| Subject | Shopping for a C19th Gentry Household |
|---|---|
| Speaker/Organiser | Lucy Bailey |
| Date | February 8, 2012 |
Details
Lucy had used the accounts data from the Gibbard family in Sharnbrook House as social history project at the University of Northampton. Giving the talk within the main reception area of Sharnbrook House was an added bonus enjoed by members and residents alike.
Having spent some time looking at the bills, receipts, accounts and letters which were left behind by John and Mary Gibbard, Lucy has been able to unravel their consumption habits and understand more about their day-to-day living during the late Georgian period.
John Gibbard was Deputy Lieutenant and Receiver of General Taxes for the town and county of Bedford; a Justice of the Peace; Joint Secretary of the Bedfordshire Institute for the Education of the Poor; was on the committee of the Bedfordshire Infirmary; and helped formalize the schooling in the village.
The analysis went on to examine what proportion of the weekly outgoings went to suppliers in the village or in Bedford or further afield. The main local provider was definitely the William Eyles, the butcher; other significant local tradesmen were William Stonebanks, carpenter and William Scrivener, builder and William Tassell, tailor.
Whilst in London, John also took the opportunity to call in on acquaintances, one of whom was the Gibbards’ tea dealer, Charles Hancock, with whom both John and Mary had an intimate acquaintance, being related to him by marriage.