This is a history of Highley in Shropshire between 1550 and 1880. It is a portrait of rural England before and after the Industrial Revolution when Highley was transformed from an open-field agricultural manor into a mining village.

The author focuses on three fundamental stages of economic development – the break-up of the manorial system, the enclosure of open fields and the advent of industrialization – assessing their impact on Highley and its inhabitants. Against this background, she provides an analysis of social relations and demographic trends. Drawing on a range of sources, she examines geographic and social mobility, differences in living standards and social structures, household size, composition and family relationships. She aims to show how, in the face of sweeping changes in economy and society, Highley proved relatively resilient.