Lark Rise To Candleford

Families tended to be large and cottages were small, so there was not much space indoors and at a young age children were turned outdoors to play, wrapped warmly in a shawl.

When they were old enough, they were sent to school. This might be a walk of several miles from their home and they would make the journey in all winds and weathers, unaccompanied by adults who had their own work to see to. At school, all the children learned to read and write, to do basic arithmetic, and the girls learned sewing and embroidery. They also received Scripture lessons.

At the age of 11 or 12, school would end for the boys who were now old enough to begin making a living working in the fields, which brought home a little extra income to feed the family. Girls would be sent out from this age into service, working as maids in country houses or in one of the cities. They would send home money and often clothes, inheriting the cast-offs of their employers.

Childhood sweethearts would endure long separations, seeing each other only when the girl had some time off and could visit home. Sometimes the girls did return to marry a local boy, but often they were able to better their station in life by marrying a tradesman or butler.

Life was not easy for the married woman, as she often had several children and not all of these would survive. The birth might be attended by an old woman who acted as midwife, with the doctor only called for especially difficult births.

In addition to being responsible for the children and for keeping the house as clean and comfortable as she could, the Victorian country wife also had the difficult task of making ends meet with her husband's wages. If there was not enough to go round, she was the one who would get the blame.

While there were children at home, the women did not leave the house but might be able to take some work in to earn a little extra money.

The food that she cooked came mostly from the vegetable patch and from the pig that each family would fatten and kill perhaps once a year. Milk had to be bought and many children went without, and lard was often eaten on bread in place of butter.

Most men worked as labourers for the local farmer. The hours were long and the work was hard, but they sang songs and told tales to pass the time.

Their wages were given to their wives to manage, and from this they were given enough money for a half-pint each night in the local public house. Although the company was often high-spirited, the men had not enough money to get drunk and made their half-pint last all evening.

A man expected to be master in his own home and received the largest portion of the food. Not all men were the dominant husband and father we associate with Victorian times, but some men would be harsh with their wives and might even beat them.

If a man could not work, there would be very little money coming in. So it is little wonder that his needs were considered to be the most important.

Sadly this is set to be the last series of Lark Rise to Candleford.

Dorcas Lane is once again on the brink of romance with young widower Gabriel Cochrane. But can he go beyond his grief at the loss of his first wife to see Dorcas as more than just an employer?

Series 4 is currently being aired on British television. If you are in the UK you can catch up with any missed episodes of Lark Rise to Candleford on BBC iPlayer.