Author Archives: thehistoryinterpreter

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 15 – Tudor Women and the Anguish of choosing a Book Cover

by thehistoryinterpreter

How to be a Tudor: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Everyday Life by [Goodman, Ruth]Behind today’s advent ‘window’ is a true social history by Ruth Goodman, of Victorian/Edwardian/Wartime etc. Farm fame. In How to be a Tudor: a dawn to dusk guide to everyday life, the author takes us through an average day for sixteenth century ordinary folk. From waking in the morning and washing – or not – Ruth moves on to getting dressed, eating meals, working life, for men and women and leisure before putting her Tudor folk to bed. The author’s experiences as an experimental historian mean that she has a personal, practical, knowledge of the processes that she describes. Her attempts at cooking, cleaning and living in Tudor times are described and it is clear that her insight into the period is far greater than that of most non-contemporaries. This book is grounded in serious historical study but it is written in a very accessible style. There are coloured plates but I don’t feel that these are really necessary, as inevitably, most of them portray life for a social strata that deviates from the focus of the book. The black and white illustrations are more relevant. The bibliography is also useful and will lead to yet more book purchases. This volume should be required reading for anyone setting a novel in this period. If your interests lie in a different era, then there is a companion ‘Victorian’ volume. Probably the greatest compliment I can pay this book is to say that I wish I had written it.

BotC-coveridea4-1Yesterday I managed to complete a very harrowing chapter of Barefoot on the Cobbles. Elation was short-lived with the realisation that there is still a long way to go. Then there was the thorny issue of the cover. I am well aware of how important this is and because Barefoot is so difficult to pigeonhole, conveying what is inside in a single image is particularly tricky. After a few preliminary attempts the publisher and I had a version we were pretty pleased with – for five minutes. I should point out that to get to this stage there had been plenty of ‘up a bit’, ‘down a bit,’ ‘make it bigger/smaller/darker’ moments. Then we threw the suggested design to the wolves of Facebook. Even though they don’t always make east reading, I am really grateful for all the comments. The fact that they weren’t all complementary, is exactly what we wanted. I was pleased that some of the themes were picked up by those looking at the cover. The consensus was though that these initial ideas were over complicated and that we need a slightly different font, which actually I was pleased with until someone pointed out that a key capital letter was ambiguous.

The rethink will be rather different and will incorporate the general feeling of those who expressed an opinion. It is incredibly difficult to come up with a design that will tempt the right readers (i.e. ones who will actually enjoy the book) to turn it over and read the blurb. It is all about managing expectations. I need the cover to be suggestive of the content. It is no surprise to me but if anyone thinks that being an author just means writing a book, you are oh so wrong!

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 14 – Farming Surveys

by thehistoryinterpreter

Another one for those interested in agricultural history today and it is a whole series of books, rather than just one. Most family historians I speak to have agricultural labourers hidden somewhere in the boughs of their family tree. What we need to realise is that these are not some amorphous group whose experiences were all very similar. Farming practices differ according to soil, terrain and climate. The Book of the Farm, that I mentioned earlier in the month, is a general account; you also need something more specific. To find out what life would have been like for a farm labourer in a particular part of the country you cannot do better than consult the appropriate volume of the General View of Agriculture. These county volumes were commissioned by the Board of Agriculture and were produced on the cusp of the agricultural revolution, in the 1790s, although some ran to more than one edition. I have a facsimile edition of Charles Vancouver’s General View of the Agriculture of Devon with observations on means of its improvement. Vancouver wrote the second edition for Devon and was also responsible for some other counties. I can only write about the Devon volume but I suspect that the others are similar, as they were part of a national survey.

The coverage is comprehensive and in the case of Devon, is broken down in to six regions, so the characteristics of a fairly small area can be discovered. The topics cover: soil, climate, crops, livestock, tools, terms of service for labourers, buildings, roads, markets and ways in which productivity could be improved. My edition had line drawings, a map and tables covering such things as parish by parish lists of population, amounts paid in poor relief, occupational structure, number of houses in the parish and other valuable goodies such as the menu for Exeter House of Industry (the forerunner of the workhouse) and the characteristics of different breeds of sheep. There are line drawings illustrating farm implements and livestock.

