0:00:02 > 0:00:05Pride And Prejudice is one of the best-loved books of all time
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and, 200 years on, Jane Austen's novel sees no signs of fading.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I'm roughly the same age as Jane Bennet,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14the eldest sister in the novel, but I've had opportunities
0:00:14 > 0:00:16that didn't even exist in her day,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18like going to university to study English,
0:00:18 > 0:00:21or appearing on television in shows like Fresh Meat.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25I'm going to be looking at the world she grew up in
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and exploring what life was really like in Regency England
0:00:28 > 0:00:33for a middle-class girl, a servant and a rich gentleman -
0:00:33 > 0:00:37the types of characters who would grace the pages of her novels.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Elizabeth Bennet, the heroine of Pride And Prejudice,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50is 20 years old - a young woman on the cusp of life.
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Unlike Mr Darcy, she has no estate to inherit,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57but she's still part of the gentry, a small middle class.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59For most young women of Elizabeth's age,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03the future was all about who they married, simple as that.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07So finding a suitable husband was at the top of their to-do list.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12At 7am, as the sun shines through her window,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15the young lady of Regency England is woken.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19A yawn, a stretch, then first order of the day - make-up!
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Lead and rose powder for the face, charcoal for the eyebrows,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28bear fat - that's right, fat from a bear -
0:01:28 > 0:01:33is used as wax to smooth her hair, then it's time to get dressed.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Petticoat, corset, underdress,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40day dress and that's just for the first outfit of the day.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44By breakfast, I've just about managed to jump in the shower
0:01:44 > 0:01:45and brush my teeth.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49But a young woman in Regency England was expected to be a lot more active
0:01:49 > 0:01:51first thing in the morning.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54She would have taken a trip to the local library or,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57in Jane Austen's case, practised the piano for an hour.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01With all that early morning activity,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05by ten o'clock you would have worked up quite an appetite,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08so you'd need more than a quick bowl of cereal or a snack bar
0:02:08 > 0:02:10as you're leaving the house.
0:02:10 > 0:02:15There's tea, plum cake and hot rolls to fill you up and, unlike nowadays,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19breakfast for a Regency lady lasted for a leisurely hour.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21After breakfast, it's straight to work.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23But in the Regency era,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27work didn't mean going into a shop or an office to earn money.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29For a middle-class girl, it meant needlework.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34Like Jane Austen's piano playing, needlework was among a whole range
0:02:34 > 0:02:37of activities that went into creating a "rounded woman".
0:02:37 > 0:02:42Today, a girl of Elizabeth Bennet's age might be at university
0:02:42 > 0:02:44or trying to hold down a good job,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47but in the Regency era she was training in accomplishments -
0:02:47 > 0:02:51a range of activities that were designed to improve
0:02:51 > 0:02:53a woman's social standing.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56In Pride And Prejudice, Mr Darcy's friend, Mr Bingley,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59discusses women's accomplishments:
0:02:59 > 0:03:03"They all paint tables, cover screens and net purses.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05"I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this,
0:03:05 > 0:03:10"and I am sure I never heard a young lady spoken of for the first time
0:03:10 > 0:03:14"without being informed that she was very well accomplished."
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Painting, reading, dancing
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and the modern languages were all seen in the same light,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25giving a woman culture and a social advantage in the world.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Men would learn science and maths,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but women were never taught these things.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33It was all about self-improvement.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36In the marriage market, these accomplishments
0:03:36 > 0:03:37would have been all-important,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and a girl from a rich family would have had a governess
0:03:40 > 0:03:43to make sure she had accomplishments coming out of her ears.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46In Pride And Prejudice, Mr Darcy's aunt, Catherine de Bourgh, is
0:03:46 > 0:03:50shocked to realise that the Bennet sisters have grown up without one.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53"No governess! How was that possible?
0:03:53 > 0:03:58"Five daughters brought up at home without a governess!
0:03:58 > 0:04:00"I never heard of such a thing."
0:04:00 > 0:04:04After a while, you'd need a break from all these self-improvement activities.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Whilst a middle-class girl today might go to meet her friend
0:04:08 > 0:04:10for a cappuccino in a local coffee shop,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14in Regency England, you'd go and pay your friend a morning visit.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18And morning, would mean anything up until three or four o'clock.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Lunch was a movable feast - if you were in town, it might just be
0:04:22 > 0:04:27a pastry or a cake, like picking up a sandwich on the move today.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30After lunch, a middle-class girl would test her intellect
0:04:30 > 0:04:31with puzzles and word games
0:04:31 > 0:04:35and take inspiration from the fashion magazines of the day.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The Gallery Of Fashion - the first fashion magazine - was published
0:04:39 > 0:04:44in April 1774, and contained all the latest trends of the day.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47But reading about clothes was not enough.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Next on the agenda: shopping!
