Victorian era, in British history, the period between approximately 1820 and 1914, corresponding roughly but not exactly to the period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901) and characterized by a class-based society , a growing number of people able to vote, a growing state and economy, and Britain’s status as the most ...
What was important to Victorian society?
Important reforms included legislation on child labour, safety in mines and factories, public health , the end of slavery in the British Empire, and education (by 1880 education was compulsory for all children up to the age of 10). There was also prison reform and the establishment of the police.
What was society like in Victorian England?
The social classes of this era included the Upper class, Middle class, and lower class . Those who were fortunate enough to be in the Upper class did not usually perform manual labor. Instead, they were landowners and hired lower class workers to work for them, or made investments to create a profit.
What was life like in Victorian England?
Rich people could afford lots of treats like holidays , fancy clothes, and even telephones when they were invented. Poor people – even children – had to work hard in factories, mines or workhouses. They didn’t get paid very much money. By the end of the Victorian era, all children could go to school for free.
Social concern
The daily needs and problems of ordinary people included: poverty, poor housing, ill health , a horrifying level of child mortality, hunger, long hours of grinding labour. The rapid changes of the time benefited some people long before others.
What is our era called in England?
| Prehistoric Britain until c. 43 AD | Georgian Britain 1714–1837 | Regency Britain 1811–1820 | Victorian Britain 1837–1901 | Edwardian Britain 1901–1914 |
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How were the poor treated in Victorian England?
Poor Victorians would put children to work at an early age , or even turn them out onto the streets to fend for themselves. In 1848 an estimated 30,000 homeless, filthy children lived on the streets of London. ... Hideously overcrowded, unsanitary slums developed, particularly in London. They were known as rookeries.
What were the customs regarding marriage in the Victorian age?
Marriage was encouraged only within one’s class . To aspire higher, one was considered an upstart. To marry someone of lesser social standing was considered marrying beneath oneself. In upper class marriages, the wife often brought with a generous dowry–an enticement for marriage.
Which crime was most common in the Victorian era?
Common Crime in Victorian England
Pickpocketing was by far one of the most common types of crime, but there were other issues that dogged society far more than the ruthless and savage tales being published in the papers. Women were most likely to be convicted of crimes such as prostitution and soliciting.
Why was reputation so important to Victorians?
Reputation in the Victorian Age Despite perceived shortcomings in one’s family, personality, wealth, and so on, the Victorians always put up a front to maintain a good appearance and uphold their reputation .
What percentage of Victorians were poor?
It’s necessary to actually understand what Victorian poverty was. Late 19th century Britain had some 25% of the population living at or below the subsistence level. This subsistence level is not a measure of inequality, nor of the lack of winter clothes.
What did a rich Victorian child eat?
They lived mainly on bread, gruel and broth (made from boiling up bones) . Not surprisingly, the children of the slums were undernourished, anaemic, rickety and very short.
How much did poor Victorians get paid?
Conductors were allowed to keep four shillings a day out of the fares they collected, and drivers could count on 34 shillings a week, for a working day beginning at 7.45 and ending often past midnight. A labourer’s average wage was between 20 and 30 shillings a week in London, probably less in the provinces.
How did Victorians view death?
Compared to modern attitudes, our forebears of the Victorian era could be accused of having had a morbid fascination and peculiar obsession with death and dying. ... The Victorians had reasonable expectations of living to a relatively old age, so death at a young age was generally considered tragic.
Why was it called Victorian?
The Victorian era takes its name from Queen Victoria, who ruled between 1837–1901 . ... The Victorians are popularised by famed author Charles Dickens; the technological and social change caused by the industrial revolution; serial killer Jack the Ripper; and the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The social classes of this era included the Upper class, Middle class, and lower class . Those who were fortunate enough to be in the Upper class did not usually perform manual labor. Instead, they were landowners and hired lower class workers to work for them, or made investments to create a profit.
