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.
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