Tessa Boase has written three books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale (2014); Etta Lemon (first published as Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather in 2018), both by Aurum, and London’s Lost Department Stores (2022). She is a journalist, lecturer and broadcaster, appearing on ‘Secrets of the National Trust’ with Alan Titchmarsh, ‘Tony Robinson’s History of Britain’, and ‘Jay Blades’ Country House Through Time’. She lives with her family on the Sussex coast. www.tessaboase.com

'A fluent study…Boase builds a deep, rich account of their individual lives, returning from the archive with some telling tales.'

• ProloguePart 1 Dorothy Doar of Trentham HallPart 2 Sarah Wells of UpparkPart 3 Ellen Penketh of ErddigPart 4 Hannah Mackenzie of Wrest ParkPart 5 Grace Higgens of CharlestonEpilogueNotesAcknowledgementsBibliographyIndex

Tessa Boase has written three books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale (2014); Etta Lemon (first published as Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather in 2018), both by Aurum, and London’s Lost Department Stores (2022). She is a journalist, lecturer and broadcaster, appearing on ‘Secrets of the National Trust’ with Alan Titchmarsh, ‘Tony Robinson’s History of Britain’, and ‘Jay Blades’ Country House Through Time’. She lives with her family on the Sussex coast. www.tessaboase.com

'A fluent study…Boase builds a deep, rich account of their individual lives, returning from the archive with some telling tales.'

• ProloguePart 1 Dorothy Doar of Trentham HallPart 2 Sarah Wells of UpparkPart 3 Ellen Penketh of ErddigPart 4 Hannah Mackenzie of Wrest ParkPart 5 Grace Higgens of CharlestonEpilogueNotesAcknowledgementsBibliographyIndex

Tessa Boase has written three books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale (2014); Etta Lemon (first published as Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather in 2018), both by Aurum, and London’s Lost Department Stores (2022). She is a journalist, lecturer and broadcaster, appearing on ‘Secrets of the National Trust’ with Alan Titchmarsh, ‘Tony Robinson’s History of Britain’, and ‘Jay Blades’ Country House Through Time’. She lives with her family on the Sussex coast. www.tessaboase.com

'A fluent study…Boase builds a deep, rich account of their individual lives, returning from the archive with some telling tales.'

• ProloguePart 1 Dorothy Doar of Trentham HallPart 2 Sarah Wells of UpparkPart 3 Ellen Penketh of ErddigPart 4 Hannah Mackenzie of Wrest ParkPart 5 Grace Higgens of CharlestonEpilogueNotesAcknowledgementsBibliographyIndex