In the late eighteenth century, England, Thomas and Mary Helstrip, with their children, left Bolton on Swale in North Yorkshire. They eventually made their way into York City where Thomas worked as a book keeper. They lived in Tanner Row, in the parish of All Saints, North Street. Their eldest son, also named Thomas, grew to be a joiner, and in 1798 he married Mary Sherwood at St. Mary's Church in Bishophill Junior. This couple had five sons who each grew to be York craftsmen and freemen of that city. This story takes place between the years of 1847 and 1853. It mostly centres around the life and family of the youngest of these five sons, James Helstrip. It is primarily a true story of real people and real events, but with some poetic licence to help the story flow.