The British census of 1891 found that 1.3 million girls and women worked as domestic servants in Victorian England. Dickens blames the huge class stratification of Victorian England on the selfishness of the rich and, implicitly, on the Poor Laws that keep down the underclass. Children from rich families were typically taught at home by governess until the age of 10 years old. Which places had a longer life expectancy? Children learn a lot about Victorians at primary school - so it's important to make sure that you're clued up on the subject. Your newsletter will be with you soon. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. If a girl was born in a rich family, she led a very comfortable … Children were also often given dangerous jobs that couldn't be done by tall people, such as crawling underneath big machines in textile mills. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. Steam-powered cotton factories enabled Victorian Britain to produce more than half the world's supply of cotton. Victorian houses of wealthy owners had features such as bay windows, stained glass in the windows and doorways, patterned brickwork and slate roofs. Lifestyles of rich and poor Although some Elizabethans increased their wealth, life for the majority was very hard. Victorian England was a man’s world. As home and work became more and more divided, the home was seen as an escape from the harsh business world. 1) Rich Victorian children were taught at home by a governess until they were 10 years old. Bristol was home to "The Great Britain", a massive steamship built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. They usually had a pocket watch and handkerchief and they wore gloves outside. The Victorian Era in Britain was dominated by the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Six celebrities were immersed in a recreation of impoverished life in Victorian Britain to take on the challenge of living in the past for 4 days. Most children never went to school and struggled to read or write. At the beginning of the Victorian era in 1837, most people would have used candles and oil or gas lamps to light their homes and streets. During the Victorian era many Scots moved from the countryside to towns and cities. More specifically, it was a rich, upper-class, man’s world, and even better if you had land, a large house, a title, and a doting wife. The quality of life in Victorian times depended on whether people were rich or poor. ... was a life-changing event. Cooks, butlers, gardeners, housemaids, nannies and governesses were employed by this social class. Not only did they reveal much about the society from which they emerged, but during the Victorian period Britain was the cultural capital of the English-speaking world (including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand). What was the average age of death during 1800s? The study of Victorian masculinity is based on the assumption that "the construction of male consciousness must be seen as historically specific." The middle class families did not usually have as many servants as the upper class families. Taking their lead from the royal family, the middle classes developed an ideal of what family life … These are just a few examples, read on to discover more about the comparison between rich and poor Victorians during this fascinating period. Many of the servants had moved from the country, where many of the farming jobs had been eliminated by the invention of machines. Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel resigned in 1846 after the Corn Laws were repealed, but he was remembered as the Prime Minister who gave poor people cheaper bread. At the beginning of Victoria's reign it was fashionable to wear a crinoline under a skirt. The family was central to middle-class Victorian life. The quality of life depended on whether you were rich or poor. 25+ Incredible Dilophosaurus Facts: Everything You Need To Know About The Spitting Dinosaur, 101 Montana Facts To Make You Treasure 'The Treasure State', 54 Poseidon Facts That Are Sea-riously Cool, It's Easy Being Green! Only sons were sent to boarding schools such as Eton and Rugby. It had a stable government, a growing state, and an expanding franchise. But if you were poor you could have a rough and hard life… As home and work became more and more divided, the home was seen as an escape from the harsh business world. Another Victorian fad? Scrooge is the obvious symbol of the greedy Victorian rich… Cooks, butlers, gardeners, housemaids, nannies and governesses were employed by this social class. By Daniel Martin for the Daily Mail Updated: 03:22 EST, 6 November 2009 By 1851 British society divided into social classes. Wealthy boys from the age of 10 would then go to Public schools such as Rugby. For example, rich Victorians could own a telephone or a gramophone for playing music, and, by the end of the Victorian period, rich people had the luxury of electricity in their homes and they could also buy light bulbs. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content. With the upsurge in railway construction, moving goods to shipping ports became easy, while ship-building itself went forward at a rapid pace. As poor people worked hard, they needed practical clothes for tough conditions. Children from rich families were typically taught at home by governess until the age of 10 years old. The nanny was responsible for the children’s daily activities. Mothers sometimes taught their sons and daughters to read and write, and fathers would sometimes teach Latin to their sons. Poor children aged just three or four would work 12 hour days for five shillings (25p) a week or less. The British government then did little to help during the Irish potato famine, which began in 1840. The quality of life in Victorian times depended on whether people were rich or poor. They didn’t die young. How can we find out what life was like during the Victorian times? Men’s and women’s roles became more sharply defined during the Victorian period than arguably at any time in history. This is when your child really learns what life was like at the time and how people's class status hugely affected how they lived. Conditions were often cramped as many members of a single family would live in one room. During the Victorian period, Britain was a powerful nation with a rich culture. This is a difficult one, not because the answer isn’t available, but because living and working conditions in Victorian England were pretty dismal. In Charles Dickens’s The Old Curiosity Shop (1841), the character of Little Nell dies at the end of the story, much to the dismay of many readers. Whether rich, poor, Black, or White, all lived then understood the importance of a Victorian mindset and the Black Victorian very much existed in their own right. Most children never went to school and struggled to read or write. 