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How to choose a wife Victorian style

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  • How to choose a wife Victorian style

    Just for interest, from the blog of the Essex Record Office, the storehouse of Essex history



    Carol

  • #2
    mmmmmmmmmmm

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    • #3
      Somewhere I've got my mother's 1955 Good Housekeeping book which gives advice to a new wife, which expects a woman to be a well dressed doormat, in the Harry Enfield "women, know your limits" manner. It is in pristine condition and shows little sign that my mother bothered to use it (unlike her recipe books which are splashed with cooking stains)

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      • #4
        Well Done Mum!

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Jill on the A272 View Post
          Somewhere I've got my mother's 1955 Good Housekeeping book which gives advice to a new wife, which expects a woman to be a well dressed doormat, in the Harry Enfield "women, know your limits" manner. It is in pristine condition and shows little sign that my mother bothered to use it (unlike her recipe books which are splashed with cooking stains)
          Would that be the following ?

          The Good Wife’s Guide

          Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.
          Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
          Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
          Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.
          Gather up school books, toys, paper etc. and then run a dust cloth over the tables.
          Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, caring for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
          Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.
          Be happy to see him.
          Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
          Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first, remember his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
          Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
          Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquillity where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
          Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
          Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
          Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
          Arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
          Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
          A good wife always knows her place.
          Yorkshire names: Brown, Weighell, Hudson, Hartley, Womersley, Laycock, Maude, Atkinson, Whittaker, Hammond, Hutton, Brook, Murgatroyd, Wright, Topham
          Warwickshire name: Hart
          German names: Peltz, Eichborn

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          • #6

            Anne

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            • #7
              Sounds quite normal to me.
              Uncle John - Passed away March 2020

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              • #8
                Poor women how down trodden and unimportant they were. Didn't like the bit about not question him when "staying out all night" and "always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness", oh sure all humans will do that.:(

                Tora

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Chr1s View Post
                  Would that be the following ?
                  That sound's about right for 1955! There are also some glossy photos of up-to-the-minute interiors which have the sort of furniture and household items that I've been seeing in the fashionable retro shops in Brighton.

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                  • #10
                    It's what is known as the good days.
                    Whoever said Seek and Ye shall find was not a genealogist.

                    David

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                    • #11
                      The noise of a dryer? What dryer would that be, then? All my poor mum had was a washing line! Who had a dryer that made a noise?

                      However, the rest of it is depressingly familiar from my childhood.

                      OC

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