(I) Elizabeth Gaskell is best known for her novels depicting scenes of English country life which also often highlight the huge social divide between rich and poor. (II) Born in Chelsea in 1810, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell was daughter of William Stevenson, a civil servant and former Unitarian Minister. (III) She spent most of her childhood, however, under the guardianship of an aunt (IV) When "Mary Barton" was first published in 1848 it was heavily criticised by Manchester mill-owners and the Tory press as being based against the employers. (V) She grew up to become a skilled story teller