1. British society in the early 1800’s

2. 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)

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. “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

10. ► 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)

11. 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)

12. 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….

13. 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.

14. 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”?

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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)

18. 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...

19. 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