Maloney - Life After Victoria, 1900-1909

First published in Great Britain in 2008 by

Remember When

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 2AS

Copyright Alison Maloney, 2008

ISBN 978 1 84468 035 1

eISBN 9781844689262

The right of Alison Maloney to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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Contents

Introduction

Although Queen Victoria was still on the throne at the turn of the century, her demise, in January 1901, ushered in the bright, optimistic Edwardian era. The decade over which Victorias son, Edward VII, was to rule saw massive changes which would affect every aspect of daily life.

The Boer War was soon to draw to a close and the First World War was still a long way off; houses were becoming brighter and less oppressive, and technology in transport and industry was advancing in leaps and bounds. According to historian Samuel Hynes, it was a leisurely time, when women wore picture hats and did not vote, when the rich were not ashamed to live conspicuously, and the sun really never set on the British flag.

Undoubtedly, the age was golden for the middle and upper classes but there was still a great deal of inequality and grinding poverty. Nonetheless, by the end of the decade, many laws to alleviate the dire circumstances of the poor were beginning to reach the statute books and women were beginning to see tiny but significant concessions towards equal rights.

Life After Victoria, for most, brought a new dawn and a feeling of hope for the future.