author
J. L. (John Lawrence) Hammond
1872–1949
A pioneering British writer on social history, he helped bring the lives of ordinary workers into the center of historical storytelling. Much of his best-known work was written with his wife, Barbara Hammond, and remains closely tied to the history of labor and politics in Britain.
1 Audiobook
The village labourer, 1760-1832 A study in the government of England before the Reform Bill
by J. L. (John Lawrence) Hammond, Barbara Bradby Hammond
About the author
Born in 1872, he was a British journalist and writer whose work focused on social history and politics. He is especially remembered for books written with Barbara Hammond, his wife and frequent collaborator, including studies of laboring life in Britain during the Industrial Revolution.
He was educated at Bradford Grammar School and at Oxford, and he also worked in journalism, including as editor of The Speaker around the turn of the century. His writing stood out for its strong interest in the experiences of ordinary people rather than only political leaders or institutions.
The Hammonds' books, such as The Village Labourer, The Town Labourer, and The Skilled Labourer, helped shape how later readers understood working-class history in Britain. He died in 1949, but his work is still associated with an influential, humane approach to social history.