The Victorian Charwoman: The Hard-Working Women Who Kept Victorian Homes Running

The Victorian Charwoman: The Hard-Working Women Who Kept Victorian Homes Running

Today I want to explore the life of the Victorian charwoman. She was one of the many working women whose contribution was often overlooked. When we talk about Victorian servants, we usually imagine large country house, like Downton Abbey with butlers, cooks, housekeepers, and maids. But that wasn’t the full picture, thousands of poorer women earned a living as charwomen. They moved from house to house and carried out some of the hardest domestic work.

The word "charwoman" comes from the word "chare," which means a small job or task. Unlike the live-in servants  charwomen were usually employed by the day and often paid by the hour. Many of them came from working-class families and they often took on this work because they had very few other options. Some of them were widows who now needed to support themselves. Others had husbands but the wages were too low to support a family, some were single women responsible for elderly relatives or young children.

As Victorian towns and cities began expanding in the nineteenth century, the demand for domestic help increased. Middle-class families wanted help with household chores but could not always afford a full-time servant. The growing middle class usually saw domestic servants as a sign of respectability and success.

Hiring a charwoman for a few hours a week was a cheaper option. This also created an opportunity for women who were willing to take on the physically demanding work.

A typical day would often begin very early. She might need to walk a fair distance to get to her first employer. She had to walk regardless of the weather. Once she arrived, she would often be expected to scrub floors, clean fireplaces, carry coal, wash laundry, polish furniture, clean windows, or do any other unpleasant task that the family asked you to do. An awful lot of the work involved bending, lifting, carrying, and standing for long periods of time. Working conditions that would not be accepted by modern standards.

Many charwomen worked in several different homes each week. This could give them some independence because they were not tied to a single employer. But the work was usually insecure. If a family decided they didn’t need their help anymore or they wanted to save money, a charwoman could lose some of her precious income. Also if she became unwell and could not work, she usually would not be paid. There were not the protections we have today.

While some employers treated their charwomen with kindness and respect, others barely noticed them. Victorian society placed great importance on social class, and many working women found themselves judged because they were poor. In spite of this, many charwomen took pride in their work. They felt that their cleaning skills were valued, and many had long-standing relationships with the families they worked for.

For many women, charing offered a way to maintain a measure of independence at a time when employment opportunities for working-class women were limited. The wages were not amazing and the hours were very long, but the work helped many of them survive.

It is easy to focus on the wealthy families and grand houses. But Victorian society depended on ordinary women doing difficult job with determination and resilience.

Could you have coped with the long hours and physical demands faced by a Victorian charwoman?

The Home Guard Part 3: The Hunt for Weapons and Equipment in 1940.

The Home Guard Part 3: The Hunt for Weapons and Equipment in 1940.

Today I want to continue our series on the Home Guard. I want to look at one of the biggest problems that faced the volunteers when they first joined in 1940. It wasn’t that the men were unfit or unwilling. It was the fact that their was not enough weapons.

One of the reasons that there was a lack of weapons was the evacuation of Dunkirk evacuation. Huge amounts of military equipment had be left behind in France.

There were far more volunteers than expected and obviously the regular army had to take priority. Many Home Guard companies had to make do, a common theme in the war. They improvised weapons while waiting for supplies.

Some volunteers brought their own shotguns or rifles from home. Others were trained using wooden rifles or even broom handles. In some areas, pikes were made by attaching steel blades to long poles, it was more like a medieval weapon than a modern one. Volunteers also practised using petrol bombs, built roadblocks from local materials, they dug defensive positions and prepared obstacles to slow down any invading force.

Despite all of the shortages, morale stayed high. Many volunteers understood that Britain was in a state of emergency. They also knew that all resources were limited, and they knew that they had to do everything they could to make it work. To many it was survival. People needed to maintain their determination and newspapers and radio broadcasts tried to encourage both determination and confidence, they reminded not just the volunteers that they were playing an important role.

Leaders like as Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, encouraged people to not lose their resolve. The shared sense of purpose helped many volunteers to continue in spite of the lack of equipment.

By the late 1940s and into 1941, things began to improve. More rifles arrived and uniforms were beginning to be issued. New weapons were adapted specifically for the Home Guard. There was the Smith Gun, the Northover Projector and the Blacker Bombard, all of which were intended to be simple, inexpensive and quick to produce. The equipment was often basic and sometimes difficult to use. Nevertheless, these weapons reflected Britain's determination to strengthen its defences.

 Training also became more organised and effective. The men slowly became a better-equipped defensive force.

What stands out to me the most is the determination of these volunteers. They were faced with the possibility of invasion, I can’t comprehend the fear the whole country must have felt. The men were armed with so little but they still turned up. They trained and prepared to defend their communities. I have to admire their commitment.

