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Tommy Rushworth — Before the War

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Tommy Rushworth was born in 1630, into a world where survival was never guaranteed.

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He was one of four children who lived beyond early childhood. Others did not. Illness moved quietly through families in those years, and it was not uncommon for children to be lost before they were truly known.

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By the time Tommy was old enough to remember, his life was already shaped by work.

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Days began early and ended late.

Twelve, sometimes thirteen hours in the fields, working alongside his father — not as a choice, but as necessity.

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This was not unusual.

It was simply how life was lived.

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Their home reflected that same simplicity.
A small cottage — one room below, one above.
Shared space. Shared labour. Shared survival.

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Then, at just thirty-five years of age, his father died.

There was no safety net.

No time to pause.

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Only the quiet understanding that what had been carried by one man now had to be carried by others.

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