0:04:49 > 0:04:53In Pride And Prejudice, Kitty and Elizabeth Bennet
0:04:53 > 0:04:56take regular trips to a hat shop in the neighbouring village.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59"The village of Longbourn was only one mile from Meryton -
0:04:59 > 0:05:02"a most convenient distance for the young ladies,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06"who were usually tempted thither three or four times a week, to pay
0:05:06 > 0:05:11"their duties to their aunt, and to a milliner's shop just over the way."
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Although the Bennet girls were far less rich
0:05:16 > 0:05:18than the likes of Mr Darcy, a girl in their situation -
0:05:18 > 0:05:22living at home with their parents - would have money to spend.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Over the course of the 18th century,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28the amount of money spent on goods quadrupled.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Tea, coffee, chocolate and spices were becoming affordable
0:05:33 > 0:05:37to the middle classes, and could be found in shops all over town.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Novelty items were really popular, like little gold anchors
0:05:41 > 0:05:44to celebrate Nelson's victory in the Battle of Trafalgar of 1805.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47They were the equivalent of Kate and William merchandise today.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Everyone wanted a piece of this historic event.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53And in Pride And Prejudice,
0:05:53 > 0:05:58shopping is the only activity that can distract Elizabeth's sisters,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Kitty and Lydia, from flirting with the visiting soldiers!
0:06:01 > 0:06:04"Their eyes were immediately wandering up in the street
0:06:04 > 0:06:08"in quest of the officers, and nothing less than a very smart bonnet
0:06:08 > 0:06:12"indeed, or a really new muslin in a shop window, could recall them."
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Back home, and time to prepare for the evening's social engagements,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22one of a girl's few opportunities to flirt with a man.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Nowadays if you fancy someone, you could just send them a text
0:06:26 > 0:06:28or find them on a social media site,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32but you couldn't be anywhere near as direct as this in the Regency era.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35It must have been impossible!
0:06:35 > 0:06:37You weren't allowed to write a letter to a man
0:06:37 > 0:06:40unless you had a formal engagement.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43You weren't to be alone with a man without a chaperone.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46And you weren't really supposed to kiss a man unless you were married!
0:06:49 > 0:06:53In Pride And Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is a strong-minded woman,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57concerned about things beyond matters of the heart,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00but she's continually let down by her sisters.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Lydia, her younger sister, follows the first flutter of her heart
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and runs off with a soldier, when she's not even engaged!
0:07:08 > 0:07:10And you would think it was the end of the world.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Even Elizabeth says to Darcy:
0:07:13 > 0:07:14"She is lost for ever."
0:07:14 > 0:07:18In some of her letters, Jane Austen writes about her own cousin,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Fanny Austen:
0:07:20 > 0:07:23"I am sorry she has behaved so ill.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25"There is some comfort to us in her misconduct,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28"that we do not have a congratulatory letter to write."
0:07:28 > 0:07:31It seems that her cousin has hooked up with a man
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and she's relieved that she hasn't got herself pregnant.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The rules of the day were set down in conduct books,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39which were really popular at the time.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43They were like an agony aunt column in a magazine,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46except the advice was much stricter!
0:07:46 > 0:07:50"Wit is the most dangerous talent you can possess.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54"It must be guarded against with great discretion and good nature,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58"otherwise it will create you many enemies."
0:07:58 > 0:08:03So a girl was supposed to hide her intelligence from a man!
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Reading some of this advice today makes you shudder.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Your eldest brother would inherit your parents' house
0:08:09 > 0:08:13and you couldn't earn your own money by entering a profession
0:08:13 > 0:08:15or even working in a shop.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18You were just expected to land a rich husband.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22In Pride And Prejudice, Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas,
0:08:22 > 0:08:27marries Mr Collins, a really repulsive man, and we learn:
0:08:27 > 0:08:33"Marriage had always been her object. It was the only honourable provision
0:08:33 > 0:08:37"for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain
0:08:37 > 0:08:42"of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want."
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Nowhere could you attract a husband better than at a ball!