Do you think you would have felt confident armed with only a wooden rifle?

The Medieval Messengers: People Who Carried the News and Important Messages Across the Country.

The Medieval Messengers: People Who Carried the News and Important Messages Across the Country.

Today I want to find out more about the lives of the medieval messenger. These were the people helped to keep countries, armies and communities connected before telephones, trains or the internet. We learn about kings, queens and knights of the medieval world. But none of them could have ruled effectively without the people who were willing to carry messages across long and often dangerous distances.

During the medieval period, communication was slow. Most people lived their entire lives in a relatively small area and news could take days or even weeks to travel. But rulers needed ways to send orders, collect information and to stay informed about events across their country. As countries were becoming larger and governments more organised, the demand for reliable messengers began increased.

Some messengers worked directly for kings and noblemen. Others served the local officials, merchants, churches or military commanders. Their duties varied greatly. A messenger might have carried a sealed letter between castles, delivered royal proclamations to towns, or bring urgent reports from the battlefield. In some cases, they were trusted with sensitive information that could influence military campaigns, political decisions or diplomatic negotiations.

Medieval roads were often very little more than muddy tracks. Bad weather would make journeys even slower and far more exhausting. Rivers could flood, bridges could collapse and dense forests sometimes provided hiding places for criminals. A messenger carrying an important document had to be determined and resourceful. If a message was delayed or lost, the consequences could be serious.

Many messengers travelled on horseback if their employer could afford it, which allowed them to cover far greater distances more quickly. Others had to make their journeys on foot. The letters were usually placed in pouches or containers to keep them safe from rain and damage. Some royal messengers were given official authority that allowed them to demand fresh horses along their route, helping urgent news move more quickly across the country.

Carrying a message was not always as simple as delivering a letter. Important messages were sometimes intercepted by enemies, stolen by spies or even opened by those seeking information. In royal courts, letters that were sent by queens, princes and powerful nobles were sometimes watched, so many letters were sealed with wax. Not every messenger was loyal. Some were bribed to reveal information, hand over letters or allow messages to fall into the wrong hands en route. In a world where money and political favour were important, trust was just as important as speed.

A messenger might spend days travelling through unfamiliar countryside with only their horse for company. They may have be concerned about robbers, accidents or failing to complete their task on time. At the same time, there may also have been pride. Many were trusted with information that few others would ever see. They knew that people depended on them. Their reliability could earn them respect and even future employment.

During wars, messengers became even more important. Armies would rely on them to carry orders between commanders and to report on enemy movements. This could often times be even more dangerous, a captured messenger could reveal valuable information. Some risked their lives to ensure messages reached their destination.

Although medieval messengers rarely became famous, they helped countries to function. They carried news of victories and defeats, births and deaths, alliances and rebellions. Without them, rulers would have struggled to govern and communities would have remained far more isolated from one another.

Could you imagine trusting a single person to carry your messages?

Image info:

Shawar receives messengers from King Amalric

Date: 13th century

WW2 Home Guard Part 2 - The Rush to Volunteer: When Britain Answered the Call

WW2 Home Guard Part 2 - The Rush to Volunteer: When Britain Answered the Call

Today I want to continue my series on the Home Guard. I want to look at the amazing response to the government's call for volunteers in 1940. In Part One, we talked about the fear of an invasion that many in Britain had after the fall of France. I want to focus on the men who stepped up and the many women who supported them.

They often had very little military experience, but they were determined to play their part in defending their country, even if they could not serve abroad.

By the spring of 1940, Germany had achieved an incredible series of victories across Europe at a very fast speed. Many people were understandably worried that an invasion of Britain might be next. Newspapers had worrying reports from the continent, while rumours of German paratroopers and spies spread. Families listened to radio broadcasts, wondering what might happen in the coming months.

On the 14th of May 1940, the government announced that is was creating the Local Defence Volunteers, which was usually known as the LDV. The aim was a simple one. It wanted to recruit men who were too old or too young for regular military service or employed in vital civilian occupations to volunteer to help defend their local areas. That evening, the Secretary of State for War, Anthony Eden, made a radio appeal asking men to come forward.

The response was extraordinary. Within only hours, police stations were crowded with men eager to enrol. Long queues started to form outside of recruitment centres all across the country. Some men who had served in the First World War felt a duty to protect Britain again. Others who had never worn a uniform before felt they could not just stand by while the country was preparing for a possible invasion.

Around 250,000 men volunteered within the first week, and the numbers eventually rose to over 1.5 million.

The volunteers came from all walks of life. Farmers, shopkeepers, teachers, railway workers, clerks and labourers all stood side by side waiting to sign up. Many of these men were fathers, even grandfathers all of whom were worried about the future of their families. Some were disappointed that their age or occupation had prevented them from joining the regular armed forces, so the LDV offered them another way to contribute.

