Melvyn Bragg

The Hired Man is a novel by Melvyn Bragg, first published in 1969. It is the first part of Bragg's Cumbrian Trilogy. The story is set predominantly in the rural area around Thurston, from the 1890s to the 1920s, and follows the life of John Tallentire, a farm labourer and coal miner. John is the father of Joseph …

The Cumbrian Trilogy comprises three novels by Melvyn Bragg, published between 1969 and 1980. The story is set predominantly in Thurston, from the 1920s to the 1970s, and follows the lives of John Tallentire, his son Joseph, and his grandson Douglas. These three characters are central to the novels The Hired Man, A …