Castles, Customs, and Kings: True Tales by English Historical Fiction Authors (62 page)

A PUPIL, of the celebrated Porson, and of great experience in TEACHING the GREEK and LATIN CLASSICS, particularly the former, has simplified the method of acquiring that beautiful and philosophic language, so that it is the work of only a few months. Letters, only, post paid, M.N., Proctor’s, 101, Fleet-street, duly noticed.

(What was duly noticed?)

AN AUTHORESS, in immediate want of a sum of money, and anxious to procure it without the delay attending representation, is desirous of DISPOSING of 1 or 2 MANUSCRIPT DRAMATIC PIECES, which, in the hands of a person acquainted with theatrical effect, are capable of being rendered highly interesting and producing ultimately great advantages. Address by letter, post paid, A.B. Brown’s circulating library, Marylebone-street, Piccadilly.

AS GOVERNESS.—The Daughter of a Clergyman deceased, who has for many years filled the above situation in families of the highest respectability, would be happy to undertake the CHARGE of TWO or THREE YOUNG LADIES, and instruct them in the English and French languages grammatically, the latter to speak fluently, writing, arithmetic, geography, and music, likewise the rudiments of Italian: the advertiser would much prefer that her pupils should not exceed the age of 10 or 11. Letters addressed, post paid, to D.E.F. at W. Darton’s, jun., bookseller, 58, Holborn-hill, will meet with immediate attention.

SELECT ARTICLES FOR THE TOILETTE.—ATKINSON’S AMBROSIAL SOAP prepared by a new process, which divests it of all alkaline and irritating qualities: it prevents the skin chapping, removes freckles, redness, or hardness, and makes it luxuriously soft, white, and even, price 1s. the square; it is also prepared in shaving cakes, and is peculiarly adapted for gentlemen who have strong beards or tender faces; price 9d. 1s., and 1s. 6d. each. Atkinson’s Curling Fluid for the growth of the hair, (founded on the discovery of the causes which occasion baldness,) is a certain regenerator of the hair where it has fallen off from illness, perspiration, change of climate, or hereditary causes, it also keeps it in curl in exercise in dancing or walking, or in damp weather, price 3s. 6d. a bottle. Atkinson’s Vegetable Dye changes grey or red hair on the head or whiskers to a permanent brown or black, price 5s. and one guinea. Sold by the proprietor, James Atkinson, perfumer, 43, Gerrard-street, Soho-square; and by most perfumers in the kingdom.

These CHARMING classified ads were taken from
The Times
(in London) of August 18, 1819. The front and back pages of the paper are classified ads of all types. Inside, you will find news articles not enhanced with any drawings.

The paper was sent to me in a lovely gift box by Thomas Walker of
Historic Newspapers
. Be sure to check out his website for old newspapers from around the world. And now, for a classified ad of my own:

AN AUTHORESS, in immediate want of a sum of money, and anxious to procure it without delay, is desirous of DISPOSING of a NUMBER of copies of a book: suitable for the reading enjoyment of older GIRLS and WOMEN of established and respectable families. Kindly GENTLEMEN have also spoken well of the STORY, entitled,
The Companion of Lady Holmeshire.
Sold by proprietor Amazon, post paid unless bought for purse or pocket on a Kindle device.

Libraries in Georgian and Regency England

by Lauren Gilbert

I
n the 18th century, the marketing of literature evolved from private patronage to publishing by booksellers. This resulted in writers becoming less entertainers for hire (e.g. in the 16th century, Spenser writing
The Faerie Queene
for the court of Queen Elizabeth) and more independent professionals. This resulted in two new literary forms—the periodical essay and the novel. These forms brought literature into the clubs, coffee houses, assemblies and other public places—out of the universities, private libraries, and churches—exposing it to a wider audience such as merchants and the upwardly mobile.

In the Georgian era, literacy became more widespread among the lower classes as a result of a concern that people should be able to read the Bible for themselves. Money was furnished to the Church of England for this education, and more people were exposed to books and newspapers.

Initially, a library or study was not common—a collection of books (especially with leather bindings) in a private home was a sign of wealth and prestige. A library or study was designed for the use of the master, being a place where
“…typically, a country gentleman would receive his tenants or keeper…”
(Pool, 191).

Until 1861, the tax on paper helped keep books scarce and expensive. The Stamp Act of 1797 levied a tax of sixpence on each copy of a newspaper. This was raised in 1815 to 4 pence, with a separate tax of 3 shillings on pamphlets and 3 shillings sixpence on newspaper advertising (Hughes, 128). Books therefore were expensive and considered luxuries.

