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What people wore

Essential wardrobe of working women

Working-class women commonly wore a shift, a petticoat, and a versatile bedgown, often accessorized with a neck handkerchief, an apron, and a cap for indoor wear.

Daily life

Limited access to water and sanitation

Poor urban families often lacked indoor water and shared a street standpipe or an outdoor earth closet privy with many others.

Work

Dominant Occupations: Farming and Service

Agriculture and domestic service were the largest employers, with over 1.75 million people working in agriculture in the mid-nineteenth century.

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.

At the table

Cheap Gin Available for the Poor

During the Gin Craze, poor Londoners could get drunk for a penny or become dead drunk for twopence, leading to high levels of gin consumption among the lower classes.

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.

What it cost

Costs of food and shoes

Butcher's meat typically cost between 5d and 7d per pound, while a pair of boots could cost as little as 1s 3d to 2s 1d. Bread prices varied, but a quartern loaf was often around 8d to 9d outside London.