The Material Culture of the Household: Consumption and Domestic Economy in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries
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THE MATERIAL CULTURE OF THE HOUSEHOLD: CONSUMPTION AND DOMESTIC ECONOMY IN THE EIGHTEENTH AND EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURIES Barbara Caddick BA(Hons) A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2010 This work or any part thereof has not previously been presented in any form to the University or to any other body whether for the purposes of assessment, publication or for any other purpose (unless otherwise indicated). Save for any express acknowledgments, references and/or bibliographies cited in the work, I confirm that the intellectual content of the work is the result of my own efforts and of no other person. The right of Barbara Caddick to be identified as author of this work is asserted in accordance with ss.77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. At this date copyright is owned by the author. Signature……………………………………….. Date…………………………………………….. Abstract Research into the material culture of the household and the domestic interior has increased rapidly during recent years. It has primarily focused on the appearance and use of domestic space leaving household management and maintenance a neglected area of study. Furthermore the relationship between the ownership of goods, the domestic interior and the use of the home has not been studied in conjunction with the management and maintenance of the household. Additionally, research into the material culture of the household has predominantly focused on quantitative changes experienced during the late seventeenth century and early eighteenth. It has long been established that the ownership of household goods increased in this period, but similar research has not taken place to explore the nature of these goods, nor to extend this work to the subsequent period. This thesis brings these aspects of research together for the first time to create a synthesis between the ownership of goods and the changing nature and use of the home and household maintenance and management. The argument proposed here suggests that the changing nature of the material culture of the household and developments to the use of the home had an impact upon the way that the household was managed and maintained. The complex inter-woven relationship between the material culture of the domestic interior and the ways in which it was maintained and managed reveals that both elements were a part of an emerging middle class culture of domesticity. Therefore, this thesis makes a significant contribution to a holistic understanding of the household by looking at the ownership of goods and the use of domestic space within the context of maintenance and management. Contents: Acknowledgements p.i List of Illustrations p.iii Introduction p.1 Material culture and consumption p.2 The domestic interior p.16 Household management and maintenance p.20 The middling sorts and the middle class p.28 Methodology p.33 Introduction to sources p.37 Inventories and catalogues p.38 Advice literature and household management books p.40 Newspaper advertisements p.42 Personal letters and diaries p.43 Household account books p.45 Aims and structure p.46 Contribution to knowledge p.48 Part 1: The Domestic Environment p.50 Chapter 1: The Material Culture of the Household p.53 The ownership of domestic and household goods p.53 The increase in ownership and the changing nature of household goods p.55 Material culture within the context of the home p.69 Conclusion p.84 Chapter 2: Using Domestic Space p.85 Room use in the eighteenth century p.85 The development of a space for social activities p.89 The division of space within the home p.91 The home as a private refuge p.99 Room use and domestic rituals p.102 Decoration and room function p.110 Conclusion p.114 Chapter 3: Consumption and the Home p.115 Viewing and imagining domestic material culture p.115 Shop and showroom contextual displays p.116 Retail advertisements p.122 Household sales and associated catalogues p.127 Shopping for the home: Furnishing and decorating p.129 Advice on domestic furnishing choices p.137 Conclusion p.138 Part 2: Household Management and Maintenance p.140 Chapter 4: Household Maintenance p.144 Housework as household maintenance p.145 The threat of damage by vermin p.148 Caring for domestic furniture and furnishings p.151 Care of furniture p.152 Specialised cleaning equipment p.159 Specialised treatment for furniture p.161 Laundering p.166 Sourcing and treating water p.168 Soap p.170 The process of washing p.171 Professional care p.173 New technology: The washing machine p.174 Conclusion p.177 Chapter 5: Household Management and Organisation p.179 The role of the housewife as household manager p.180 Household management books p.182 Domestic organisation p.185 Servants p.187 Finding servants p.191 Managing servants p.193 The servant problem p.201 Household accounts p.205 What did women feel about their