A contemporary quotation of Peel and co-entrepreneur Wilkes' endeavour explains their paternalistic use of cheap labour and pocket boroughs:- From [Drayton Bassett] we proceeded to Faseley [Fazeley], a part of the same great property, purchased so ably and so fortunately for the promotion of commercial speculation.

This is probably the first situation for an inland town that is to be found in Great Britain, for here is the junction of the Birmingham and Coventry canals, which unite Hull, Liverpool, Bristol, and London...here is all that communication can confer: coals under the whole country, offers, perhaps of all others, the most important advantage.

Here Messrs. Wilkes and Peele(sic) [purchasers mentioned above at a very high price] have built a cotton mill, which is now in full work by day, but never by night, so the objection which has been made on that account to these admirable exertions of human ingenuity do not hold here.

This situation is so favourable, in relation to communication, plenty of water, cheapness of coals, and cheapness of labour, that Messrs. Peele and Wilkes may reasonably hope to be the founders of a new town on this centre of all the inland navigations of England; Tamworth is but a mile distant, with an equal command of water and an unemployed poor, a cotton mill, and a printing one are there erected, and other establishments of the same complexion forming, which will in a few years give a new face to the whole neighbourhood.

[10] As to the women of like age, 56 did not state a specific occupation or it was deemed illegible, 20 were indoor servants, 2 charwomen, 2 provided (clothes) washing or bathing services, 1 collected tolls, 1 was a warehouseperson or equivalent, one was an agricultural labourer (including farm servant or cottager, cottager still implying of the manor in return for work), one ran a public house/hotel, two worked/dealt in silk, two in tape, fifteen were likely pensioners or widows as in the category with two men of "Persons returned by Property, Rank etc.