Monthly Archives: October 2016

The Georgian Washing Day

As I noted in a recent posting, one of the myths that goes the rounds is that everyone in the past was always dirty. It isn’t true. The wealthy weren’t, the poor almost certainly were. As I pointed out there, … Continue reading

Posted in Cookery & Housecare | 4 Comments

Contemporary Statements about Privateers

A little while ago, I posted this blog about privateers operating off England’s east coast during the latter part of the eighteenth century. I thought readers might also be interested in some contemporary accounts of privateers’ activities, taken from the … Continue reading

Posted in Crime, Military | 2 Comments

Cleanliness and Class

Cleanliness and Class It’s a common misconception that our ancestors rarely bathed or washed properly. Cleanliness was like everything else desirable; the richer you were, the more you could have of it. The wealthier people of the eighteenth century certainly … Continue reading

Posted in Georgian Society | 2 Comments

The Path to Landed Gentry Status

Until recent years, the British upper classes, including the aristocracy, were defined by the ownership of land. Why should land ownership matter so much? After all, from the 17th century onwards, there were many merchant and professional households with incomes well … Continue reading

Posted in C18th Norfolk, Commerce, Georgian Society | 5 Comments