In short, if you only read one book to help you understanding the farming practices of your ancestors, or your locality in the past, then it should be the appropriate county volume of this series. The full list can be found here. If all this sounds a bit too good to be true, it is because there is a downside. Although some of volumes are available as internet downloads, others have to be purchased in hard copy and are not always cheap. My advice is to shop around because you and your agricultural labouring ancestors, need these books.

On the subject of agricultural labourers, for some strange reason, one of the most popular posts on my blog is one that I wrote about agricultural labourers. Every year there is a sudden spike in hits on this page via the site of an Australian University. I can’t see the actual page containing the link as it is in a ‘students only’ area but apparently they have been directed to me. I would have thought that there were far more in-depth accounts that they could go to but there it is.

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 13 – Women’s Work

by thehistoryinterpreter

A Woman's Work is Never Done: History of Housework in the British Isles, 1650-1950As I sit down, having just finished the washing up and sticking what may well turn out to be onion-flavoured marzipan on my Christmas cakes (short but sad story), what better than to introduce you to a book about housework. Caroline Davidson’s A Woman’s Work is Never Done: a history of housework in the British Isles 1650-1950, takes us through three centuries of women’s unpaid labour. There are interesting chapters on ‘utilities’ – water, heating and lighting and the impact that the provision of these had on women’s lives. She considers the specifics of cooking, of cleaning and of laundry. There is also a section on servants. Her final chapters, which look at the time spent on housework (more in a day than I spend in the average month – unless of course I have visitors) and women’s attitudes to housework are particularly thought provoking. This book, with over 100 black and white illustrations, is a fascinating read for both men and women. Yet again it is a volume that will provide family historians with crucial context for those often overlooked female ancestors.

Housework really isn’t high on my list of priorities – too many books to read and write – too little time. When I was editing eighty women’s memories for Remember Then, it was no co-incidence that there was little editorial voice in the housework chapter. Despite being serially undomesticated I really enjoyed this book. Sadly it seems to be out of print but you should be able to pick up a cheap second-hand copy.

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 12 – Food in History

by thehistoryinterpreter

Reay Tannahill is probably better known as an historical novelist but her Food in History is described as ‘a serious overview of food as a catalyst of social and historical development.’ Her account of what we have eaten over the centuries begins in the pre-historic period. The earlier sections will be of interest to social historians, to foodies (since when has that been a word?) and to anyone setting a novel in ancient Egypt or sixth century China (surely someone must be attempting the latter). From a family historian’s point of view, it is the last two parts (of six), covering 1492 onwards, that will be most relevant. Many foods that we take for granted were not available in Britain until comparatively recently. The impact of the age of exploration on our diet was unparalleled. It is not a coincidence that section five begins in 1492, when Columbus was sailing blue (or more plausibly grey) oceans. Tannahill also looks at the influence of the European Grand Tour, the industrial revolution and the use of pesticides, on what we ate and how we produced, prepared and stored food.

If you want to make sure that the characters in your novel are not chomping on an anachronistic tomato, if you want to know what great great granny might have served for dinner or if you are interested in the way in which food and historical events interrelate, I can recommend this book. There are line drawings, notes on sources and an extensive bibliography to take you further. I particularly like the way in which the author weaves the history of food in to the wider historical context. This is a true social history.

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 11 Women and Work and a bit about the History of the early Twentieth Century

by thehistoryinterpreter

The Working Life of Women in the Seventeenth Century (e-Book) book coverThis comprehensive account was first published in 1919 and was written by Alice Clark, of the Quaker shoemaking family. Clark (1874-1934) herself is an interesting character, rising to become a director of the family firm in an era when this would have been very unusual. Her Working Life of Women in the Seventeenth Century is, justifiably, still regarded as a key work on this topic. Sadly it is not currently in print, although the publishers, Routledge, do offer a Kindle edition. You can get copies on online auction sites and various facsimile reprints are available.

