British society in the early 1800’s

What are all these places? ► Hertfordshire—where Bennetts live in Longbourne estate ► Derbyshire—where Darcy lives in Pemberly estate ► Brighton—where Lydia goes with Colonel Forster and his wife ► Kent—where Rosings estate is and Mr. Collins residence (Hunsford)

How men made money ► Rich landowners still held large amounts of land (sometimes whole towns) from which the lower class worked ► Darcy owns land and farmers rent from him (thus he has other income in addition to his inherited wealth) ► The most “gentlemanly” way of making money was renting land ► Mr. Bennet has land, but not enough to produce a huge income

Other jobs men held ► The only respectable job was that of lawyer, navy, army, or the church ► You had to have money to study law, so it was reserved for the wealthy ► You had to purchase a commission for the military (through a patronage) ► You needed a wealthy patron to work in the church (as Mr. Collins did)

The militia ► Kind of like a “volunteer” branch of the army, no commission required ► Wickham was at first in the militia ► To join the army, he would need a rich person to pay his commission (he has no one to do that) ► Army pay was enough to live on, but most men who joined had an extra “allowance” from their wealthy parents (Colonel Fitzwilliam)

What did these rich guys do all day? ► Several times a year he would “attend to the business of his estate” (even though he has an estate manager—Wickham’s dad was the manager of the Darcy’s estate) ► Consult with your business manager about your investments ► He may have sat in the House of Lords or the House of Commons (only available to rich landowners) ► Parliament met at various times from Jan. to mid summer ► The fall and early winter were devoted to hunting

Gambling ► “Gentlemen’s clubs” at this time were basically places of gambling (poker, cards, etc) ► Many men lost a great deal of money at these clubs ► Jane was clearly worried about Wickham’s gambling ways for good reason ► Gambling debt was a “debt of honor” and had to be paid first…not paying it resulted in a loss of reputation

Daily life for the upper class ► Breakfast at 10 a.m. (it took awhile for the servants to fetch water, cook, start fire) ► No regular lunch…the afternoon was spent shopping, attending to the servants, visiting neighbors or receiving visitors in your home. ► Ladies would sew, paint, practice music ► From 3-4 you dressed for dinner ► Dinner was from 4-7 depending on the time of year ► After dinner the ladies would leave so the men could “pass the port” a.k.a. drink and tell dirty jokes ► The ladies waited in the parlor until the men joined them to play cards, read, write letters or play music

“Coming Out” ► Girls were introduced to society around age 16 or 17 ► It meant a girl had left the schoolroom and was now introduced to society and on the marriage market ► A party was thrown and then she accompanied her mother to town ► She was also then invited to adult dinners and balls

► Traditionally, girls didn’t “come out” until their older sisters were married or had been out long enough to be old maids. ► Think of how Elizabeth responds when Lady Catherine asks, “All 5 out a once?” ► Girls were not to spend long amounts of time with a man until they were married ► They attended balls and even when engaged, only family activities were allowed (walks were okay)

London ► Considered the most stylish place to live, particularly in the winter months ► Successful lawyers practiced here ► Country lawyers did not, therefore were not as respected/wealthy ► People had “summer homes” in the country because London was quite disgusting in the summer (sewage, humidity)

The Church of England ► The established church, therefore was funded by the state. ► Local landowners appointed the clergymen and provided a parsonage (house) and income to them ► Think about why Lady Catherine chose Mr. Collins for the Hunsford parish….

Entails ► Women could not inherit land or estates when there was a male in the family. ► Mr. Bennett has no sons, therefore, when he dies, his estate will go to the next male heir, Mr. Collins. ► Clearly, you can see why Mrs. Bennett constantly talks of when Mr. Bennett dies how Mr. Collins will turn them all out — he would have every right to do so.

Role of women… ► The only acceptable and honorable provision for women at this time was marriage ► You remained in your father’s house until you married ► If your father died, you were the responsibility of your brothers (a financial burden on them obviously) ► Charlotte Lucas’s brothers were so “relieved from their apprehension of Charlotte’s dying an old maid”?

What jobs could women have? ► The only employment for upper middle class women (like the Bennets) was:  Seamstress  Governess (on duty 24 hours a day, live in the home) ► Lower class women worked as maids, servants, and farmhands

Rights of women ► Once married, women were the legal property of their husbands ► Not allowed to divorce a husband ► If a woman cheated, the “other man” owed her husband money (the husband could sue) for “ruining his property” ► Wickham, therefore, only flirts with rich single women

Marriage settlements ► When a woman was married, a marriage settlement was drawn up ► This settlement is a legal document that states the interest from the “marriage money” given to her is hers and can be willed to her children ► Thus, if widowed, she has some money ► If a girl married a rich man, he contributed money to this settlement (to provide for his wife in case of his death)

The danger of not getting one… ► If a girl eloped and did not get a marriage settlement, any money she had was the property of her husband. ► Her husband could disappear the next day, leaving her penniless. ► Remember this when you discover why Darcy is so angry at Wickham...

Elopement ► Looked down upon in society (for obvious reasons mentioned) ► Any man who eloped was not considered a “gentleman” by society’s standards ► The girl’s reputation was generally damaged as well