Jacqueline Fearn taught history and wrote for the county magazine 'Bucks Life' before joining Shire Publications as commissioning Editor. Her interest in domestic bygones began when she moved into a thatched seventeenth-century house with a deep ingle fireplace, which she furnished with appropriate equipment and utensils. She has lectured on bygones and appeared on television explaining how some of them were used.

• Introduction; The hearth; Cooking at the fire; Preparing food; Eating and drinking; Lighting; Washing; Further reading; Places to visit