Lord Augustus FitzClarence

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.

Getting around

Walking was the primary travel method

For most ordinary people, walking was the primary mode of transport, as stagecoaches and hired horses were often too expensive. Pedestrians typically traveled at an average speed of 3 mph, rarely exceeding 20 miles in a single day.

At the table

Tea Becomes a Staple Drink

By the early 19th century, tea had moved down the social scale and became a staple drink, often served with bread, which was frequently the only meal for the poor.

Music

Festival rewards

Festival participants like pace-eggers often went from house to house singing and dancing, hoping to be rewarded with items such as eggs and strong beer.

Daily life

Cooking and Baking Habits

In some households, families without a private oven sent their bread and cake mixes to a local bakery, marking them with their initials to identify them. Cooking ranges heated by coal were used, with water heated in kettles hung over the fire or in boilers behind the coal fire.

What it cost

Cost of a loaf of bread

A four-pound loaf of wheaten bread typically cost between six and ten pence during this period.