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Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Buckingham Palace, 15 Oct 1874 – Merano, 6 Feb 1899

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 15 Oct 1874

    Born in Buckingham Palace

  2. 6 Feb 1899

    Dies in Merano, aged 24

Family

See the tree

Parents

During his lifetime

He lived through 3 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.

The 1870s · Alfred, is born in Buckingham Palace

Who governed

In the news1879

1879 Tay Bridge collapses killing 75 passengers

In 1879, the two-mile Tay Bridge collapsed during a storm, killing 75 passengers in Britain's largest engineering disaster.

Music

Paying for Dance at Festivals

At late nineteenth-century festivals, musicians often used a dancing booth with a box for money, where dancers would pay a fee to participate in the festivities. Collecting these fees became more difficult when round dances and waltzes replaced older country dances.

Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.In Europe · 1859–1871

Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.

Baldassare Verazzi (1819-1886) · public domain

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.

In the news1870

1870 Education Act mandate school for everyone

The Education Act of 1870 mandated that school became accessible for everyone in Britain.

What people wore

Sunday Best as a Status Symbol

Ordinary working-class men and women maintained a Sunday best outfit, often a three-piece suit for men, to symbolize respectability and celebrate the weekly day of rest.

Getting around

Rail travel speed in 1872

In 1872, a 220-mile rail journey from Manchester to Scotland took over 9.5 hours at an average speed of 23 miles per hour, which was still twice as fast as the quickest coaches.