Track 25
In Victorian times, the upper classes made up less than 3% of the entire population of
Britain, yet this class held more than 90% of the country's wealth. This shows the
massive gap there was between Rich and Poor, a gap which has shrunk considerably in the
last century. Today, we're going to look at the wide differences in family life between
Rich and Poor in Victorian times. Let's begin with the upper classes.
The upper classes of the Victorian period were generally the nobility or the clergy. Most
of their servants were very poorly paid, but were always accommodated within the homes
of upper class Victorian families, so they didn't have to pay for accommodation, food and
often clothing. The money which they did earn, they normally sent home to their families.
Many Victorian servants came from the countryside where the effects of the industrial revolution
had resulted in job losses. Amongst these servants were cooks, housemaids, stable
hands and butlers. The family would also employ a nanny, who, although employed by the
family, was not traditionally seen as a servant. A nanny's primary role was to care for
the children. She was responsible for teaching the children how to behave, looking after
them when they were ill and instilling discipline into them. Nanny's did not, however, educate
the children. Generally, children from wealthy families did not attend school outside the
family home. Tutors would come to the house to do this, and, although on occasion, mothers
taught their children to read and fathers gave their children some instruction in Latin,
this was not a common occurrence. Now, the Victorian upper classes had the reputation
of being quite cruel, but this wasn't always the case. They were also quite charitable.
Ragged schools were set up with funding from the upper classes so that poor children
could have some form of education. Additionally, most Victorian parents were very proud of
their children, who were often seen as prized possessions. This goes against the common
idea that parents were very hard on their children. In fact, the opposite was generally
the rule. However, the situation for lower class families was very different. In the lower
classes, child labour was rife. Children, as young as eight, earned a living as chimney
sweeps for wealthy houses. Now, let's move on to looking at the lower class families
in more detail. You'll find that very often.