Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany

Getting around

Walking and horseback were primary travel modes

Between 1750 and 1774, most people travelled on foot or on horseback, as walking remained the primary way to move locally and short distances.

At the table

Tea becomes a common drink

By the middle of the 18th century, drinking tea had become common even among ordinary people, despite its cost.

What people wore

Popular Bedgowns as Street Wear

Bedgowns, which were lightweight front-wrapping jackets, evolved into a staple garment for British working-class street wear.

Music

Boys perform on hurdy-gurdies

On Plough Monday in 1768, all the young boys in a Cambridgeshire parish gathered to perform using hurdy-gurdies. These instruments were commonly played by itinerant performers at fairs and pubs, but were also played by English people of lower socio-economic classes.

Daily life

Communal Baking for a Small Fee

In smaller communities, people often used a shared bakehouse where they paid a small fee to have their dough baked in a communal oven. Residents would carry their bread loaves to these ovens on boards resting on their shoulders.