Their Day

This describes the day in the life of children in the Victorian and Edwardian eras.

The duty of the mother in a household was traditionally to her husband; the nanny's to the children. Thus the nanny took full responsibility once a child was weaned.

The nanny, Mary, arrives soon after 7am from her nearby home. She begins by helping the children to wash and dress.

Like most children, Conrad and Ethel are taught by their nanny. The eldest girl, Constance attends a school in a nearby house during weekday mornings.

Mary and the younger children spend most of their time in the nursery.

Mary gives the children their lunch at about 1pm.

After tea, the children go down to the drawing room to see their parents. They have enough time to play a board game or enjoy a quiz.

Young girls learned how to manage a household before they were married. At her school, Constance is learning these skills. As they have only one servant, other than Mary, she does some work alongside Florence, mainly housework but some cooking.