Princess Elizabeth of Clarence

What people wore

Respectability through Sunday best outfits

To maintain respectability, ordinary people strove to own at least two complete outfits, reserving the better one for Sundays, holidays, and leisure activities.

Daily life

Cooking over inefficient open fires

Before iron ranges became common in the 1820s and 1830s, many families cooked over open fires, which were highly inefficient as most heat escaped up the chimney.

Work

Child Labor and Factory Discipline

Children as young as eight were employed in factories, and unpunctuality could be met with severe physical chastisement. Parents often had to wake children while they were still asleep to ensure they reached the mill on time.

Music

Everyday singing and festival traditions

People sang at work and leisure, often drawing from well-known ballads or popular songs like The Mistletoe Bough. At festivals, groups such as mummers and pace-eggers performed dances and songs while wearing masks or fantastic costumes to request alms, often rewarded with eggs and strong beer.

At the table

Widespread Adulteration of Basic Foods

Adulteration was widespread, with milk frequently mixed with chalk and water, and butter often colored with added copper.

Getting around

Steamships revolutionized sea travel times

Before the introduction of steamships in 1819, a sea journey from London to Dublin could take over a week, dependent on weather and tides. After steam power was introduced, travel time for the crossing could be reduced to as little as six hours.

What it cost

Weekly earnings for workers

A skilled workman could earn up to two pounds per week, while farm labourers typically earned nine to twelve shillings.