The book considers the vital role of women in the family economy, in a century when we tend to imagine that all women were downtrodden housewives. Women’s roles in business, in agriculture, textiles, crafts and the professions are all considered. Clark’s stance is that seventeenth century women enjoyed an equality with men, that their role was complementary, rather than identical and that they played an invaluable part in the family economy. She has used account books, diaries, letters and other sources to illustrate the central role that some women played. She goes on to argue that women began to lose their place in the economic world with the rise of capitalism. By the end of the seventeenth century, she feels, women were increasingly constrained by household duties. The author’s feminist stance and her interest in economics and I suspect socialism, is in evidence but does not detract from the narrative. My Routledge edition has an valuable introduction and bibliography, contributed by Amy Louise Erickson. These enhance Clark’s own list of contemporary and secondary sources.

I enjoyed this book because it provides information about my favourite (well one of my favourites) century. Although this book is about the seventeenth century, it does also give us an understanding of aspects of the early twentieth century too. Clark was actively involved in the women’s suffrage movement and unusually, was a mature student at the London School of Economics. That a woman could write a book like this at this time is insightful.

A couple of things about the early twentieth century while I am here. First of all, it seem likes a long way away because of the seasonal celebrations in between but it is just five weeks before my online course about researching your family and/or locality in the early twentieth century begins. To save you clicking through to the blurb I will copy it here (see how I look after you). “Family historians often neglect the twentieth century as being ‘not really history’ but there is plenty to be discovered about individuals and the communities in which they lived between 1900 and 1945. Twentieth century research brings with it the difficulties of larger and more mobile populations as well as records that are closed to view. This course sets out to provide advice for finding out about our more recent ancestors and the context for their lives. This course would be of interest to those undertaking one-place studies as well as family historians.” It may surprise you how much there is still to be found about a comparatively recent period and the course contains plenty of hints for investigating the social history of the time. What ever time period you choose, focusing on just a few years really pays dividends, whether you are a family historian or a local historian. Sign up, you know you want to. Put a course on your Christmas list.

The early twentieth century is of course when Barefoot on the Cobbles is set. In between writing these blogs, which take more time than you might think, I am of course writing further chapters (I put that in in case my publisher is reading this). No, I really am writing. This week it is the harrowing death scene of one of the main characters. I am also trying to compose something that I can add to my Barefoot page on this website, to give you more information about what you can expect. The first attempt may even be there by the time you read this.

 

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 10 – for those with an interest in agriculture

by thehistoryinterpreter

Henry Stephens's Book of the Farm: concise and revised edition by [Langlands, Alex]This one is for all those family historians with agricultural labouring ancestors and for writers of historical fiction who are using a nineteenth century rural setting. The lavish production and copious illustrations also make it ideal for history lovers in general to browse. Henry Stephens’ Book of the Farm, was first published as a guide to mixed farming in the 1840s. It became the handbook used by the historical interpreters working on BBC TV’s Victorian Farm (DVDs of this excellent series are available). One of the presenters, Alex Langlands, had an abridged version of Stephens’ work reprinted to accompany the TV series. He included an introduction and many coloured illustrations that I assume were not in the original. There are also copious line drawings, which may have been part of Stephens’ work. If you require regional farming specifics, you will need to look beyond this book but here is a wonderful general introduction, written at the dawning of the age of agricultural mechanisation. You will find a season by season account of the many and varied duties on a farm. You can learn how swine were fattened, driven and slaughtered and there are clear instructions for forming a dunghill (always useful). There are sections on training sheep dogs, sowing flax and hemp and making butter. Amazon have a ‘look inside’ feature, so you can see the full extent of the contents. A few short chapters in to this lovely book and you will be treading in the footsteps of your farming ancestors – but beware of the dunghills.