0:08:49 > 0:08:52A middle-class girl announced herself on the marriage market
0:08:52 > 0:08:56by what they called "coming out". It meant she could finally dance
0:08:56 > 0:09:00at balls and could be approached by a man with marriage in mind.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01In polite society,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05the point at which you came out was considered extremely important.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08In Pride And Prejudice, Lady Catherine de Bourgh,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Mr Darcy's aunt, is concerned about the Bennet sisters:
0:09:12 > 0:09:15"Are any of your younger sisters out, Miss Bennet?"
0:09:15 > 0:09:17"Yes, ma'am - all."
0:09:17 > 0:09:23"All? What, all five out at once? Very odd."
0:09:26 > 0:09:28It's shocking that 15-year-old Lydia Bennet is "out",
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and looking for a husband.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35For its time, a ball was a very racy affair.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Thin, muslin dresses could be revealing
0:09:37 > 0:09:40in the hot and sweaty atmosphere of a ball.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41With the heat of an open fire,
0:09:41 > 0:09:45a ball was much warmer than a nightclub today.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47A single dance could last up to half an hour
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and would really tire you out.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52But, as with all other aspects of life,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56there were rules and conventions about how to dress.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00"Her arms, and part of her neck and bosom may be unveiled,
0:10:00 > 0:10:01"but only part."
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Now was the time to make your accomplishments count, and between
0:10:08 > 0:10:12dances you could talk to a man away from the prying eyes of a chaperone.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15In case you hadn't caught a man's attention in the raucous
0:10:15 > 0:10:19atmosphere of the ball, there was one more chance to catch his eye.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Singing, or playing the piano, a girl would have a captive audience.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29While we might listen to a friend's playlist,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32in Regency England, you'd gather to listen to them sing.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Karaoke skills were seriously put to the test.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Having done her best to impress the most eligible bachelor,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50a woman would go home, not knowing what the future held.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Has a more accomplished woman caught his eye? Will he write?
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Will her father even agree to a proposal?
0:10:58 > 0:11:03It must have been very hard for a woman growing up in Regency society.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06There were so many rules and conventions governing
0:11:06 > 0:11:10every aspect of her life, and men seemed to get all the perks.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Life nowadays is very different for women,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17but it was the Elizabeth Bennets of this world who showed,
0:11:17 > 0:11:19in books and in life, that women couldn't
0:11:19 > 0:11:23and shouldn't be forced to hide their intelligence from the world.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Mr Darcy, the hero of Pride And Prejudice,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36was very much at the top of his social ladder.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40He had a vast estate, which made him landed gentry, and earned
0:11:40 > 0:11:45£10,000 a year - that's about £500,000 to you and me.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48A man like Mr Darcy would have lived at a level of luxury
0:11:48 > 0:11:50unimaginable today.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56At 8am, while most of his servants have been up for hours,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00a gentleman in Regency England is just starting his day.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03His valet has prepared him a steaming tub of water,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and his daily grooming ritual is about to begin.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08With the precision of a top stylist,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13his valet combs, flattens and trims his hair till it's just right.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Then out comes the cut-throat razor for that clean-cut look.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20A little powered parsley seed to prevent baldness.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24And if that wasn't enough, now comes his make-up -
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Dr Withering's Cosmetic Lotion.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It's a bizarre mix of soured milk and horseradish
0:12:30 > 0:12:32and, applied to a gentleman's face,
0:12:32 > 0:12:36it should hide all signs of too much port drunk the night before!
0:12:36 > 0:12:39In Jane Austen's time, unlike today,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43men spent just as much time as women on their appearance.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45Mr Darcy didn't look that good, straight out of bed!
0:12:45 > 0:12:47It took a lot of effort.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53In the Regency era, a gentleman would have sported a superhero look.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Stomach in, shoulders out,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59tight breeches giving you calves like bowling pins.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03It's a skinny jeans, fitted shirt look.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Legend has it that Regency dandy Beau Brummell
0:13:05 > 0:13:08spent five hours on his morning grooming routine!
0:13:09 > 0:13:13A man like Mr Darcy would have been a celebrity of his day.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19We're talking here about a man with virtually unlimited spending power.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Today, he'd be talked about in newspapers and magazines
0:13:22 > 0:13:24and known all over town.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Officially, he was part of the gentry - today's middle class -
0:13:28 > 0:13:34but he earned more than many lords and knights of Regency England.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37In this era, everybody boasted about their income
0:13:37 > 0:13:39and you knew what everyone else was worth.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41In Pride And Prejudice,
0:13:41 > 0:13:45it doesn't take long for Mr Darcy to get noticed!
0:13:45 > 0:13:50"He soon drew the attention of the room by his fine, tall person,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52"handsome features, noble mien
0:13:52 > 0:13:57"and the report that was in general circulation within five minutes
0:13:57 > 0:14:00"after his entrance of his having 10,000 a year."