Unfortunately the enthusiasm quickly created problems. So many men volunteered that there were not enough uniforms, weapons or equipment to go around. In the early weeks, many volunteers attended drills wearing their ordinary clothes and armbands marked "LDV." Some units had very little more than walking sticks, sporting shotguns or old hunting rifles. But in spite of this the training started almost immediately. Men met after work in village halls, school playgrounds and fields to learn basic military skills.

Although the situation sometimes appeared to be completely chaotic, the volunteers took their responsibilities seriously. Many of them spent long hours patrolling roads, watching for suspicious activity and preparing defensive positions. They knew that if an invasion came, they might be among the first line of resistance. The possibility was frightening, but many believed that doing something was better than just waiting for the Germans to make a move.

As the months began to pass, the LDV became more organised and it eventually adopted the name by which it is best remembered today: the Home Guard. What had started as a response to what seemed a national emergency was becoming an important part of Britain's defensive preparations.

The Scullery Maid: One of the Hardest Job Below Stairs in a Victorian Household.

The Scullery Maid: One of the Hardest Job Below Stairs in a Victorian Household.

Today I want to explore the life of one of the most overlooked people in a Victorian household: the scullery maid. It is easy to focus on the owners of these grand country houses or even the senior servants. But hidden away in the kitchens were the young servants whose work was often the hardest and the least appreciated of all.

During the Victorian period, many girls from poor families entered domestic service, some  as young twelve, often because their families needed the extra income or could no longer afford to support them. Service offered the girls food, accommodation and a small wage. Some parents hoped that service would provide their daughters with skills and a more secure future.

 

For some, becoming a scullery maid was their first job. They were usually among the youngest servants in the household and were at the very bottom of the servant hierarchy. Victorians placed great importance on status and rank, and everyone was expected to know their place. While a butler, housekeeper or cook held positions of responsibility, the scullery maid had very little status at all and usually earned the lowest wages in the house.

This may seem unfair to us  because the scullery maid often had the most physically demanding job. However, Victorian employers did not usually pay servants according to how hard they worked. Wages were based on a servants rank and the responsibility and trust that they had. A cook was responsible for feeding the household and a butler managed valuable property and supervised other servants. A scullery maid was considered inexperienced and easily replaced, so despite her workload, she received the least pay.

A typical day for a scullery maid often began before dawn. While most of the household was still asleep, the scullery maid was already working. One of her first tasks was usually to light the kitchen fires so that the days meals could be prepared later in the day. This involved carrying coal, cleaning the grates and removing the ashes, it was dirty work.

The work must have seemed endless. The scullery maid was also responsible for washing large piles of pots, pans, dishes and cutlery by hand. There were no modern dishwashers or labour-saving devices. After a grand dinner, can you imagine the mountains of greasy cookware that had to be scrubbed. She might also clean the floors, wash vegetables, fetch water, polish kitchen equipment and help to prepare food. Whatever unpleasant or tiring task needed doing it usually found its way to the scullery maid.

The kitchen could be a difficult place to work. In winter, carrying water through the yard must have been horrible. In summer, the heat from ovens and stoves would have been almost unbearable. They worked  long hours often between twelve and sixteen hours. If the household hosted a dinner party or ball, she could find herself still washing up long after the guests had left, sometimes even working until midnight before needing to get up again before dawn. Many of these girls had to work with aching backs, sore hands and tired feet.

Being so young and living away from home for the first time must have been hard, it may even have been lonely. Many struggled with homesickness and they were often overwhelmed by the demands of the job.

 Scullery maids were usually supervised by the cook and other senior servants. They all demanded high standards at all times. Some were fortunate enough to have employers that were kind and taught them valuable skills, but others were faced with harsh and critical employers who would demean them for even small mistakes.

Despite the hardships, many scullery maids hoped it would lead promotion. A diligent servant could eventually become a kitchen maid, cook or move into other  roles with even greater responsibility and better wages. Many though left service before this happened. For girls from poor families, service offered them a chance, however difficult, to build a better future for themselves.

Victorian households depended on the scullery maids unseen labour. The  comfortable lifestyles that were enjoyed by wealthy families were often made possible by young girls working long hours behind the scenes. Their names are often not remembered, but the  work they did kept some of Britain's largest households running smoothly.

Do you think that the hard work and sacrifices that the scullery maids made receives enough recognition today?

