Victorian women and the ‘necessities’ of life

Have you ever thought: maybe I would have liked to have been a Victorian lady living in the Rectory at St Ive?

Apart from the fact that you would have had to wear a corset every day, which is not that bad considering that it would have been custom-made to fit your body, there are a few other things to consider.

In 1875—the period in which the Rectory is set—the bustle was introduced as a distinct undergarment during the 1870s. It supported skirts that no longer sat over a crinoline but were gathered up at the back, projecting out below the waist.

Also known as a 'dress-improver', or by its French name 'tournure', the bustle provided a foundation for this new arrangement of skirts via sculpted pleats and ruffles, often stiffened with horsehair. By the mid-1870s, skirts narrowed further, and the puff of volume beneath the waist lowered. The volume became less pronounced but more expansive as skirts developed trains fanning out behind the wearer.

You can see a replica bustle in the Rectory in the Visitor’s Dressing Room—as well as portraits of the fashions of the day against the wall.

The Rectory at The Story of Emily and other similar houses did not have bathrooms or lavatories. Yes, there was an outside privy – but that was only for the servants and men of the house.

The ladies of the house never used the outside privy. They regarded it as unclean. Instead, they sat on a commode or chamber pot, which the maids had to empty in the privy.

The secret to using the commode or chamber pot was the split drawers; what a marvellous invention! See an example in the Visitor’s Dressing Room.

Women would lift the skirts and petticoat(s) and press them together. Then, sit down on the commode. The split drawers (back and front) make it easy. It is also easier to sit on the commode from the front which is more accessible.

To use a chamber pot: they would rest a foot on the top of a chair, and hold the chamber pot underneath the skirts.

Commodes and chamber pots can be found in the Rectory in the rooms and dressing rooms, discreetly tucked away, even with “toilet paper.”  A luxury item, a bidet, is also on display.

The gender history of Victorian Britain was marked by the clear distinction between the sexes imposed by the ideology of the separate spheres. Women were expected to be subject to the will and power of men, endure the trials of marriage without complaining and live their lives indoors, tending to their homes and children.

Women were viewed as best equipped for the private or domestic realm, while men were naturally suited to public, professional, and intellectual life. However, this had a significant impact on women’s lives and their ability to live a life of intellectual fulfilment both in public and in private.

At the Great Exhibition of 1851, the first public flashing lavatory was showcased, and men’s facilities were made available. However, it took decades for women to be released from the “urinary leash.” This refers to the fact that most women could only travel as far or as long as to the nearest home of their friends or family or, as far as their bladders allowed them to go.

The lack of access to lavatories impeded women from freely participating in public activities. Organisations such as the Ladies Sanitary Association and the Union of Women’s Liberal and Radical Associations campaigned tirelessly for women to have access to public toilets.

However, the first public toilet for women appeared in 1893 opposite the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, London. The majority of public toilets in London, most of them underground, were built between 1894 and 1925; however, it was reported that women were reluctant to use the facilities due to stigma and modesty.

Only during WWI did nearly a million women work in munition factories to support the war effort. They began campaigning to provide facilities such as changing rooms and toilets specifically for women in public spaces.

Selfridges provided its first female toilet when the shop opened in 1909, allowing members of the Suffragette movement to use them while campaigning.  

Remember to look at the outside privy at the back of the Rectory; it is next door to the chickens.

Sources:

1. International Workshop on the Historiography of Philosophy: Representations and Cultural Constructions 2012;  Two approaches on the philosophy of separate spheres in mid- Victorian England: John Ruskin and John Stuart Mill; Diana Cordea.

2. Historic UK.com; The History of Women’s Public Toilets in Britain; Claudia Elphick.

3. Women’s rights and the “loo leash”: the fight for public toilets in the UK; Grace Phiri, Leeds University.

4. Victoria and Albert Museum.