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 9 and a bit about me

by thehistoryinterpreter

Product DetailsA much more recently written offering behind today’s advent window: Rebecca Ridal’s 1666: plague, war and hellfire, which was published last year. This might be viewed as a history, rather than a social history but there is so much about everyday life in this volume, that I feel justified in including it. Although the title is 1666, the book starts with an account of the plague of the preceding year. Skillful use of contemporary sources introduces us to a turbulent eighteen months in London’s history and events that reverberated around the country. The account is presented from the viewpoint of key characters, the well-known and the less well-known. We meet Nell Gwynn, Samuel Pepys, Charles II, Christopher Wren and Isaac Newton, all names that evoke the atmosphere of the age. Others who walk across the pages of the book may not be household names, unless you have studied the history of the period. For example: Aphra Behn, playwright and spy; Cornelius Tromp, Dutch naval commander; Nathaniel Hodges, a physician and Thomas Vincent, who provides a Puritan perspective.

Most of us are familiar with plague and fire from our schooldays. The book also covers the Dutch Wars and the dawning of the scientific age. The fears of a still largely suspicious populous as they faced these disasters, disasters that most believed to be punishments from God, are portrayed well. The style is accessible and the book can be read as you would a novel. I could imagine myself walking through London’s streets as I read. Living as I do in the seventeenth century, I found this book fascinating. I wish this had been published when I was researching my own seventeenth century social history, Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs, as there is an extensive bibliography, together with the endnotes, providing plenty of leads to follow up. There are also some attractive coloured plates and three maps in the printed version.

Yesterday I spent a slightly chilly day, with other authors, attempting to sell books to the local populace. I did duck out for fifteen minutes to take a look at an early twentieth century Magistrate’s Court record that was written in the most appalling handwriting I have seen – think the stereotypical prescription scrawl. If I say that it made my handwriting seem legible you may get the idea. Sadly the case I was looking for for Barefoot on the Cobbles was not recorded at all. Very strange, considering that it was heavily reported in the press. Today I have my non-conformist history hat on as I am off to address the Exeter group of Devon Family History Society about ‘Toleration or Turmoil?: English non-conformity and our ancestors’. This may not be quite what the audience are expecting but I hope they enjoy it. I am told there will be posh biscuits in honour of the festive season – great!

 

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 8

by thehistoryinterpreter

With some technical wizardry, this post should appear at a time when I am languishing in a local shopping centre hoping to sell my books to unsuspecting passers-by. I have a small share in a stall, along with other local authors. No idea how successful it will be but I will try anything once.

On the social history book front, I have chosen The Village Labourer 1760-1832: a study of government in England before the reform bill by J L and Barbara Hammond as today’s offering. This is another book that has been on our shelves for some time; the first edition came out in 1911. It looks at the fate of the disenfranchised rural labourer at a time when the government were bringing in enclosures. It considers how enclosures were forced on the agricultural poor and the impact that they had. It also covers the reaction and riots of the 1830s. It does come from a particular political stance but this is a refreshing outlook for a book written over a century ago. A slight criticism is the emphasis on the Home Counties. Seventy pages of appendices include transcripts of particular enclosure acts; there are also examples of family budgets. There is a companion volume ‘The Town Labourer 1760-1832: the new civilisation’, which also highlights the plight of the working classes, this time from an urban perspective. As long as you keep the authors’ biases in mind these volumes provide a valuable and interesting background for our working class ancestors.

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 7 Occupational Hazards

by thehistoryinterpreter

Product Details

On the seventh day of Advent I offer you a little-known gem whose title is longer than some of my blogs. It is a wonderful little book, first published in 1831, entitled The Effects of the Principal Arts, Trades, and Professions, and of Civic States and Habits of Living, on Health and Longevity: with Particular Reference to the Trades and Manufactures of Leeds and Suggestions for the Removal of many of the Agents which Produce Disease, and Shorten the Duration of Life.* Ok, so it isn’t the snappiest title in the world but it is a fascinating read. The author, Charles Turner Thackrah, covers many occupations that were common as Britain entered the industrial age and warns of the possible impacts on health. Thus we learn that: ‘Cattle and Horse Dealers, leading an active life in the open air, are generally healthy, and would be almost exempt from ordinary maladies, were it not for their habit of drinking. Wet and cold would rarely produce even temporary ailment to the temperate man in an employment so conducive to vigour. Horse dealers’ grooms or riders are a sickly set of men. Their appearance indicates those diseases of the stomach and liver which result from a debauched and irregular life.’ As you can see, the author is outspoken and his opinions are not devoid of stereotypes but this does not detract from the book. Having covered nearly 150 occupations, Thackrah’s conclusions have a certain political bias, ‘The disproportion of wages is a great evil in our system. The high wages allowed in some departments induce drunkenness and improvidence; while the low wages frequently given to weavers, wool-combers, burlers, milliners, roadmen &c., prevent a supply of proper nourishment.’

