Frances Evesham's Blog, page 4
July 11, 2015
Book Quotes: Alice in Wonderland
More quotes here:
Filed under: frances evesham, mystery, Novel, novels, problem solving, quotations, Victorian Tagged: 19th century, book quote, child, Frances Evesham, Francis Evesham, history, mystery, quotations, Victorian
July 9, 2015
Danger at Thatcham Hall Book Quotes
Danger at Thatcham Hall: available now from Amazon
Danger at Thatcham Hall: available now from Amazon
Filed under: evesham, frances evesham, mystery, novels, quotations, Romance, Victorian, writer Tagged: 19th century, afoot, book quote, Frances Evesham, Francis Evesham, mischief, quote, Thatcham Hall
July 7, 2015
Reading Quotes: Jane Austen
Filed under: Austen, books, Jane Austen Tagged: 19th century, book quote, Frances Evesham, Francis Evesham, history, quotations
July 5, 2015
Cooking Quotation: Mrs Beeton
Mrs Beeton was cooking and writing in the 19th century. Her Book of Household Management was originally published in monthly supplements to “The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine,” and it included far more than the recipes (often spelled ‘receipts’) for which she became famous and gives an insight into Victorian middle-class life.
Her advice is invaluable, whether you wish to whiten scorched linen (with vinegar, fuller’s earth, soap, the juice of onions and a dollop of fowls’ dung, of course,) or make sure your servants are up to the mark.
Where would we all be without her instructions on dealing with a pig? “Put the pig into cold water directly it is killed.” She admonishes careless or unkind householders with these words. “That the pig is capable of education is a fact long known to the world.”
Her work took its toll on her, she freely admits. “I must frankly own, that if I had known, beforehand, that this book would have cost me the labour which it has, I should never have been courageous enough to commence it.” How many writers have felt exactly the same way!
If only there had been television in those days, so that we could watch her as she made mock turtle soup, using a calves’ head thus: “Scald the head with the skin on, remove the brain, tie the head up in a cloth and let it boil for 1 hour.”
Filed under: quotations, Victorian Tagged: 19th century, book quote, cooking, Frances Evesham, Francis Evesham, Mrs Beeton, Victorian, wine
July 4, 2015
Reading Quotes: Erasmus on Books
Desiderius Erasmus, 1469 – 1536, was a key figure in the Renaissance and the Reformation, criticising the corruption of the Church and Pope of his time. A priest and scholar, the illegitimate son of a priest from Rotterdam, he translated the Greek New Testament into Latin. During a long visit to England where he met Thomas More, he lectured at Cambridge. Among his works was “In Praise of Folly,” an attack on superstition and the Church.
Filed under: books, history, quotations Tagged: Erasmus, Frances Evesham, Francis Evesham, history, quotations
June 30, 2015
Writing Quote: Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope 1815-1882
Filed under: books, quotations, Victorian Tagged: Anthony Trollope, book quote, Frances Evesham, quotations, quotes, Victorian
June 25, 2015
Victorian Servants: The Duties of the Butler
Mrs Beeton let us into a few Victorian secrets in her Book of Household Management in 1861.
In a large household, many servants were needed, scampering around, seeing to the needs of the family. A country home the size of Thatcham Hall would require dozens of servants, to run the household, stables, gardens and land. Even middle-class Victorian families kept at least one manservant.
The butler, in charge of the other indoor servants, was eagle-eyed and constantly on the watch for laziness or disrespectful behaviour. His position was one of great trust, and he would usually have joined the household as a young boy, possibly cleaning the boots at first, then rising through the ranks by dint of hard work and good behaviour, until he attained the most important, highly-prized position of butler.
He was indispensible. He oversaw breakfast, luncheon and dinner, announcing the evening meal, carrying in the first dish and ensuring everything was just as it should be around the table.
Once the meal had begun, he stood at the sideboard, ready to serve the wine when required.
He came into his own in the wine-cellar, where he would advise on the quality and price of wine, keep it at the right temperature of between 55 and 60 degrees, and count the bottles, ensuring none went missing. As Mrs Beeton says, “Nothing spreads more rapidly in society that the reputation of a good wine-cellar.”
He was also expected to know how to bottle wine and brew beer.
At night, it was the butler’s responsibility to lock away the silver, known as “plate,” secure the doors and windows and make sure the fires were safe, for everyone dreaded a housefire.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 19th century, butler
May 6, 2015
Disaster at Sonning Cutting – the movie
Images via Creative Commons and VidLib
Filed under: frances evesham, history, journey, Victorian Tagged: 19th century, accident, Berkshire, disaster, eversham, Evsham, Frances Evesham, Francis Evesham, history, railway, Sonning, steam, Thatcham, trains, Victorian
