Brit Civ - Lesson Three Monday, Oct 16, 2023

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Mrs Benfodda 1 Year – Master Literature and Civilisation

SOCIAL LIFE IN THE 18TH CENTURY

PART I

 Read the article carefully then answer the questions below.

In the period between the 1670’s and 1750’s, sweeping changes transformed both the public
social lives and private family lives of the British people. Increased literacy, combined with
The Restoration led the British people to an increasingly public life. There were also clear
class distinctions that were prevalent in the realms of home life, outward social life, and
education. New developments in recreation, commercialization, and industrialization also led
to a transformation in both entertainment and occupations. Additionally, new fashion trends
came onto the scene.

Family Life: the family lives of people were separated by two distinctions: roles for men
versus roles for women, and social class. In general, men were the breadwinners, providing
income for the family, whereas the mothers were in charge of the household. This role grew
more prominent with more wealth, as with that came more estate to manage. Marriage was
also very closely tied to social class; women were seldom married into lower social rungs. It
also came with heavy social implications for the family’s legacy and reputation among their
peers.

Marriage: due to the importance of land, daughters posed a large problem for landowning
families. Other than widows, not many women owned land, and many daughters certainly did
not receive any–so they did not carry an estate with them upon marriage. Also, it was
important for families to maintain social status, which meant a daughter was never married
to someone of lower standing. Mothers and fathers spent much time searching for the best
possible spouse for their child, in order to benefit the family. As a result, families typically
placed a dowry on their daughter, which consisted of a large sum of money. These marriage
negotiations were some of the most demanding strains on a mother and father due to a
family’s heritage and legacy being at stake. Then came along another problem: The idea of
individualism, reason, and romantic sensibility began growing rapidly in the early part of the
century leading to daughters wanting to choose their own husbands. For poor families, it was
impossible to transfer poverty to one another or to lose any kind of societal status as a result
of a marriage, so men and women were free to choose who they wanted.

Divorce and Separation: divorce was carried out through Parliament and was a lengthy and
extremely expensive process reserved mainly for the bourgeoisie. Between 1700 and 1749,
only 13 cases of divorce were reported. A woman could not independently file for divorce and
a husband’s unfaithfulness was not grounds for one either. These separations could be made
in private agreement or in public, ecclesiastical court.

Lower/ Middle Class: the life of an average family in late 17th century England was simple,
let laborious. Many lived in one or two room houses that were often crowded with large
families, as well as lodgers that shared their living space. Women typically gave birth to eight
to ten children; however, due to high mortality rates, only raised five or six children. The
children of average or poor families began working very early on in life, sometimes even as
early as age seven. They worked mostly on farms as shepherds, cowherds, or apprentices
and often left home to do so. Daughters of these families remained home, often aiding the
matriarch of the household until they found a husband and started a family of their own. The
oldest son of each family would stay in order to inherit the farm. The concept of inheritance
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was often a source of tension for many families. The average and poor families of the late
17th century England did not yet have the luxury of piped water, which created a rarity in
bathing. Because of the unhygienic lifestyle, lice and vermin were very common with these
families.

Upper Class: wealthy families of the late 17th century England enjoyed many more luxuries
than the average and poor families. As opposed to the rural properties of the average
families, the wealthy lived in beautiful suburbs or villages. Houses were beginning to be
designed to display and boast the wealth of the families that lived in them. For the first time,
the wealthy were enjoying the luxury of piped water into their homes. These homes
contained families with an average of ten or more people. The women of these households
were responsible for keeping everything running smoothly. They were in charge of the
servants and ran the estate if the husband was not around.

Similarities between Families in Both Classes: despite the difference in economic status,
there were many similarities between wealthy and average or poor families. In both families
marriages were more of a business deal than a relationship. A woman typically married in her
early twenties. Arranged marriages occurred primarily for resources such as money and land.
It was expected that a man would beat his wife and not seen as an issue. Children did not
have close relationships with their parents or siblings either. High infant mortality rate was a
common issue and the reason why many women had a high number of childbirths but a lower
number of children.

Labor: in agricultural families, men, for the most part, took care of the majority of the
household income. Households were first and foremost a patriarch; they controlled every
aspect of the house. Women were to act as subordinates. Men did the most tiring labor in the
field such as clearing, plowing, sowing seed, harvesting, and threshing. This was also with the
help of their sons and hired laborers. Women were helped by their daughters or servants in
everything from knitting; to cleaning; to tending to the animals; to teaching the children.
They were to take care of most of the internal tending in the household as it was commonly
seen as women’s chores. In shop keeping families, the men and women both worked in the
shop. In artisanal families, the wife was still responsible for housecleaning but she sometimes
oversaw the workers. There was a large pressure on women to work due to the “economics
realities” of the 18th century – as some women worked in became prostitutes, actresses, coal
miners and jail keepers.

Source: https://sites.udel.edu

Questions

1/ What is the main idea of the article?

2/ Identify the main ideas in the article.