 

Image info:

Artist: Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin

Date: 1738

 

The Home Guard Part One: Why the Home Guard Was Created in 1940: Britain Prepares for Invasion

The Home Guard Part One: Why the Home Guard Was Created in 1940: Britain Prepares for Invasion

Today I want to start a short series about the Home Guard by looking at why it was created in 1940. The Home Guard today are often seen by many people as older men carrying rifles and standing watch in their local communities. But we forget that the story began during one of the most frightening periods in Britain's history, when many people genuinely believed that an enemy invasion could happen at any moment.

In the spring of 1940, the Second World War had been going on for several months. Britain had not yet experienced the full force of the German aggression. That changed dramatically when Germany launched a series of rapid attacks across Western Europe. Using fast-moving troops, tanks and aircraft, German forces swept through country after country. News of these victories shocked the British people.

The situation became even more alarming in May and June of 1940 when France, Britain's most important ally on the continent, formally requested an armistice on the 17th of June 1940, and the armistice took effect on the 25th of June 1940. The fall of France was difficult to comprehend. France had one of the largest armies in Europe, but it had been defeated in a matter of weeks. Families listened for updates on the radio. Newspapers were putting out even more worrying headlines. Many people must have thought Britain might be next.

As the threat and fear of a German invasion grew. Rumours started to circulate about enemy parachutists landing in fields or spies hiding in amongst them. Coastal communities were obviously worried, they knew that if there was an invasion, they could be among the first to face it.

The government realised that the country needed to prepare. On the 14th of May 1940, the Secretary of State for War, Anthony Eden, made a radio broadcast calling for people to volunteer in a new force called the Local Defence Volunteers, usually known as the LDV. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, strongly supported the idea. The aim was simple: if an invasion came, local volunteers would help to defend their towns, villages and vital installations.

The response was extraordinary. Within only hours, men were queuing outside police stations and recruitment centres. Many were too old for regular military service, while others worked in jobs that were considered essential to the war effort. Some had fought during the First World War and had a sense of duty to serve once again. Some of the men had never served before but wanted to play their part. They may have been frightened about what lay ahead, but they were determined. Doing nothing was not an option for many of them.

More and more men joined up. Within only weeks, hundreds of thousands had volunteered, eventually exceeded 1.5 million members. They came from every walk of life, but they shared a common goal. They were determined to protect their homes and loved ones.

The organisation would renamed as the Home Guard on the 22nd of July 1940.

If you had been living in Britain during the summer of 1940, would you have joined the Local Defence Volunteers?

The Battle of Towton: The Battle That Completely Changed England.

The Battle of Towton: The Battle That Completely Changed England.

Today I want to take you back in time to one of the most brutal days in English history. We often hear about the Wars of the Roses and the struggle between the Houses of York and Lancaster. The struggle seems so remote, it is easy to forget the ordinary men who were caught up in the conflict. The Battle of Towton was fought on the 29th of March in 1461, which was Palm Sunday. It was one of the largest and bloodiest battles ever fought on English soil.

The Wars of the Roses had been raging for several years. Rival noble families were fighting for control of the throne, and loyalties were divided. Some men followed their local lord because they felt it was their duty. Others were hoping to gain from it, but for many, they had very little choice in the matter. Families could even find themselves on opposing sides. As the tensions grew, both sides prepared for a decisive confrontation.

The battle took place near the village of Towton in Yorkshire. The weather was dreadful. There was snow and strong winds that swept across the battlefield, making the conditions terrible for everyone. The Yorkist army who supported Edward IV, faced the Lancastrian forces, who remained loyal to Henry VI.

 

Thousands of men stood in the freezing weather with the knowledge that many of them might not survive the day.

When the fighting started, the wind favoured the Yorkists. Their archers were able to fire further, while the Lancastrian arrows fell short. But this advantage did not decide the battle. Before long, the two sides crashed together in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Soldiers fought with swords, axes, bills and daggers. Men were pushed, struck and trampled in the mud and snow.

For hours neither side could gain a clear advantage. The fighting became a grim test of endurance. Many soldiers were not professional fighters but ordinary men that were called on to fight for their lord or king. The casualties mounted up, and the battlefield became even more chaotic.

Eventually reinforcements led by John Mowbray arrived for the Yorkists. Their arrival helped turn the tide of the battle. The Lancastrian line began to collapse and many soldiers ran. What followed was perhaps the most terrible part of the day. Many of the men that fled were cut down as they tried to escape. By the end of the battle, thousands were dead. Historians still debate the exact number, but it was undoubtedly one of the bloodiest conflicts ever fought in England.

The victory secured the throne for Edward IV and marked a major turning point in the Wars of the Roses. But for the families who lost fathers, sons, brothers and husbands, there was very little cause for celebration. The battle may have decided a crown, but it also left behind intense grief.

Do you think that the ordinary soldiers who fought at Towton believed they were fighting for a cause, or were victims of a power struggle?