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, 7 Apr 1853 – Cannes, 28 Mar 1884
11 facts3 sources
7 Apr 1853
Born in Buckingham Palace
1883–1884
2 children are born
28 Mar 1884
Dies in Cannes, aged 30
He lived through 4 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
Faster and cheaper travel by rail
A journey from London to Liverpool by coach once took twenty-two hours and cost £4 inside, whereas by the mid-nineteenth century, the same journey by train could be completed in just six hours for £2 5s.
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
Widespread Use of Concertinas and Accordions
In rural Norfolk around 1890, it was common for households to own a worn-out concertina or a broken-down accordion. These portable instruments became essential for entertainment in homes, pubs, and at village festivals throughout the mid-to-late nineteenth century.
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.