Princess Charlotte of Clarence

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

Comparing stage-wagon and stagecoach speeds

Stage-wagons, which were the slow trucks of the era, charged about one penny per mile and could take nearly three days to cover 101 miles. In contrast, by 1800, a fast stagecoach could cover 168 miles in 32 hours.

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

Singing in daily life

Ordinary people sang while working, such as at the plough tail or loom, and often had a small range of songs with one or two party pieces for special occasions.

Daily life

School Discipline and Enrollment Statistics

Discipline in early schools included harsh punishments such as putting a sluggard in a basket and hoisting it up to the ceiling by a rope. In 1818, about 605,704 children out of two million were enrolled in schools across the country.

What it cost

Shoemaking and prices of boots

A pair of boots could be made in a single day, with Blucher boots costing one shilling and threepence.