Believed to be the offspring of travelling carnival folk Ruth Black grew up having no family to speak of and not a penny to her name. Ruth was taken in as a foundling by a kind and wealthy old gent at the age of five when she was found foraging for food behind an ale house in Yorkshire. As Ruth grew she was taught how to do servants work however she soon grew to resent it and wished a life of adventure and fun; she seized the opportunity when at the age of 16 rather than stay a servant all her life she hitched a ride on a passing wagon and headed for London.
Over the next two years, to feed and cloth herself, Ruth found herself either on her feet serving in a tavern or on her back in alley, sleeping wherever she could find somewhere to rest her head. When the war broke out Ruth found her self at a loss for customers and so she decided to follow them around the country settling her self in various camps for periods of time and travelling where ever the war took her.