December 2020 Advertiser Article

Approaching Christmas 2020, with many uncertainties abounding, due to the ongoing national crisis. It is interesting from a curiosity perspective to look at some information from the housekeeper accounts at Parlington to give an insight into the family activities at Christmas in a Victorian household. Writing this article at the beginning of November shortly after the announcement by Government of a second “lockdown”, it is unclear what kind of Christmas we can expect this year. Given all the uncertainties prevalent in the nineteenth century with respect to disease and mortality, we can be sure they took every opportunity to enjoy the time they had, and of course most entertainment at the time was self created, no spoon fed entertainment for them!

Taking December 1850, just a few months after the wedding of Isabella Oliver-Gascoigne to Frederick Trench in September, creating Colonel & Mrs Trench-Gascoigne.

Dates from 16th December to 30th December 1850 (15 days)

ItemQuantityCost (£ s d)Totals
Beef and Veal654lbs
Sheep297lbs£6 11s 1d
Turkeys3No.15s 0d
Fowls8No.10s 0d
Hams12s 0d
Eggs12 Score (240No.)12s 0d£2 9s 0d
Hare2s 6d
Pheasants5No.15s 0d17s 6d
OTHER PAYMENTS
Butcher’s book£15 1s 1d
Grocer’s book£4 17s 6d
Fish book£1 10s 0d
Farm meat£6 11s 1d
Game17s 6d
Poultry£2 9s 0d£31 6s 2d

The number of persons dining over this period.

Parlour 57 (approximate average 4 persons per day, family probably)

Servants hall 416 (28 persons per day)

Visitors 154 (10 persons per day)

Quite a house full, on average over the fifteen days recorded. At the time when transport methods were confined to horse drawn methods or early steam railway, guests would be invited and stay for considerable periods of time. Still the hall and estate were spacious enough to afford a level of isolation not dissimilar to a hotel. The picture is from an unknown Victorian artist, roughly of the period in question. Have a Merry Christmas in Stalag luft Britain 2020!