In the news1854
1854 Cholera epidemic sparks public reform demands
A cholera epidemic in 1854 caused widespread public demand for clean water and city sewage systems.
Buckingham Palace, 1 May 1850 – Bagshot Park Mansion, 16 Jan 1942
13 facts3 sources
1 May 1850
Born in Buckingham Palace
1882–1886
3 children are born
1911–1916
Governor General of Canada
16 Jan 1942
Dies in Bagshot Park Mansion, aged 91
He lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Buckingham Palace.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1854
A cholera epidemic in 1854 caused widespread public demand for clean water and city sewage systems.
Getting around
Walking as primary travel mode
Walking was the most common way to travel short distances, with people typically covering about 3 miles per hour, though rarely exceeding 20 miles in a single day.
At the table
Affordable staple foods for families
Onions were a common, affordable staple, often costing about a halfpenny for a bunch of at least a dozen. Watercress was also a popular, cheap working-class staple available for a halfpenny for four bunches.
In Europe · 1853–1856The Crimean War. Britain, France and the Ottomans fought Russia in Crimea; Florence Nightingale’s nurses changed how the wounded were cared for.
What people wore
Steel Crinolines Reduced Skirt Weight
The steel-framed cage crinoline, introduced in 1856, allowed women to achieve voluminous skirt shapes without the heavy burden of multiple petticoats.
Music
Collecting Coins for Dance Music
At platform dances, musicians sometimes used a portable dancing booth with a box placed out front to collect coins from each dancer. This ensured payment for players when the older custom of paying during long-wise country dances became difficult to manage.
Daily life
Winter Bed Warming and Iced Windows
With no central heating, families used warming pans filled with hot coals to heat beds during winter. It was not uncommon for ice to form on the inside of window panes on cold mornings.