Daily Life in Victorian Britain

Washing and Hygiene

• Victorians did wash, contrary to popular belief, but practiced the "stand-up wash."
• Stand-up Wash:
  • Requires a bowl, jug, towel (similar to a modern tea towel), hot water (if available), and soap.
  • Water was often fetched from a well or pump and left overnight, sometimes freezing in winter.
  • Middle-class homes had servants to heat water.
  • A flannel (woolen cloth) was used with soap to wash bit by bit.
  • Water was changed frequently, with the cleanest water used for hands and face.
  • Children often had a "tide line" of dirt on their necks due to incomplete washing.
  • Terry Pratchett's Granny Weatherwax quote: "Bath? I don't bath; I wash all of the bits as and when they become available," describes the process well.

Clothing

• Clothes were crucial for warmth and respectability.
• Many had very few changes of clothes and struggled to replace worn items.
• Lower Class Clothing:
  • Wore cast-off rags in poor condition.
  • Mug shots provide accurate depictions of real clothing, unlike idealized studio portraits.
  • Multiple layers of ill-fitting items were cobbled together for warmth and dryness.
  • Clothes were patched, darned, and altered many times.
  • Items were repurposed (e.g., a sleeveless coat worn as a waistcoat).
• Upper Class Clothing:
  • Layering was important for warmth while maintaining appearance.
  • A lady's outfit might include a smock (underwear), corset, chest warmer (flannel), and corset cover.
  • Corsets were never worn directly against the skin and required a washable layer underneath.
  • Averaged about five layers of clothing year-round.
• Appearance and Respectability:
  • Tidy clothes indicated self-respect, discipline, and understanding of social order.
  • Appearance was crucial for job interviews and social standing.
  • Effort was put into maintaining a tidy appearance despite poverty and laundry difficulties.

Diet

• Typical diets consisted mainly of potatoes and bread, with regional variations.
• Potatoes vs. Bread:
  • Potatoes were more common in the North (influenced by Irish immigrants), while bread was favored in the South.
  • Potatoes were initially sneered at in the South and considered animal food.
  • Example of a workhouse riot when bread rations were replaced with potatoes.
• Nutritional Differences:
  • Potatoes contain Vitamin C, which prevents scurvy, while bread does not.
  • Factory workers in the North were slightly better fed due to potato consumption.
  • Vitamin
    e C is essential for preventing scurvy.
• Wealthier people might have jam with bread.
• Northerners had more access to oats, consumed as porridge or oatcakes (e.g., in Staffordshire).
• Fresh vegetables like carrots were rare and expensive, mainly consumed by the wealthy with walled gardens.
• The allotment movement later allowed ordinary people to grow their own vegetables.
• The diet for most was starch-based, with occasional meat and milk.
• Potato Recipes:
  • Boiled and mashed potatoes were common.
  • Chips were more accessible through chip shops (micro-businesses selling from their homes).
  • Baked potatoes were common street food in northern cities, later spreading to London, sold with butter and salt.
  • Potatoes boiled in milk were considered nutritious for children.
  • Examples of traditional soups include leek and potato, and Cullen skink.

Sleeping Arrangements

• Overcrowded conditions were common, particularly in one-up, one-down back-to-back houses.
• These small houses consisted of just two rooms, one stacked on top of the other.
• Families of eight or more lived in these houses, such as a mother, father, and six children.
• Lack of floor space meant some children slept downstairs on mats.
• Privacy was a major issue, especially for parents.
• Sunday school was used to get children out of the house for a couple of hours.
• Ventilation:
  • Victorians were obsessed with ventilation due to concerns about germs and carbon dioxide.
  • Belief that carbon dioxide could poison people in their sleep.
  • The story of a canary dying overnight in a four-poster bed due to carbon dioxide poisoning.
  • Windows were often left open all night, making sleeping conditions cold.