Genealogy Chat

1874
House Servant £9 per year

1875
Bedroom Couch £1.1.0
Young Servant £7 per year
Gold Locket Chain from Haywards £5.10s

1876
Lustres in Drawing Room 21/-
Sewing Machine from Musgraves £4.10.0

1878
Butter dish, glass & silver from Haywards £1.0.0
5 teeth stopped & 2 of husbands cost 30/-
Thimble steel & silver from Haywards 2/-

1879
Servant Girl £10 per year
Servant Girl £12 per year
Curtains in Drawing Room from Faggs 25/-
Cigar Stand from Uptons 7/6
Boots for 2 year old 13/-
Black Silk Jacket £3.15.0

1880
Feather Bed from Tyler in London £6.15.0 was cost price
Blue & gold Dinner Set from Wilson £2.15.0
Girl to help servant 1/6 per week
Drawing Room Clock at Darleys £4.0.0
Large pair Vases from Popes £1.1.0
Bonnet 29/6
Photod at Blackalls 5/6 for 6
Boots from Franks £1.1.0
Umbrella from Bretts 7.11
Black & Beige Costume £1.12.10
Childs Costume & pinafore 15.7
China Flower Basket at Popes 12/6 marked 15/-
Child’s Highland Suit at Joseph’s 22/- marked 26/-

1881
Coal Vase from Astons & Greens in London £2.4.0, original price £4.0.0
Servant Girl £10 per year
Toy Clockwork Train 7/6
Silver plated tea, coffee, milk and sugar pots with inscription, presented to Grandpa, cost about £12.0.0
New Boots, 2 pairs from Normans £2.0.0
La Favorita, 15/- seats in stalls.
Drugget in Dining Room £1.1.0
Lodging at Stouting for a while for children to get over illness, paying 18/- a week for lodging, 2 bedrooms and use of dining room for meals, meals charged accordingly.
Housekeeping money 35/- a week husband agreed to increase to £2.0.0 per week.
78 acres of grazing land in the Marsh called Guildeford Lane (Kent) £7000
Fur Mantle from Mays 3½ guineas
Umbrella 25/-

1882
Nurse after baby born for 3 weeks 12/- per week
Dining Room Curtains 24/-
Gold Broach £2.12.6
6 plated fish knives & forks from Reich’s £2.13.6
Biscuit Tin 25/-
Plated Hot Water Jug 27/6
Oval Mirror on velvet with vase attached for flowers £1.1.0
Ladies Laced Boots from Franks 18/9
Gold Bracelet £5.5.0

1883
Dined at Table d’hote at the Criterion in London 3/6 each but bill ran up to 13/-
Bought house in Tontine Street Folkestone £375 with £10 per year ground rent.
Mirror framed in wreath of Worcester China on velvet bracket 30/-
Meat price gone up, Shoulders Mutton 1/- lb and B E neck ½
Friends to visit, found them a room for 1/6 per night

1884
Servant girl £10 per year
Nurse 2/- per week
Boots 2 pairs 18/9 & 10/9
Stock Gyll Force 3d each to go in grounds
High charges at hotel, glass of beer 3d, Bottle of Lemonade 6d, Cold lunch of bread, meat & chesses 3/- each.

1885
Made 14 pots of marmalade, 16 oranges 1/-, 10lbs sugar at 2¼ per lb.
Steamboat from Charing Cross pier to Hampton Court 1/6 each. Lunch on board 2/- each.

1886
Fruit cheap this year Plums ½ per gall, damsons 9d

1887
Easter Communion Service 330 there collection was £58
Tram in Chester 3d charge for any distance
Lunch of Stout, bread & cheese on Snowdon 2/6 each
Lunch at ‘The Goat’ 2/6 each
Conway Water Falls, 2d to go down path to deep revine.
Fairy Glen 2d

1888
Washing Machine £2.15.0

1889
Gold Chain from O’Clee’s £8.0.0
Childs Doll 9/-
Silver Chain 18/6
Board & Lodging at Paddlesworth, child age 14 10/- other children 7/6 per week

1890
Pepper’s Ghost Entertainment & The Flying Dutchman in Torquay, seats 2/-

1891
Carpet for church vestry, art square from Lewis & Goole’s £1.10.0
12 menu holders £2.8.0

1892
Umbrella 11/11
Train from Leamington to Warwick 3d each
24 wine glasses & 2 decanters from Popes 35/-

1893
Eye Glasses from Chancery Lane London 2/-
Church collection on Hospital Sunday £64
Boat to Cowes from Royal Pier 3/- each 1st class return
Carriage from Hotel to Carisbrooke Castle 4d each
Newport Church, charged 6d each to be shown around