0:14:05 > 0:14:07But this income didn't come from nowhere.
0:14:07 > 0:14:12Before breakfast, a landowner would tend to the running of a huge estate
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and that wasn't a walk in the park!
0:14:14 > 0:14:17It was like a small town, with acres of farmland.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19He might be involved in politics,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22and would even act as a judge in local court cases,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26passing sentence on people who had committed crimes on his land!
0:14:28 > 0:14:31In the novel, the heroine, Elizabeth Bennet,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34underestimates Mr Darcy at first,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37but later realises that there's more to him than meets the eye.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40"As a brother, a landlord, a master,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44"she considered how many people's happiness were in his guardianship."
0:14:44 > 0:14:48The Regency gentleman was expected to look beyond his estate,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50of course, so he would spend part of his morning
0:14:50 > 0:14:55reading histories or biographies or early printed newspapers.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Novels were left only for women, so a man like Mr Darcy
0:14:59 > 0:15:02might never have read a book like Pride And Prejudice.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06In the novel, to impress Mr Darcy, Miss Bingley declares:
0:15:06 > 0:15:10"There is no enjoyment like reading!
0:15:10 > 0:15:13"How much sooner one tires of anything than a book!"
0:15:13 > 0:15:15But he's not remotely impressed.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18She's just telling him exactly what he wants to hear.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24The estate in order, it's 10am and time for breakfast.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27A private chef has prepared brioche and spiced cakes,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31to be washed down with some coffee or hot chocolate.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35A man like Mr Darcy would have kept an expensive French chef.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37This was a mark of status,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41like eating out in a Michelin-starred restaurant today.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43As well as the latest tastes in food,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46he would have been bang up to date with the latest trends in fashion.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49If you didn't look the part, then you would be frowned upon
0:15:49 > 0:15:52by rich society and that would have been a big deal.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Even more so than today, the way you decorated your house,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00the clothes you wore - all these things affected your standing.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04A lot of time and money was spent on home decoration,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07but for a gentleman, furnishing your house
0:16:07 > 0:16:09was less about swag and more about style.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Leaving the house, today's wealthy businessman puts on
0:16:13 > 0:16:17his suit and tie, boards a packed train and travels to the City,
0:16:17 > 0:16:18briefcase in hand.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22He might scan the stocks and shares in the paper,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24or check his emails on a smartphone.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28The Regency gent however, heads into the countryside.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29With a footman as a bodyguard,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33he boards his chauffeur-driven carriage and leaves the estate.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36In Jane Austen's novels, we learn very little about
0:16:36 > 0:16:39what the male characters do when they are away from the heroine.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41This is definitely true of Pride And Prejudice.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Anyone adapting the novel for the screen
0:16:44 > 0:16:46has to resort to their imagination.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49In the BBC's classic version,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53the most famous scene features Mr Darcy plunging into a lake.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55He doesn't go near a lake in the novel,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57but this is exactly the kind of physical activity
0:16:57 > 0:17:00he would have been doing if you read between the lines.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03A Regency gentleman would be constantly on the move -
0:17:03 > 0:17:05shooting, hunting, fishing.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08These manly pursuits were the obsession of the day.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15After all that exercise, a bite to eat.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19When Elizabeth Bennet visits Mr Darcy's estate, servants enter
0:17:19 > 0:17:24with "cold meat, cake, and a variety of all the finest fruits in season".
0:17:25 > 0:17:29A man like Mr Darcy had unlimited access to a horse and carriage
0:17:29 > 0:17:33and would often travel to a second home in London.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35There, part of his day was spent in theatres,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38galleries and opera houses, which flourished alongside
0:17:38 > 0:17:41the brothels, Turkish baths and fruit market of Covent Garden.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43But it wasn't all about culture.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Gentlemen had time on their hands, and liked to have fun.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Young "sparks", as they were called, would try and impress the ladies
0:17:50 > 0:17:53with the Regency equivalent of a sports car,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57riding around town at high speeds on two-wheeled carriages.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Essentially they were joyriding but we're talking, like,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02eight to ten miles per hour!