At the Jane Austen Society of North America’s Annual General Meeting in 2004, held at the Huntingdon Museum, Stephen Tabor lectured on
“
The Look of the Book
”
in Jane Austen’s time and described the bindings: leather (most expensive), cloth, and paper. For example, when Thomas Creevey, MP, found books too expensive to buy, he lamented when he could no longer access certain volumes of Wellington’s Dispatches and had to make do with works available from a different library. The cost factor alone makes Reverend Austen’s library of over 500 volumes all the more remarkable.

Because of the cost of newspapers, newspaper societies were formed in local parishes where a group of people each contributed a weekly sum to subscribe to a London newspaper and 2 or 3 provincial papers (about sixpence a week); poorer districts had more subscribers contributing less (about 1 penny a week) to subscribe to a provincial paper. (A total of 5000 of these societies were operating in the 1820s.)

Local printers and booksellers started their own libraries. In London alone, by 1819 there were twenty-eight booksellers which kept circulating libraries and nine with reading rooms. Hatchard’s Booksellers which was founded in 1797 in Piccadilly and is still open today was one of the booksellers with a reading room. In 1821, there were approximately 65,000 reading societies in Great Britain providing reading material for annual subscriptions ranging from 1/2 guinea to 2 guineas a year to families.

The cost of books was one factor in encouraging people to join together to form libraries. On November 30, 1814, in reference to a possible second edition of
Mansfield Park
, Jane Austen wrote,
“People are more ready to borrow and praise, than to buy—which I cannot wonder at”
(
Jane Austen’s Letters
, 287). Most towns had subscription libraries and circulating libraries where books could be borrowed for an annual fee. Lending libraries of this nature started up in provincial towns and watering places and spread.

Although a large percentage of published material was religious in nature, novels became extremely popular across all class lines. For example, the novels of the Minerva Press, which included
The Mysteries of Udolpho
by Mrs. Radcliffe, were read by all levels of society.

Many of these subscription libraries still exist and are in use in England today. The Association of Independent Libraries was founded in 1989, and the founding members were all institutions which began as independently-funded subscription libraries established between 1768 and 1841. The association now includes libraries of historic foundation not necessarily meeting the original criteria.

The oldest member library is Chetham’s Library, founded in Manchester in 1653 as a public reference library by the merchant Humphrey Chetham for the benefit of the people of Manchester. The smallest member library is the Tavistock Subscription Library, founded in 1799 in Tavistock, Devonshire—in 1810, the Duke of Bedford was the president of this library. The majority of the libraries in this association still retain their independence.

Sources

Austen, Jane.
Jane Austen’s Letters.
Edited by Deidre Le Faye. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Hughes, Kristine.
The Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in Regency and Victorian England from 1811-1901.
Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books (F & W Publications), 1998.

Pool, Daniel.
What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew.
New York: Simon & Schuster Inc., 1993.

Sanborn, Vic. “The Circulating Library in Regency Resorts.”
Jane Austen’s World
. August 30, 2010.
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/the-circulating-library-in-regency-times/
.

White, R.J.
Life in Regency England.
London: William Clowes & Sons, 1969.

Williams, E.N.
Life in Georgian England.
London: William Clowes & Sons, 1967.

Ashes, Tallow, and Turpentine: Coming Clean in the Regency Era

by Maria Grace

K
eeping clothes clean has always been a challenge. Today, we can simply go to the store and buy a specialized product according to whichever stain needs cleaning. In centuries past, the mistress of the house needed to be well versed on what home preparations could be used to keep her household fresh and clean. Some Regency-era solutions are similar to what we use to today, and some were positively stomach churning.

Lye

Plain lye formed the backbone of much of the everyday laundry cleaning arsenal and was fairly easy to obtain. Ashes from household fires were packed into a barrel with holes drilled in the bottom and lined with hay. Water was poured through the ashes and concentrated lye dripped from the holes.

The strength of the solution was critical for its cleaning power. If an egg did not float high enough in the solution it was too weak and would be poured through the ashes again. Lye that was too strong could burn skin and damage fabrics and would need to be diluted. Urine, for its ammonia content might also be added to a lye solution to improve its cleaning power.

Body linen and other garments whose colors did not need to be protected, sheets and household linens were soaked in a vat of lye prior to being boiled on laundry day. The process was called “bucking” and attempted to restore the white or off white color to the laundry.

