In Victorian Britain, unskilled women workers, whether in factories, workshops or at home, were at the mercy of their employers. The lady inspectors were pioneers in such activities as: travelling alone in London slums, seedy provincial manufacturing towns and remote rural areas; appearing in the role of prosecutor in the masculine world of the British courtroom; and gathering and interpreting information to support new legislation. This is the story of their occupation, of their adventures, struggles, successes and failures.