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.
Chelsea, 14 Mar 1855 – Glamis Castle, 7 Nov 1944
6 facts1 source
14 Mar 1855
Born in Chelsea
4 Aug 1900
A daughter is born
7 Nov 1944
Dies in Glamis Castle, aged 89
He lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Chelsea.
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
Economic meat for ordinary families
Meat was expensive, so poorer families relied on economical cuts like sheep's head or offal such as liver, heart, and intestines. A sheep's head could be purchased for about 3d.
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
Street Performers and Murder Ballads
Street musicians often survived by singing sensational ballads about local murders, such as the killing of Jael Denny in Essex. A popular sentimental song like Bayley's Isle of Beauty could be performed to earn a quick meal from passersby.
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.