role as housewife? p.216 Conclusion p.218 Conclusion p.219 Bibliography p.232 Manuscript primary sources p.232 Printed primary sources p.233 Online databases p.236 Electronic resources p.236 Secondary sources p.237 Unpublished dissertations p.251 Acknowledgements During the years that I have been undertaking this work I have received support and understanding from my family, friends and colleagues. Consequently, I have to thank a number of people for their role in the development and completion of this thesis. I must thank the History and Governance Research Institute at the University of Wolverhampton for their financial support in the form of a postgraduate studentship. I thank the staff at Shropshire Archives, Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies, The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Library and Archives, and the British library. In addition some of this research has been influenced and motivated by visits to museums and galleries and I would like to thank a selection of those here; Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Bantock House and Museum, Molineux House, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, The Georgian House Bristol, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, The Red House Museum Christchurch, The Priest’s House Museum and Garden Wimborne Minster, The Cavalcade of Costume Blandford Forum, The Victoria and Albert Museum and The Geoffrye Museum. During the course of researching and writing this thesis I have been employed at a number of places where I have been fortunate to have understanding and supportive managers and colleagues. Firstly, I owe a debt of gratitude to previous colleagues at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Secondly, I am thankful for the understanding nature of my co-workers whilst employed at the Higher Education Funding Council for England who ensured that I had time to work on this thesis. Thirdly, I am very grateful for the supportive nature of my current colleagues at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Whilst undertaking this research I have benefited from discussions with colleagues and friends that have ultimately enhanced my work. I am indebted to Dr Karin Dannehl, Research Fellow at the University of Wolverhampton for her sound advice, for listening and for the many interesting conversations that sparked ideas which ultimately contributed to my research. I am grateful to a number of my colleagues at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust for their interest and for numerous conversations i discussing my work and theories (and the process of writing). I owe a debt of gratitude for the access to sources through the Ironbridge Archive and Library and through access to the historical domestic interior and surviving household objects that I enjoyed whilst working for the museum. My understanding of historical objects was greatly enhanced by being able to view and handle artefacts, in particular the Caughley Porcelain collection at The Coalport China Museum. I thank my supervisory team at the University of Wolverhampton consisting of Dr. David Hussey, Dr. Nancy Cox and Dr. Malcolm Wanklyn for their support and guidance and for reading seemingly endless drafts consisting of confusing part written chapters! I must thank in particular Nancy Cox for allowing me to access and use primary documentation from the Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities Archive. Without access to this rich archive I could not have drawn on such a wide range of sources. In addition, my ideas were expanded and refined through rich discussion with my supervisory team. I must thank my family for encouraging me to undertake such work and for consistently taking an interest in my progress. I would particularly like to thank my Godmother, Barbara Prettie, for her interest and her endless encouragement. My close family require an even greater acknowledgement and I thank Mike, Evelyn and Stephen Caddick for their practical assistance and for listening and for their continuous support and encouragement. Finally, I have to thank my fiancé Dean Palmer for providing support through endless cups of tea, discussion and unique work strategies over many years. I am indebted to his encouragement and contagious positive attitude for ultimately motivating me to complete this thesis. ii List of Illustrations Figure 1: ‘Pellet and Green’ 1809, Rudolph Ackerman, Plate from the Repository of Arts, reproduced in, http://www.georgianindex.net/Shop/glass/p- gglassmakers.html, By kind permission of the British Museum (ref: Heal, 66.60AN418142). Figure 2: Wedgwood, reproduced in, http://www.georgianindex.net/Shop/wedgwood/Wedgwood.html Figure 3: Detail of a bill advertising Packer’s Royal Furniture Gloss 1973, reproduced in Snodin, Micheal and John Styles (2001), Design and the Decorative Arts: Britain 1500 –1900, V & A publications, London, p.180, No.43. Figure 4: Shropshire Archives, 665/4/146, Eyton Family part 4, Auctioneers catalogue of the late Mrs Mary Eggliston 1829.