Weaverham History Society

Elizabeth Williams, who is a trustee of the Elizabeth Gaskell House in Manchester, will be talking about the exciting life of Fanny (Frances) Trollope.

Fanny was well known for writing several strong novels of social protest:  The first of these was ‘Jonathan Jefferson Whitlaw’ (1836) which was the first anti-slavery novel.  This book influenced the American Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ of 1852.

Then in 1840 Fanny published ‘Michael Armstrong: Factory Boy’ which was known as the first industrial novel to be published in Britain.  This book was inspired by Frances’ visit to Manchester in 1832, where she examined the conditions of children employed in the textile mills.

Fanny was also the mother of the well-known 19th century author Anthony Trollope.