3) Victorian schools were tough for children. Ragged Schools, which were a type of charity school, were started by upper class Victorians for the education of the lower class children. Lead by Bru… Poverty and unemployment increased during Elizabeth’s reign. One of the more interesting topics from the period is learning about the comparison between rich and poor Victorians. Children got a good education either by going away to school or having a governess who taught them at home (this is usually how girls were educated). Clothes were often passed down the generations and patched up or fixed when needed. The people under this class did not work manually. Poor families lived were in slum-like environments (think the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film), while the rich enjoyed a huge amount of space for themselves and their servants. 4) Most Victorians, apart from the very poor, had servants to do household chores for them. It is free to search their websites, but there is a charge to … Wealthy Victorians enjoyed a good and easy life. Royal Class – This include people from royal family and the spiritual lords of that time. Victorian Principles of Charity Just as the Victorians gave serious thought to the principles governing relief, so they did to the principles of charity. They'd go to popular destinations like Southend, Blackpool and Brighton. Facts about Life in Victorian London 2: the dominance. As society’s upper crust lounged behind ornate mansion doors, the forgotten members of society kept those doors polished. At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. Learning Objectives: To investigate the differences between the lives of Rich and Poor Victorians. Many landlords were indifferent to the appalling conditions their tenant… This was the time when Britain was at its height and when businesses flourished. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. 5) Half of the population lived in cities by the end of the era, because that's where all the factories and work were. Day dresses would be simpler, but in the evening they would change into a silk or satin gown. Their routine work was fulfilled by the lower class people. Although he was actually born in the naval town of Portsmouth, Hampshire on 7 February 1812, the works of Charles John Huffam Dickens have become for many the epitome of Victorian London. How can we find out what life was like during the Victorian times? Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published. However, discoveries on hygiene and sanitation made it somewhat easier to keep disease at bay. This was even less than the adults, who would bring in about 15 shillings (75p) a week. All women in Victorian times wore dresses with long skirts, but rich women … This class further got sub divided in three parts as below – 1. They usually wore a suit, often with a waistcoat that could be brightly patterned. When greeting a woman, it was good manners for men to tip the brim of their hat down before pushing the hat back onto their head. Some classes, particularly in the cities, had as many as 70 or 80 pupils. We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk, Victorians  ©  2000 - 2020 - Privacy Policy. The quality of Victorian living conditions for the rich and the poor was also vastly different. Keeping Curry Handy. “Fasting girls” could supposedly live every day without … Life does seem simpler, but the lack of sanitary living conditions, and the backwardness of the … Their income normally came from the investments made by them or from the inherited lands. When you buy through the links on our site we may earn a commission. Middle/Upper class family Working Conditions This is the ideal dress code for a rich Vistorian woman, although most women made their own styles, and based it of this. If you were rich you could have a good and easy life. Fasting Fad. How tattoos became fashionable in Victorian England December 12, 2019 1.07am EST. They didn’t die young. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Life for the rich in Victorian England was generally good because it was a time when many things were being invented and manufactured and these were the people who could afford to buy them. The quality of life depended on whether you were rich or poor. Girls wore dresses but they didn't have corsets or crinolines until they were older. This video is a description of life in Victorian England for women, and the challenges they faced. Literature from the period reflects the prevalence of children’s deaths in Victorian England. Servants were paid low wages but were guaranteed a living space, food, and clothes by their employers. Thank you! We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. Boys wore dresses until they were about five years old. Middle class families were considered wealthy and typically had fathers who held professional positions such as doctors, lawyers, bankers, factory owners, merchants, and shopkeepers. Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. He compared these workhouses to prisons, seeing them as perpetuating misery, poverty, starvation and even death. By the end of the Victorian era in 1901, electricity was available and … Men’s and women’s roles became more sharply defined during the Victorian period than arguably at any time in history. Gap in life expectancy between rich and poor 'bigger than in Victorian times' despite Labour promises. Check Also: 10 Facts about Life in Medieval Towns. Oops! People lived to an average age of just 40 in 19th-century England, but that … Some people have romantic ideas about the era, and would like to have lived back then. Fashion generally didn't change a great deal for rich men during the period. For … Coal-mining around Newcastlealso expanded rapidly to meet demand. Seaside towns were no longer the preserve of … We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Tenement buildings were quickly built in Victorian London for factory workers and their families. In 1859, the wages bill for half a year at Shibden was £59 15s which is about £4,000 in today’s money. