Ramsbottom Grant Arms Hotel in Market Place was the home of William and Daniel Grant, 19th century industrialists closely associated with the rise of the town and reputed to be the inspiration for the Cheeryble brothers in "Nicholas Nickleby" by Charles Dickens. The Grants' employees were paid in tokens that had to be redeemed at a public house owned by the company. The landlord converted the tokens into cash, but only after deducting threepence per person, which had to be spent on beer, a variation on the truck system. A network of roads and railways routed through Ramsbottom allowed for a
Francis Dickens cities. Francis Dickens is a character in Matthew Pearl's 2009 novel, "The Last Dickens". Dickens also appears in Bill Gallaher's "The Frog Lake Massacre" (2008). "The Diary of Francis Dickens", edited by Vernon LaChance, Kingston Jackson Press, 1930 "Francis Jeffrey Dickens", The Canadian Encyclopedia, (entry by John Evans) Eric Nicol, "Dickens of the Mounted: The Astounding Long-lost Letters of Inspector F. Dickens NWMP 1874–1886." (1989) McClelland & Stewart "Francis J. Dickens, An Ordinary Officer", "Beaver" Vol.78, No.3 June/July 1998 David J. Carter "Inspector F.J. Dickens: "The Christmas Carol baby"" (1998) Francis Dickens Francis Jeffrey Dickens (15 January 1844 – 11