ABSTRACT
The Domesday Survey shows that in 1086 Radby was a small cluster of dwellings with a population of sixty. It remained an agricultural village throughout the Middle Ages. Although the town’s main expansion, owing to the development of mining, was completed by the beginning of the century, its population is still decidedly young and masculine. The two periods during which the bulk of present-day Radby was built, pre-1900 and post-1918, have a material bearing on the character of the houses. Only a few back-to-back houses were constructed, and those which did exist have been converted or demolished. Conversely, miners dwelling outside the town are employed in the Radby pits. A distinction should be made between coal-face workers and other men employed in the mines. The wages of youths in the mines compare very favourably with those obtainable in other employment. Several of the employees possess television sets, probably obtained under hire-purchase agreements.