1894
Wedding invitation cards 14/6 for 50
Case of fish knives & forks 47/-

1895
Boarding House ‘Pleasance’ in Tunbridge Wells board 7/- per day
Let Manor Road House, furnished for 5 weeks at 7 guineas a week
2 Rooms in Montague Terrace Richmond 2½ guineas a week
Big Wheel ride for half an hour 1/- each

1896
Train from Tunbridge to Sevenoaks 2/- each to go over Mansion.
Violin £15
Necklet 45/-
Rooms at Friars Stile Road Richmond 30/- per week
Bicycle £14.14.0

1897
Dinner Servive 35/-
House in Kingsnorth Gardens sold for £800, resold shortly after for £850.
Dance at Masonic Hall, Hall £2.2.0, Band £2.2.0, Supper 2/- per head.

1898
Bicycle £18

1900
To Staines by the Duke of York 3/6 each return [probably from Richmond]
Ride round Edinburgh by Cable Tram then by a char a banc to the Forth Bridge 1/3 each
1d for a ride in a shakey little motor car at Haymarket
Duke of Atholl’s Private grounds including guide 2/- each

1903
Gold Watch £11.11.0
Gold Chain for watch £7.5.0
Tea Service 12/6
Dinner Service 14/6
Folkestone to Deal cheap return fare 1/6

1904
Gold Pin & pair of links £1.1.0
Leg operation £100 guineas
Pony Trap from Ramill £30

1905
Lunch at Lyons in London 1/6

1906
Ebony Hair brush 8/6
Tram to Potter Heigham station fare fishermans tickets 1/3 return [probably from Yarmouth]

1907
4 ferns 3/6
Cake Basket £2.2.0
Housekeeper at White Hall Hotel, Hampton Court £36 per year

1908
Massage ankle, ½ hour a day for 35 days £8.15.0
6 Silver Teaspoons & Sugar Tongs in case 25/-

1909
Silver Photo Frame 12/6

1910
Folkestone to Rye by Motor 7/- each

1911
Folkestone to Hastings by Motor 8/- each

1913
Rocking Horse 17/-

1914
Silver & Paste brooch Bow £1.1.

Joseanne,
I found that really interesting, in fact I will copy and paste it.
Thanks

K

That is interesting. Where did you come across it? It's like a treasure trove.

Fascinating.

Thanks

Sue

My great grandmother's sister kept diaries from 1874 to 1914, and someone copied the entries out and sent them to me.

I loved the entry 5 teeth stopped, I assume that means fillings, how language has changed.

I too have taken a copy. Thank you Joseanne.

Some things seem very reasonable - but others, like the bikes, amazingly expensive. I guess they were at the cutting edge of transport!

Wonder where the things are now [those that have survived that is] and what they are worth now:)

Victoria

I agree Victoria some things do seem very expensive but we have to remember that prices vary according to quality, for example you can pick up a bike for £85 or you could spend £500 for one, and that would have been the same back then. And without any other lists to compare with we have no idea of the quality of the things. Shame about that.

Something else I just noticed was the wages paid to a domestic servant. Three of my great-grandmas were born between 1868 and 1879 and were domestic servants on either the 1881 or 1891 census records, so it's interesting to read how much they would have been paid.

One worked in a private house (I think), one in a pub and one in a Wesleyan minister's home so I wonder if the costs above were averages and what my ancestors actually got for wages.

Very interesting reading. Think it's worth mentioning that, in those days, the tea and dinner services mentioned would have been for a dozen of everything.

In 1950 my Aunt promised me a wedding present of "a half tea service" which meant 6 of everything. I should add, she promised it "when you get settled" (I was in the forces) guess I never was "settled" enough for I never did get it.

Thank you, taken a copy for my file.

Interesting to see that they bought and sold a house in Kingsnorth Gardens for £800. That's where I live now - no private houses any more and the average 1 bed-flat is over £100,000!

Just having a browse and found this...fascinating.....well worth a nudge

Linda

n

Have really enjoyed reading this. How lucky you are that this is from your own family and that the record still exists.

Wish it was mine!