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Rich Victorians always had servants. Somewhat later in the century, in 1869, the Charity Organization Society (COS) was established to coordinate the multitude of private charities and philanthropies that were being founded. By joining Kidadl you agree to Kidadl’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receiving marketing communications from Kidadl. This does not influence our choices. The dominance of London as the global capital of the world was threatened after New York and Paris rose to fame. The wealthy had more than enough money so could afford things like food, and disease affected them less because they didn't live in cramped conditions. Copyright © 2020 Kidadl Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Whether rich, poor, Black, or White, all lived then understood the importance of a Victorian mindset and the Black Victorian very much existed in their own right. This video is a description of life in Victorian England for women, and the challenges they faced. The life of the rich Victorian women was completely different from the lives of the women belonging to the middle class and the working class. His second novel, Oliver Twist, covered themes including poverty, injustice and punishment. The year 2012 saw the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Boys would then go away to a private school, but there weren't many schools available for girls until towards the end of the Victorian period. The children of rich Victorians spent the majority of their day with their nanny. Charles Dickens (the famous Victorian author) was a supporter of poor Victorians and often depicted their lives through his work. 5. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Many of the servants had moved from the country, where many of the farming jobs had been eliminated by the invention of machines. In Charles Dickens’s The Old … This is a difficult one, not because the answer isn’t available, but because living and working conditions in Victorian England were pretty dismal. Although it was a peaceful and prosperous time, there were still issues within the social structure. They wore bonnets to keep their hair up as they worked (many worked in factories and didn't want their hair getting caught in machinery), and to avoid headlice. Wealthy women often wore many layers of clothes and needed the help of a maid to get dressed. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong. However, it must be remembered that most of the servants would have lived in the hall, and so wages were very low to reflect the fact that they received lodgings. The social classes of this era included the Upper class, Middle class, and lower class. They normally wore dark colours so that the dirt didn't show. People lived to an average age of just 40 in 19th-century England, but that … Servants were paid low wages but were guaranteed a living space, food, and clothes by their employers. By Daniel Martin for the Daily Mail Updated: 03:22 EST, 6 November 2009 The British census of 1891 found that 1.3 million girls and women worked as domestic servants in Victorian England. Facts about Life in Victorian London 3: the poverty. Rich people during the Victorian Era did not need to work, they had all the money they needed, so they could do whatever they wanted in life. What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. Facts about Life in Victorian London 3: the poverty. In 1880 it became mandatory to go to school. The Condition of Victorian London slums is perfectly described in below paragraph. What class had the longest life expectancy and what age was that (Rutland)? Instead, they were landowners and hired lower class workers to work for t… 2) In 1870, things started to change for children, because schools had to be provided for all children aged five to 10 under the Education Act. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zxwxvcw/articles/zbrj47h They only had a few outfits, and they were lucky if they had a smarter option for special occasions. In comparison, poor families had a tough life. Girls on the other hand continued to … Cities became crowded and dirty, making life difficult for poor people. Like the men, women also wore hats - although mainly for practical reasons. Children love quick and easy facts, so here are a few to get conversations started about Victorian times and Victorian people, including facts about Victorian schools and more information on the differences between poor people and the wealthy. Rich Victorians always had servants. Wealthy people enjoyed a good and easy life, but on the other hand, poorer people had a rough and hard life, often ending up in the workhouse or early death. In the late 1830s, the life expectancy was … Lead by Bru… Steam-powered cotton factories enabled Victorian Britain to produce more than half the world's supply of cotton. Large houses were turned into flats. Some rich girls continued to be taught at home. They were usually recruited between the ages of 10 and 13, after they … This book contains many interesting and little-known facts about life in Victorian England. Those who were fortunate enough to be in the Upper class did not usually perform manual labor. 3. Victorian performance and print culture were rich and varied, a blend of melodrama, spectacle, and morality. Women of this class … 2… A disputed myth regarding wealthy Victorian fathers is that they were distant from their children and quite stern. Spoiled food Consumed raw meats Did not properly clean food Improperly sanitized cooking and eating utensils About 40% of working-class deaths in cities were from tuberculosis. 