I first came across this classic volume when I was working on my online course ‘In Sickness and in Death: researching the ill health and death of your ancestors’ and it is has become a firm favourite. It will also feature in my ‘Occupational Hazards’ presentation, which I will be giving at the Secret Lives conference next year. Thackrah includes occasional case studies as footnotes: ‘A K Aged 23 entered the flax mill at 11 years of age. She was six years employed in the dusty departments. … She is of low stature and of a sickly appearance; she complains of pain in the right side of the chest…. Expectorated matter is sometimes tinged with blood.’ Sorry, should have been a gore warning there – hope no one is reading this while they are having breakfast. The book is indispensable for anyone who is interested in the history of medicine or the effects of industrialisation. It is also an insight into the hazardous nature of various jobs in an age before health and safety. Its rather quaint pre-Victorian phrasing and vocabulary adds to its charm.

* The link that I have included gives the volume an abbreviated title; this is currently the cheapest option I can find. I did pay appreciably less for my copy so it may be worth waiting or shopping around.

Social History Book Advent Calendar Day 6 – Going on a Witch Hunt

by thehistoryinterpreter

As part of my seventeenth century life, I give presentations on the history of witchcraft. When I was researching the topic for Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs: the lives of our seventeenth century ancestors, I read a number of excellent books on the subject. For the purposes of this advent calendar, I have chosen just one of them to share with you, Alan MacFarlane’s Witchcraft in Tudor and Stuart England: a regional and comparative study. If you are a family historian who has not a single example of a witch or a bewitched in your family tree, please don’t think this would not be relevant to you. This was the atmosphere of the time and it is important to understand this. Another author on the subject, Malcolm Gaskill, wrote ‘Witch-hunts involved not just savage persecutors tormenting innocent scapegoats, but ordinary neighbours with a close affinity to one another who also happened to believe in witchcraft powerfully enough to act out their most violent fantasies.’ (Witchfinders: a seventeenth century English tragedy) – see it is buy one get one free day today!

Today though belongs to MacFarlane’s work. This is not just an account of the witchcraft trials of the period. He discusses the sources that can be used, the social background and the conditions that contributed to an increase in accusations. He also looks at the various ways in which people attempted to counter-act witchcraft. The emphasis is on the notorious trials in Essex but these are set in a wider context and the background is applicable elsewhere. I am fascinated by the psychology behind witchcraft accusations and its similarities to today’s culture of bullying. I strive to understand what made people of the past act in a particular way under certain circumstances, so I found the section on the ideology of witchcraft and the anthropological interpretations a particularly valuable addition. There are maps, tables and black and white illustrations throughout the book.

As part of the talk that I give, I include a list of the known indictments for the county in which I am speaking. It was as I was preparing the Devon list, when I first gave this talk, that I spotted a name on the list that also appeared on my family tree. Joanna Elford was baptised in Mary Tavy, Devon in 1612. She was the sister of my 9 x great grandfather. Last week I took the opportunity to try to find out more. In 1671 Johanna or Joan Elford was accused of ‘laming and pining’ Alice Paynter (I presume that Alice was claiming that some form of paralysis and a sensation of being pricked were a result of being bewitched by Johanna). I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that Johanna got off, as this means less documentation. I still can’t be positive that it is the same Johanna/Joan Elford but it is a very unusual name. I am waiting to see if there is any further detail at The National Archives but it may be a long wait as I have no plans to visit in the immediate future. I could be tempted to base a novel round witchcraft accusations but I had better finish the current novel first!