Although Workhouses had been in existence long before the Victorian era, it is a very important time in their history as in 1834 The Poor Law Amendment Act was brought in to make sure that all able bodied people were required to work in workhouses to get their “poor relief”. Previous to this the poor people in the Victorian period had to rely on hand outs and money collected from wealthy people and land owners without having to be part of a proper workplace.
Horse and Carriage At the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign, horse-drawn carriages were the main mode of transportation. The Brougham was a popular vehicle for everyday use and was available in two- or four-wheel styles. Upper class families would use a barouche, a fancy four-wheel carriage with a fold-up hood and seats that faced each other. For those who didn’t own a vehicle, carriages were available for hire. Country-dwellers relied on open vehicles, such as wagons and drays.
Toys for the Poor Children in poor families made their own toys. Girls played hopscotch and made skipping rope with whatever bits of rope they could find. Another popular game for both girls and boys was to roll an iron hoop along the ground. Because there were no cars, streets were their playgrounds. Boys from poorer families collected the marbles that were used to seal drinking bottles, usually made of glass or clay.
Early in the Victorian era, wealthy families would have a nanny to care for the children. Oftentimes, she would teach them the basic skills of reading and writing. For girls, the mother might teach them to sew, to sing, or to play a musical instrument. Fathers often taught their sons Latin. During the same time period, poor children rarely learned to read or write. From a young age, sometimes 5 years old, they were expected to work and help provide for the family.
Between the years 1800 and 1840 criminal offences rose from around 5,000 per year to well over 20,000. Victorians were firm believers that all criminals must be punished, but with so many people now committing offences and breaking the law, there was debate over the punishment for these citizens. At the time there were few prisons to house all these criminals and many were being transported to other counties such as Australia and America.
The Victorian period had some fantastic names for both Men and Women, with some still very popular to this day while others are seen as rather old fashioned. Below is a mixture of popular and interesting Victorian names which will give you a good idea of the sort of names people had in the 19th century. If you are looking for the perfect Victorian baby name for your child we hope the list below gives you some inspiration!
In the Victorian Era and prior to decimalisation the pound sterling was divided into 20 shillings, with each shilling further divided using 12 pennies. It may seem complex compared to the way we divide up the pound today, but it did mean that a pound divided into 240 parts could be divided exactly using halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, sixths, eighths, tenths, twelfths, fifteenths, sixteenths, twentieths, twenty fourths, thirtieths, fortieths, forty eightieths, sixtieths, eightieths, and one hundred and twentieths.
A contrast of affluent buildings and areas combined with slums which were heavily overcrowded and home to some of the poorest people in Britain. Victorian London was really starting to gather economic pace but there were still residents living in some of the worst conditions imaginable. The population of London started to rise rapidly in the Victorian era from around 1 million at the turn of the 19th century to well over 6,000,000 people a century later.
For almost two hundred years prior to the dawn of the Victorian era, English architecture primarily reflected the classical Greek and Roman styles. It was the philosophy of the culturally enlightened Renaissance period that only classical styles were considered worthy of study. The Gothic style of the medieval period was abandoned as “barbaric”. Over time, architectural guidelines became so rigid as to dictate decorative details in accordance with the strict elements of the period building design.
In the days when Queen Victoria reigned, the type of games and entertainment varied on one’s socio-economic status, as well as age and gender. Towards the middle of Victoria’s rule, the economy was well off, as were the citizens, who learned to balance work and play. This meant that regardless of socio-economic status, most Victorians were able to enjoy the time spent on leisure activities among friends and family. Children’s Games & Activities Again, depending on socio-economic status, Victorian era homes were either filled to the brim with lovely toys or sparse with rag dolls and basic wooden toys.
Some great facts about the Victorians covering many aspects of their life in England and indeed throughout the British Empire. The Victorian times were a fantastic place for some, but many of the poorer Victorians lived a hard life in poverty. – The Victorian Era was from 1837-1901 when Queen Victoria was in power. – Victorian Britain became the richest and most powerful country in the world. – When Queen Victoria came into power only 20% of Victorians lived in towns and cities, rising to 75% by her death.
Being a chimney sweep in the Victorian era was a poor existence for many children who were required to clean chimneys for a living. Some of the boys who carried out this work were as young as 3-4 years old and had to work in sooty, unhealthy conditions. Their small bodies and frame made them the perfect size for entering and cleaning the chimneys. Some of the chimney stacks were so narrow that it really was an impossible task for the majority of adults.
In Victorian England, the quality of a child’s life was determined largely by whether he or she was born to a poor family or a wealthy one. If born to a working class family, the child was usually sent to work, often by the age of five. With no laws to protect children from exploitation, they were expected to work long hours in harsh environments. Some were sent into the coal mines to push carts of coal to the surface or open and close doors for ventilation, underground for 12 hours a day.
Although very late in the Victorian Era, petrol driven “horseless carriage” cars did make an appearance and were only owned by the very wealthy! The very early cars required a special attendant to walk in front holding a red flag as a warning to others that the petrol car was moving down the street. In 1886 the first car was a three wheeled vehicle which was powered by a one cylinder petrol engine the Benz & Cie Benz Patent-Motorwagen.
The Horse and Carriage was one of the most common forms of transport throughout the Victorian Era and was used by both poorer farmers in the country and the rich and noble within the bigger towns and cities. You would even find horse drawn carriages in the form of buses and trams within the city streets for Victorians to get around. Wealthy people could of course afford their very own private carriages.
The invention of the bicycle can never be exactly pinpointed by historians, but the popularity and evolution of the bicycle really started to rise in the Victorian times. Early Walking Machines and Hobby Horses In 1817 the “walking machine” was invented by Baron Von Drais which was an early form of bicycle which he made to simply get him around faster than walking. It was constructed using two wheels of the same size with the front one steerable through the frame and made completely from wood.