Georgian Lifestyle, March 2014
About 50 people attended our meeting on Tuesday 25th March. Paul Harding and Helen Lee of "Discover History" are no strangers to the Society, as on previous visits Paul has taken us time travelling back to Roman times and to the First World War. This time he introduced us to the Georgian Lifestyle.
The 18th Century was a time of new ideas and enlightenment in many areas of English life. It was relatively peaceful apart from a few skirmishes on the Scottish border. This gave people the time to think about other aspects of life and they became interested in building elegant houses with classic lines, fashion and new foods.
Dressed in a typical Georgian outfit with a waistcoat and buckled shoes, which were interchangeable and were swapped around every day for even wear, Paul explained that people no longer needed to dress for warmth or modesty but were beginning to decorate their clothes and were becoming fashion conscious. Wigs were the order of the day both for men and women. The men even had their heads shaved to eliminate head lice! Washing became fashionable with soap made from lard. In Worcester in 1751 Dr. John Wall began to produce bone china and more attention was paid to fine dining and the use of knives, forks and spoons.
Tea, coffee and chocolate were the new liquid refreshments, although they were very expensive. People were becoming socially aware and if you wanted to be a cut above the rest, you would hire a pineapple, not to eat but to decorate your table!
The introduction of sugar began to cause problems with cavities in teeth. The Georgians believed that sugar contained the eggs of worms which lodged in teeth. When the worms hatched out they began to eat the tooth causing holes to appear. The remedy was to insert a red hot needle in the cavity to kill the worm, which makes the thought of the dentist's drill almost acceptable.
Paul certainly presented us with an interesting and entertaining evening as well as educating
us on the Georgian Lifestyle.
Pat Evans