I have just read over again an old book im my collection called `The long march of everyman`, the book was adapted from a BBC radio series with extracts from peoples lives from 1750 to 1960.
Some of the stories are heart-rending, at the height of the British Empire poverty was at its height,and the suffering of the poor is told by those who were on the verge of starvation. An enlightening but also a harrowing read.