Sheila Hardy

Embarking on motherhood was a very different affair in the 1950s to what it is today. From how to dress baby (matinee coats and bonnets) to how to administer feeds (strictly four-hourly if following the Truby King method), the childrearing methods of the 1950s are a fascinating insight into the lives of women in that decade. In A 1950s Mother, author, mother and grandmother Sheila Hardy collects heart-warming, personal anecdotes from those women who became mothers during this fascinating post-war period. From the benefits of ‘crying it out’ and being put out in the garden to gripe water and Listen with Mother, the wisdom of mothers from the 1950s reverberates down the decades to young mothers of any generation and is a hilarious and, at times, poignant trip down memory lane for any mother or child of the 1950s.

Being a housewife in the 1950s was quite a different experience to today. After the independence of the wartime years, women had to leave their jobs when they married and support their husband by creating a spotless home, delicious meals and an inviting bedroom. A 1950s Housewife collects heart-warming personal anecdotes from women who embarked on married life during this fascinating post-war period, providing a trip down memory lane for any wife or child of the 1950s. This book will prove an eye-opener for those who now wish they had listened when their mothers attempted to tell them stories of the ‘old days’, and will provide useful first-hand accounts for those with a love of all things kitsch and vintage. From ingenious cleaning tips, ration-book recipes and home decor inspiration, the homemaking methods of the fifties give an entertaining and poignant insight into the lives of 1950s women.

Being a housewife in the 1950s was quite a different experience to today. After the independence of the wartime years, women had to leave their jobs when they married and support their husband by creating a spotless home, delicious meals and an inviting bedroom. A 1950s Housewife collects heart-warming personal anecdotes from women who embarked on married life during this fascinating post-war period, providing a trip down memory lane for any wife or child of the 1950s. This book will prove an eye-opener for those who now wish they had listened when their mothers attempted to tell them stories of the ‘old days’, and will provide useful first-hand accounts for those with a love of all things kitsch and vintage. From ingenious cleaning tips, ration-book recipes and home decor inspiration, the homemaking methods of the fifties give an entertaining and poignant insight into the lives of 1950s women.

This absorbing collection delves into the villainous deeds that have taken place in Suffolk during the last 200 years. Cases of murder, robbery, child neglect and abuse, and arson are all examined as the shadier side of the county’s history is exposed. From the respectable young man who almost severed his mother’s head from her body; the brutal murder of a father and daughter that took almost twenty years to solve; and the man who peppered his wife with over fifty gunshot pellets, this book sheds new light on Suffolk’s criminal history. Illustrated with a wide range of photographs and archive ephemera, Murder & Crime Suffolk is sure to fascinate both residents and visitors alike as these shocking events of the past are revealed for a new generation.

Eliza Acton is the forgotten hero of our culinary past. A debt of gratitude to her is what Delia Smith, Elizabeth David and Mrs Beeton have in common. She was the original and best: the first cook to write recipes in a clear, modern format, one of the few Victorian ladies whose legacy has lasted well into the twenty-first century and whose recipes are still used in thousands of kitchens today. In this absorbing first biography, Sheila Hardy creates a richly painted narrative of how a young woman produced the first cookery book for general use and changed history. She provides a rich background to Eliza’s success, not only as the little-known mother of modern cookery, but as a poet and a campaigner for healthy eating. She introduced us to curry, chorizo and gluten-free diets 150 years before they became fashionable. She knew Charles Dickens, and her family life was possibly an inspiration for several of his plots. She had a fascinating career, and this brilliantly researched biography is a must for anyone interested in food and cookery, or simply as an insight into the life of a modern lady who was years ahead of her time.

During the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries arsenic was readily available to the general public; indeed it was prescribed by doctors as a tonic to build up strength and put on weight as well as a treatment for rheumatism, dropsy and syphilis. It was also widely used to kill household vermin. So no chemist in Suffolk would have been suspicious when a small amount of grey-white powder was purchased. That is until a sudden death took place - but even then the symptoms could have been confused with the English Cholera. Of all forms of murder, poisoning is one that is premeditated. Yet it is also the least certain way to ensure the death of the desired victim. As we learn from these cases from Suffolk's history, unintended people sometimes suffered at the hands of the poisoner. Neither has it always been possible to prove the guilt of the one who had administered the poison. This chilling collection is sure to appeal to all those interested in the shady side of Suffolk's history.

During renovation work on a hunting lodge near Aldeburgh, Suffolk, in 1996 a carpenter uncovered a plank of wood revealing a chilling pencilled message: ‘A fearful murder was committed the first day of this month (October 1887) at Cretingham. A curate cut the vicar's throat at 12 o’clock at night.’ The discovery brought to light a long lost piece of Suffolk history and with it an intriguing murder mystery. From this strange beginning Sheila Hardy set out to discover the truth of this claim. Using contemporary newspaper reports and court documents, she uncovers the events that led up to the fateful night of 1 October 1887, the following press intrusion in sleepy Cretingham — which became the focus of the country’s media for ten days, and the subsequent trial. It is a tale of religion and influence, politics and social power, mystery and intrigue, and is sure to appeal to all those interested in the shady side of Suffolk’s history.

This is the story of the other woman in Nelson's life - the woman who waited patiently year after year for him to return from the wars only to be cruelly rejected in favour of his mistress. Unlike the depiction of Fanny as cold and unresponsive by Nelson's biographers, this enthralling biography of his wife takes a close look at the hundred or so letters she wrote to him that reveal a woman of strong character; caring, warmhearted and sympathetic, with a keen sense of humour and a deep and abiding love for her husband.