Hedvig Catharina von Fersen

Getting around

Travel by horseback and packhorse trails

In the early to mid-1700s, riding on horseback or walking were the standard ways to travel long distances, while goods were often transported using packhorses (klövjehästar) on trails because many roads were too poor for wheeled vehicles.

Daily life

Simple wooden cottage construction

Ordinary rural homes were typically built of wood planks, often with clay packed into the joints to seal gaps, and featured thatched roofs. Inside, peasant cottages typically had only one window on the gable and one on the long wall.

What people wore

Ribbons for unmarried women’s hair

In 1749, unmarried women in Virestad often wore their hair uncovered, decorated with various braided ribbons made of red cloth, black velvet, or silver glitter.

Music

Rural wedding festivities lasted days

In rural Swedish wedding customs during this era, celebrations often spanned from Sunday to Wednesday, with dancing starting after the first evening meal. Couples typically danced two dances at a time, such as a minuet and a polska, or two polskas.

At the table

Grain-based diet and survival mixtures

Ordinary Swedish families relied on a grain-based diet, consuming bread, porridge, and gruel as their primary energy sources. To extend limited grain supplies during spring, common people frequently mixed their flour with alternative ingredients like chaff, bark, or various plants.