Life in a Victorian Household

The Sutton Life series

by Pamela Horn

What was it like to live in a Victorian household? What time did the servants have to get up? What was the food like and who cooked it? How did the clothing differ for the different types of servants? How much did the servants get paid? This fascinating book takes you back in time and shows you what it was really like to live in Victorian times, for those both above and below stairs, and what sights and smells would be around you.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Victorian, Reference, Historical

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

Pamela Horn is an historian specialising in Victorian social history. The author of acclaimed books on rural life, servant lives and childhood, she lectured on economic and social history at Oxford Polytechnic, now Oxford Brookes University, for over twenty years.

Reviews

[SheLove2Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you can pick this up for free that is the only way I would bother with this short read. Rambling and disjointed. 1.5 stars

[Laura Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have been much more interesting if it had been fleshed out, had been hoping for some pictures, too. She's written other books, but assume they are all this short, not worth paying for.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and finished it in almost 1 sitting. It's a neat little peek into the lives of servants in the Victorian era, all the way to when it dies out in the last quarter of the century. I liked the actual accounts from people's diaries.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short introduction to, well, life in a Victorian household, with an emphasis on the middle-class household and the servant class in general. Quick easy read.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real eye opener - perfect if you want an education on how the Victorian's lived.

[John Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

EDUCATIONAL

Interesting and informative, a good recollection of life 'downstairs ' during the Victorian years. A good educational guide to the period.

[MoonlightCupOfCocoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, to the point and provides many examples and excerpts from contemporary diaries and books. A great read for those interested in the Victorian era.

[Kristin Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book specifically for my own ongoing research and understanding of history. It explains a great deal in four chapters: 1) Middle-class Victorian Homes, 2) Mistress of the Household, 3) Recruiting and Replacing the Servants, and 4) Life Below Stairs.

"Like a large house and garden, a wife or daughter with nothing to do was an emblem of success."
~Katharine Chorley, quoted in Life in a Victorian Household

Yet… Mistresses of the household were expected to maintain control of the household finances, avoid waste, and ensure matters ran smoothly. Apparently it was more about appearances than actual involvement and work.

Within this title, the author quotes Lady Cynthia Asquith: “…in really well-ordered households it was… the rule that no housemaid should ever be seen broom or duster in hand.”

This book will be informative and entertaining to those who enjoy history and to those who read Victorian Era Historical Romance. The more we comprehend about how things truly were, the richer our forays into fiction. It’s a quick, enjoyable read. Informative, accurate, and interesting. It brings into sharp focus the background of many favorite novels. Recommended!

http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/1962 on 9-17-15.

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but interesting read for anyone wanting an introduction to Victorian daily life. Much of the focus is on the servants, either how employers dealt with them or what they did. That in itself says a lot about daily life for wealthy and middle class women of the time. Horn keeps the big picture in focus while providing tidbits of detail drawn from diaries, letters, and period books on household management.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but could be longer

This book will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy potted history. For me it needed to be of greater depth in each area it looked at. I enjoyed it as far as it went . If you enjoy a book that piques your interest in this field then it will have served its purpose.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

History of domesticity

This book is an excellent resource for explaining the running of large manor houses like the fictional Downton Abbey as well as smaller establishments found in the Austen and Bronte period pieces.

[Hristina Ivanova-Petrova · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too short to be worthy of a reviews, but it was ok, nothing special. I expected more, but it seemed like the same few facts are repeated over and over again. Looks more like a student research than a published book,to be honest.

[Joseph Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book. Misspellings but one gets the general idea . Not one I'd brag about. Slightly informative.

One gets the general idea of book. Slightly informative. A quick read. Does make you glad you live in today's society.

[Tsarina60 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating short treatise on domestics in Victorian times

[Leigh Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like those "day in the life" books that give you the details of what regular people did daily.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting insight to live behind closed doors and what it was really like for the male and female servants in both the large and smaller households.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Go with Judith Flanders "Inside the Victorian Home" instead.

[Kenneth]

Interesting

[Victoria Szulc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good basic book on Victorian life. It's a quick, easy read and gives the reader a good idea of what living in that time period was like.

[Kerstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Not what I hoped the book would be.

[Terry Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting

Quaint and readable. Enjoyed , but in small doses. Life was strange back then, glad I wasn't around then.
Nice

[Kim Ess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple and to the point. I enjoyed it because I'm fascinated by this historical period.

[Dee brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and a quick read.

[J.E.S. Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet. A nice overview of the world of the Victorians. Could have used more pictures but I enjoyed the read.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resource book on servants in the Victorian home, my only complaint is that it was too short.

[Kelly Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a long book but it is a book full of interesting facts. Truly enjoyable!

[Denise Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good