the nineteenth century, the author introduces each family member, taking George Riley as the central figure. She places the stories, mainly handed down by word of mouth, in a distant world - the world of the cottage woollen industry, outside WCs and the Workhouse. People were poor and many members of the local brass band relied on their share of the earnings to make up their meagre wages. It is easy to imagine the family characters the author brings to life and to understand the contribution they made to the day-to-day events in this tight-knit community. This is a faithful record of the challenges, joys and humorous moments of their time which makes the book so enjoyable to read.