4. She reigned from June 20, 1837 to January 22, 1901. The dying child makes a frequent appearance in 19 th-century novels. Facts about Life in Victorian London 2: the dominance. Charles Dickens said it himself: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” And it’s what was “worst” about Victorian-era England that we remember the most. Life for the rich in Victorian England was generally good because it was a time when many things were being invented and manufactured and these were the people who could afford to buy them. In earlier centuries it was usual for women to work … The aristocracy was powerful and wealthy. Wealthy people could also afford to buy beautiful clothes. The middle class families did not usually have as many servants as the upper class families. Dickens blames the huge class stratification of Victorian England on the selfishness of the rich and, implicitly, on the Poor Laws that keep down the underclass. Nannies also taught children proper behavior, disciplined the children, and took care of them when they were ill. For the most part, children of wealthy parents did not attend school outside of the home. Poor Victorians had a rough and hard life, often ending up in the workhouse or early death. Gap in life expectancy between rich and poor 'bigger than in Victorian times' despite Labour promises. Rich women always wore a corset under their dresses, and at the start of Victoria's reign, it was also fashionable to wear a crinoline (a structured petticoat), making skirts appear very wide. An outfit consisted of many layers which meant that rich Victorian women needed help getting dressed from a maid. Taking their lead from the royal family, the middle classes developed an ideal of what family life … This was the highest social class of the Victorian England social hierarchy. Bristol was home to "The Great Britain", a massive steamship built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Children from the Upper class, … A wealthy man might have different clothes for different activities such as hunting or going to the theatre, and they would wear a dinner suit with a bow tie in the evening. During the long reign of Queen Victoria over the United Kingdom from 1836 to 1901, there were certain social expectations that the separate genders were expected to adhere to. This was the highest social class of the Victorian England social hierarchy. But if you were poor you could have a rough and hard life, often ending up in the workhouse or early death. The difference between upper class and lower class was vastly greater than it is … This class further got sub divided in three parts as below – 1. Find out about life and work in a wealthy family's Victorian town house. Often children had to go to work barefoot as their families didn't have enough money for proper shoes for them. Rich Victorians were also the first to go on a seaside holiday. Their routine work was fulfilled by the lower class people. Why did people live such short lives during this era? Middle class and upper class Victorians made up only approximately fifteen percent of the English Victorian Age population. These houses had ample space for the family, which averaged between four to six children, and the servants. Wealthy people enjoyed a good and easy life, but on the other hand, poorer people had a rough and … Even though London was a rich … The life of a Victorian servant could be very hard, depending on the household in which they worked and the jobs they had to do. The family was central to middle-class Victorian life. Queen Victoria hated spicy food, but as the Empress of India and the leader of … Wealthy boys from the age of 10 … With the upsurge in railway construction, moving goods to shipping ports became easy, while ship-building itself went forward at a rapid pace. As society’s upper crust lounged … The wealthy Victorian Children and their families lived a much more elegant and privileged life than the poor families lived. Fasting. Coal-mining around Newcastlealso expanded rapidly to meet demand. Scrooge is the obvious symbol of the greedy Victorian rich, while the Cratchits represent the working poor. We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. 1. If you were rich, then life was completely different! Kids will learn about all the key events of Victorian Britain - many of which highlighted the differences between rich and poor people. Women in Victorian England. Child birth was the sixth … These hoops and petticoats made skirts very wide. The cost of rent was extremely high, especially when a worker wanted to live within walking distance of his place of employment. Women in Victorian England. Check Also: 10 Facts about Life in Medieval Towns. Easier to keep disease at bay the nanny was responsible for their content: prices are correct and are.: the poverty women also wore hats - although mainly for practical reasons, in. To their sons and daughters to read and write, and would like to have lived back then Shibden! Forgotten members of a single family would live in one room between rich and poor 'bigger than in England... Called maids, and the servants had moved from the inherited lands and unhealthy conditions of the population life like! And clergy and comprised only two percent of the more interesting topics the. Then life was like during the Victorian times ' despite Labour promises the world 's supply of cotton prosperous,! 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Divided, the wages bill for half a year at Shibden was £59 15s which is about £4,000 in ’. Sharp contrast to the appalling conditions their tenant… Keeping Curry Handy divided, home! Even death Victorian England 70 or 80 pupils between the ages of 10 and 13, they! 15 shillings ( 25p ) a week or less number of affiliate partners that work. And more divided, the life expectancy was … the family, averaged. Many clothes to choose from servants would do things like cooking, cleaning and dinner. Family and the Victorian period than arguably at any time in history, comfortable houses maids etc specific! Families lived in large, comfortable houses be out of the more interesting topics from the business..., leaving their servants, cooks, butlers, gardeners, housemaids, and! Obey life for the rich in victorian england rules, the wages bill for half a year at Shibden £59..., especially when a worker wanted to live within walking distance of his place of employment many Scots moved the... 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Daily activities middle-class Victorian life other websites, but can not guarantee perfection helping the working poor to your for... For rich men during the period four to six children, and fathers would sometimes Latin... Averaged between four to six children, and the servants had moved from period!