Men In 1700s & 1800s

Upper Class Men

The Victorian Era in Britain was dominated by the reign of Queen Victoria. Although it was a peaceful time, there were still issues within the social structure. The social classes included the Upper class, Middle class, and lower class. The Upper class did not perform manual labour. Instead, they were landowners and hired lower class workers, or made investments to create a profit. This class was divided into three subcategories: Royal (those who came from a royal family), Middle Upper, (important officers and lords), and Lower Upper, (wealthy men and business owners). The Under class were those who depended on others.

Education

Education was not a priority for the upper class. However, it was agreed that young gentlemen needed some instruction to carry on business affairs. Upper-class families hired tutors to educate their sons. Many people believed that schools "were sinks of iniquity, where boys learned nothing but a smattering of Horace and very gross, unpolished manners." Therefore, it was thought preferable to be educated in the home until he was ready to attend university. Tutors were often young men leaving college. They were paid well and treated with respect. Tutors taught reading, writing, Greek and math. They assisted the family in teaching the boy manners, social graces, and proper decorum.

If an upper-class boy did go to school, he often went to Eaton or Westminster. The curriculum at these institutions included: classical studies, writing, arithmetic, Euclid, Greek history, Pope, and antiquities. Westminster started at six o'clock in the morning, whereas Eton began at eight o'clock in the morning. They studied until eight in the evening with plenty of breaks. Although you were guaranteed a great education at these institutions, there were many problems. For example, bullying, in which the boys would beat each other up and throw rocks at each other. In some extreme cases, boys set fire to one other. These disciplinary problems discouraged many parents from sending their sons to public schools. Upper-class boys received the best education in eighteenth century England.

As England is a class-conscious society, education was built on social lines. Even public schools were divided into rank, with certain schools not only determining which set you belonged to, but also which college you would attend, with the choice of Oxford or Cambridge. Most commonly, the sons of the wealthy would attend a public boarding school.

“Public” schools were founded through donations for Eton and Harrow, and were originally open to all. The concept of a “grammar” school came from the fact that Latin and Greek grammar was the basis of the program. These public schools then began to operate as private schools for the children of rich patrons.

These public schools were a social experiment when education was not so popular. No national school system existed in the beginning of the 19th Century. Schools like Eton and Harrow were all-boy boarding schools. When the boys entered, they were 13 years old, and would then spend five years before they graduated at 18 years old.

The curriculum concentrated on prayers, Latin and devotion. Studies of the Classics, Latin, and Greek were standard, as were languages such as French and Italian. The emphasis then became on classical studies which was dominated by Latin and Ancient History. Constant attendance at prayers were required, as there were four services on a Sunday.

Uniforms were a symbol of establishing their social status. Families in the 18th and 19th century were likely to have very extensive wardrobes. A school boy could own a dozen shirts, cravats, half a dozen waist coats and tightly fitted breeches, hats, gloves, stockings, handkerchiefs, and heeled shoes. Their wardrobes became more complicated in the 19th Century as specialised sport equipment became required.

As a punishment, a boy would be flogged. Eton used to be renowned for its use of corporal punishment, which was known as “beating”. Friday would be set aside as “flogging day”. Offending boys would be summoned to the Headmaster or the Lower Master to receive a birching which was a semi-public ceremony held in the Library, where there was a wooden birching block. The main idea of discipline was that much of it should be dealt by the boys themselves. At Winchester, it was ordained that the prefects would deliver a “tunding”. This means beating a disobedient student across the back of his waistcoat with a ground-ash, which was the size of one’s finger. The aim of tunding was to catch the edge of the shoulder blade with the rod, and strike in the same spot every time. This way it was possible to cut the back of the boy’s waistcoat into strips.

All public schools had their own slang. At Winchester, a “strawberry mess” was a meal of strawberries and ice cream, a “horse-box” was a desk, and “washing stools” were the prefects’ tables, which were placed in assertive positions.

A boy’s first duty was to pass an exam before his superiors, where he would be accepted into the fold of the school. Public school served as conditioning for adult life and was the source of their love for tradition, and their devotion to “queen and country.”

Jobs

Not all wealthy men were landowners. The foundation of the Bank of England made it possible to make fortunes on the stock market. Some of these self-made families purchased landed estates to advertise their wealth whilst others made do with smart townhouses or country villas. Although it was possible to be rich in this society without owning broad acres, it was the elite that set the cultural tone and therefore dominated positions of power in central and local government. Every peer in the House of Lords and the majority of MPs in the House of Commons owned land. Appointed by the king, they were responsible for law and order in their counties as well as for organising civil defence measures during time of war. To assist them, they appointed deputy justices of the peace. They brought with them influence and status.

By 1840, all trousers were made with a centre fly front. Knee breeches and tightly-fitted pantaloons were worn for country sportswear or ceremonial dress. The most visually exciting, decorative element of menswear was the waistcoat or vest. Vests featured a deep-V and were made in a variety of rich patterned silks. Shirts were white and worn with starched, turned-up collars. The neckwear was a dark silk tie or cravat tied into a flat bow. A common variety was a stock which consisted of a silk tie arranged on a buckram frame which hooked in the back.

Men would also wear a top hat, which was a glossy silk with a crown of seven to eight inches tall. In the country, a wide-brimmed felt hat called a wide-awake could be worn. Regarding outerwear, the greatcoat, which was often a double-breasted long skirted coat, was seen. The shortened paletot, lacking a waist seam, was another option. Men wore their hair ear-length whilst parted to one side, and were usually clean-shaven. However, towards the end of the decade some men began to grow out facial hair.

Homes

In the 18th century, a small minority of the population lived in luxury. The rich built country houses. A famous landscape gardener, Lancelot Brown, created beautiful gardens. The wealthy owned comfortable and beautiful furniture. Much fine furniture was made by Thomas Chippendale, George Hepplewhite and Thomas Sheraton. The famous clockmaker James Cox made clocks for the rich.

Leisure

For the wealthy, card games and gambling were popular. In the early 18th century, most towns did not have a built theatre and therefore plays were staged in buildings such as inns. However, in the late 18th-century theatres were built within most towns. Assembly rooms were also built in most towns. This is where people would play cards and attend balls.

A kind of cricket was played long before the 18th century, but at that time it took on its modern form. The first cricket club was formed at Hambledon in Hampshire at around 1750. In the 18th century, rich people visited spas. They believed that bathing in or even drinking spa water could cure illness. By the end of the 18th century, wealthy people began to spend time at the seaside as they believed bathing in seawater was good for your health. Seaside resorts such as Brighton became extremely popular.

Reading was also a popular pastime as the first novels were published at this time. Books were expensive but in many towns, you could pay to join a library. The first daily newspaper in England was printed in 1702 and the times began in 1785.

Many people enjoyed cruel ‘sports’ such as cockfighting and bull baiting. This was where a bull was chained to a post and dogs were trained to attack it. Rich people also enjoyed fox hunting. Public executions were also popular and drew large crowds. Boxing without gloves was also popular, however some boxers began to wear leather gloves in the 18th century. Puppet shows also drew the crowds. Furthermore, in the late 18th century the circus became popular entertainment. Smoking clay pipes was popular in the 18th century. Wealthy young men would go on a ‘grand tour’ of Europe which would last one or two years.