Soap

The generous use of soap was a modern advance in dealing with dirty laundry. At first it was used sparingly, only to treat stains. Later, it would be added to the main wash for cleaning.

Though soap could be purchased, what could be made at home often was, especially in areas away from larger urban centers. Soap could be made in several ways. A pail of lye could be added to about three pounds of melted animal fat and boiled all day. To avoid all that boiling and stirring, four pails of lye could be stirred into a barrel of 30 pounds of animal fat. Additional lye was added until it looked “right” to the soap maker. The soap might be used while it was still soft or it might be set up—dried and hardened with warm weather and salt.

Household manuals often contained various specialized recipes for soap with different fats and additives touted as better for one use or another. Individual households would also have their own recipes handed down from mother to daughter.

Water Softeners

Sodium borate (borax) and sodium carbonate (washing soda) were often added to the water to improve the action of the soap. Borax was preferred to washing soda which would yellow whites and damage their texture. Borax could be added to the soap when it was made to eliminate the need to add it to the laundry water separately.

Both borax and washing soda had to be purchased and might not be available to poorer or more remote households.

Stain Removal

Stains were as much a problem then as they are now. Different recipes were used for different stains. These included:

• Grease and oil stains: chalk, brick dust, and pipe clay
  
• Grass stains: alcohol, lemon and onion juice, kerosene
  
• Blood stains: kerosene, lemon juice
  
• Wax stains: a hot coal wrapped in a clean rag or wet brown paper
  
• Urine stains: milk
  
• Fruit stains: milk, lemon juice, onion juice
  

Ox-Gall

To deal with stains on expensive colored fabrics which would bleach in a lye solution, ox-gall was the favorite solution. Ox-gall was obtained by sending a bottle to the butcher who filled it with the contents of cows’ gall-bladders.

Bleaching

Despite soaking in lye, stubborn articles sometimes required additional bleaching. Human urine and hog manure were often used for this purpose as was lemon juice. Sunshine in combination with lemon juice or lye was a freely available bleaching agent. Some estates and towns set aside areas of mown grass as “bleaching grounds” where articles could be spread on laundry day. The chlorophyll in the grass helped in the bleaching process.

Bluing

Since soap and washing soda often yellowed white articles, bluing would be added to the rinse water to neutralize the yellowing. Blue dye, of various formulations, was placed in a small bag which would be swished through the rinse water and removed leaving a slight blue color behind.

Stiffening

Like other laundry necessities, starch was made at home. Wheat, potato gratings, and rice were common sources. Wheat starch might be added directly to water. The water used to cook rice or potatoes might be saved for starching. Similarly, grated potatoes could be soaked in water then removed and the water used for starching laundry.

For delicate laces, sugar might be added to the final rinse water rather than starch. Alternately, gum arabic, made from the sap of acacia trees, might be used to stiffen laces and collars.

Dry Cleaning

Silk and woolen clothes never touched water. Several dry cleaning techniques were developed to preserve the fabrics through the cleaning process.

Fullers used fuller’s earth, an absorbent clay, and a thistle to clean wools.

Scourers spot cleaned silks once a year. Salt, chalk, or fuller’s earth as well as solvents like turpentine, kerosene, gasoline, lemon juice, warm milk, or even urine were used on the fine fabric. The whole garment was never immersed and scrubbed.

Leather breeches were scrubbed with a “breeches ball” made of a mixture of ox-gall and fuller’s earth.

Interestingly, because many fine garments were not laundered with harsh lye, scrubbing, and boiling, they remain preserved today. Far fewer examples of body linen survive today because of the harsh measures used to keep them clean.

Sources

“The Complexities of Wash Day in the 18th Century.”
Woodville Plantation.
http://www.woodvilleplantation.org/Schedule/laundry_day_18th_century1.pdf
.

Harris, Kristina. “Victorian Laundry (or, Aren’t You Glad You Didn’t Live Then?).”
Vintage Collection
. 2002.
http://www.vintageconnection.net/VictorianLaundry.htm
.

“History of Laundry.”
Old and Interesting
. June 13, 2010.
http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-of-laundry.aspx
.

“History of Laundry - after 1800.”
Old and Interesting
. September 30, 2010.
http://www.oldandinteresting.com/history-of-washing-clothes.aspx
.

Olmert, Michael. “Laundries: Largest Buildings in the Eighteenth-century Backyard.”
Colonial Williamsburg Journal
(Autumn, 2009).
http://www.history.org/foundation/journal/autumn09/laundries.cfm
.