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The Kitchen Maid's Tale #41

...rliament. The aristocracy went to Their London mansions and were involved with lots of social events which politicians also attended – a form of 20th century networking. Daughters of marriageable age (between 16-18 yrs old) were introduced to society and presented to The monarch of The day as debutantes.  Their dresses were always white and They often looked like brides on Their wedding day - this was to show Their purity no doubt.  They would be taken to a flurry of parties to meet eligible young men in The hope that They would make a good marriage.  This could go on for up to three years for a debutante and she would wear different colours each year to sh...

The Kitchen Maid's Story #37

...rliament. The aristocracy went to Their London mansions and were involved with lots of social events which politicians also attended – a form of 19th century networking. Daughters of marriageable age were introduced to society and presented to The monarch of The day as debutantes. They would be taken to a flurry of parties to meet eligible young men in The hope that They would make a good marriage. For The servants it must have been quite exciting being in The big city and seeing all The sights and one of The benefits was that on Their half day They would be allowed out until 10pm instead of 9.30pm! Once The season was over and Jenny returned to The Hall she...

Change and The Country House #61

...Hoar Cross Hall was clearly a very different house in The Victorian era compared to today.  Like oTher country houses it has not been immune from The social and economic changes affecting all walks of life over The last hundred years. At The beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837 The local landowner with his country house and estate was The focal point of The community, often dispensing law, charity and education.  The estate would also provide employment for The local people and over fifty locals were employed on The Hoar Cross estate in The house and grounds plus many more on Home Farm along with carpenters, electricians and plumbers to keep The esta...

The country house in society #48

...Country houses are to be found throughout The British Isles and are a peculiarly English phenomenon. Houses range from mediaeval manor houses to classical Palladian mansions, elegant Georgian residences to The Gothic buildings of The Victorian era. A great many have survived for two main reasons: Britain has been spared much of The havoc of war and revolution affecting oTher countries. Wentworth Woodhouse, Yorkshire   Wentworth Woodhouse (above) is one of The largest stately homes in Europe and was visited by King George V and Queen Mary in 1912. It is now with The Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust and is much bigger than this photo shows!   The...

Mediaeval Weaponry #84

...When we moved to Hoar Cross Hall in The 1970s, my faTher owned The largest private collection of arms and armour in The UK at that time!  He owned about 20 suits of armour and numerous items of ‘arms’, which is anoTher word for weapons.  The word ‘arms’ comes from The Latin ‘arma’ which means ‘tools of war’; this word passed into The English language from The French in 1200.  Mediaeval weapons consisted of halberds, double-edged swords, daggers, battle axes, crossbows and longbows to name but a few, These being The most common.  Knives were also used but mainly for eating and repairing, although I’m sure They got to be used as weapons too...

Aristocratic travels Part 2

...e Hall.  The aristocracy often went on travels abroad and it's obvious that They are in hot countries.  Note The one with The soldiers marching - does anyone know where this might be? One of Emily's paintings The Meynell family abroad Soldiers marching Emily's schooner,  "Ariadne"   African farmers   I hope you have enjoyed looking at These old photos - more next week! If you would like to follow my blog from The beginning, click here and please feel free to share with your friends!        ...