Review: The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England From 1811-1901 by Kristine Hughes

The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England From 1811-1901 by Kristine Hughes, Writer’s Digest Books, 1998, 248 p.

At a recent book fair, I had a conversation with a genealogist who was interested in writing the story of her great-great grandmother’s life in England. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” she commented, “if there were a book I could consult that would provide a few details about her daily life. You know…what kind of foods she might have eaten. What it was like to work in a factory. The little details you don’t find in records.” As a librarian and a genealogist, I knew there had to be such a book out there, and after some catalogue searching, I discovered several books that fit the bill. I passed on the titles to my friend, and was planning to buy one for our society’s library. Serendipitously, only a couple of weeks later, I found Kristine Hughes’ book, which was one of the books on my list, at a garage sale. Of course, I couldn’t pass it up for the asking price of 50 cents!

“Everyday life” is an enormous subject to tackle in 248 pages, but the author has managed to create an extremely helpful book for anyone wishing to write about the practical details of life during this period. Hughes’ has divided her book into three main parts: 1) Everyday Life, 2) Government, War and the Economy, and 3) Society. The section on “Everyday Life,” is further divided into the following chapters: 1) Lighting, Heating and Plumbing; 2) Cooking, 3) Domestic Servants, 4) Home Furnishings, 5) Fashion, and 6) Medicine.

Class differences are addressed for each of these subjects. For example, on the topic of lighting in the early nineteenth century, the author explains that normally only nobility could afford wax candles, and even tallow candles were mostly used by the middle and upper classes. “Rush lights” were the most common form of illumination at that time for working class people up until the mid-nineteenth century.

The “Government, War and the Economy” section is broken into four chapters: 1) The Courts, 2) The Military, 3) Economics and Banking, and 4) The Laboring Classes. The topics in these chapters are likely ones that researchers of British genealogy have encountered before. Still, there are interesting charts and helpful details included, such as the prices paid for an army commission; army pay rates for enlisted men, and naval uniform and dress code descriptions, including a chart of epaulettes and their meanings.

The section, “Society,” contains the final six chapters of the book: Arts and Entertainment; Shopping; Travel; Etiquette; The Pleasures of Good Society; and, Mourning. Each chapter contains a plethora of fascinating details. The chapter, “Mourning,” is of particular interest to genealogists. As we routinely include death and burial information in our histories and charts, it is interesting to learn the mourning practices of the time. Hughes includes a chart of appropriate mourning attire, not only for the spouse of the deceased, but for other family members as well, such as siblings, aunts, uncles, and first cousins. Also included is a chart of mourning fabrics commonly used throughout the years.

  Each chapter ends with a timeline of events pertinent to the subject material, and a bibliography of materials for more in-depth reading. While this book isn’t written specifically for genealogists, it is certainly of use to any student of history. It will be especially useful for those researchers planning to write a detailed family history article or book about an ancestor’s life in Regency and Victorian England.