0:18:02 > 0:18:08Women, fast cars - well fast-ish - sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Mr Darcy doesn't gamble in Pride And Prejudice,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17but many men of his standing would spend time in the so-called
0:18:17 > 0:18:20"hells" of Pall Mall - the casinos of their day.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22There was no roulette or blackjack.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Instead, money would exchange hands on card games such as loo, faro
0:18:26 > 0:18:29and whist, or the dice game, hazard.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34For good luck, men would turn their coats inside out.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And to keep gamers there for longer, clubs would serve sandwiches
0:18:37 > 0:18:40direct to your table, as they still do today.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45But a gentleman had to have his wits about him
0:18:45 > 0:18:49as some clubs would give away free drinks and then trick a man -
0:18:49 > 0:18:53who after a few glasses of port may not be as alert -
0:18:53 > 0:18:57into playing card cheats, known as "ivory turners".
0:18:57 > 0:19:00In Pride And Prejudice, the charming rogue, Mr Wickham,
0:19:00 > 0:19:02runs up gambling debts all around town.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08In May and June - known as the Season -
0:19:08 > 0:19:10there were endless balls and dinner parties.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Traditionally, the country gentleman sat down to eat at five o'clock,
0:19:14 > 0:19:19but copying fashionable Londoners, dinnertime got later and later
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and might be served as late as seven o'clock.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25It would show off your income, as later meals would have to be
0:19:25 > 0:19:28lit by candles, an expensive product in this age.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31And food was getting more and more elaborate.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34The Regency period is perhaps the most complex
0:19:34 > 0:19:36in British food history.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39We think of Heston Blumenthal's style as being very complicated,
0:19:39 > 0:19:43but the skill levels were just as high in the Regency era.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46You'd be amazed at some of the dishes being served up
0:19:46 > 0:19:50for the wealthy at this time - parmesan ice cream, crayfish jelly
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and all sorts of weird and wonderful combinations.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55In Pride And Prejudice,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59Mrs Bennet is nervous about cooking for Mr Darcy.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02"She did not think anything less than two courses could be
0:20:02 > 0:20:06"good enough for a man, on whom she had such anxious designs,
0:20:06 > 0:20:11"or satisfy the appetite and pride of one who had 10,000 a year."
0:20:12 > 0:20:17Two courses doesn't seem much, but just the first course would include
0:20:17 > 0:20:20several joints of meat, a roasted fowl, a bowl of soup,
0:20:20 > 0:20:25and fish, pies and cutlets - quite a spread!
0:20:25 > 0:20:30And just as you thought it was all over, out come more cold joints,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and sweet dishes like blancmange and stewed fruit.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36I can't believe how much they ate!
0:20:36 > 0:20:39It seems incredible that they would be able to find room for all that food!
0:20:43 > 0:20:46After dinner, the ladies would leave the table, and the gentleman
0:20:46 > 0:20:50would enjoy a glass of port or two, over a game of cards.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And amazingly, after all that port,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56the men would have worked up an appetite for supper.
0:20:56 > 0:21:01Cold meats, rolls, and a negus - a drink made from, wine, spices,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03lemon and calves foot jelly.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05It was like raiding the fridge after a night out.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10I think all that hard work running a large estate was more than rewarded!
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It doesn't sound like a bad life, does it?
0:21:21 > 0:21:25The servants are the poorest characters in every period drama,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27but they're not to be ignored!
0:21:27 > 0:21:30In Regency England, they had a vital part to play.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35In the Regency era, servants were responsible for every aspect
0:21:35 > 0:21:38of their masters' and mistresses' daily life, and none of the grand
0:21:38 > 0:21:42feasts and balls of this period could have happened without them.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46There would have been around seven servants at Longbourn,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48where the Bennet sisters live,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50and as many as 20 in Mr Darcy's household, Pemberley.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54But in Pride And Prejudice, we hardly ever see them.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Of Mr Darcy's many servants, only the housekeeper says a word.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00You really have to read between the lines to work out
0:22:00 > 0:22:02what any of them did.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06But books from the time can help us to fill in the gaps.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10In 1825, Samuel and Sarah Adams, a butler and a housekeeper,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12published a guide to a servant's duties.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15It tells us a lot about how servants would have lived
0:22:15 > 0:22:17their day-to-day lives in Jane Austen's time.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22At 5am, for a housemaid in Regency England,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24there's no time to snooze in bed.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28On come the cottons for the working day ahead -
0:22:28 > 0:22:31gown, cap, neck handkerchief.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Then into the drawing room.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Clear away the port glasses, candlesticks and other mess
0:22:36 > 0:22:41left by the master the night before, and brush down the surfaces.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45The embers still burning from last night
0:22:45 > 0:22:48will need to be brought back to life and new firewood put in place.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Many of the processes we take for granted today
0:22:51 > 0:22:54had to be tended to by hand.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57The central heating, hot water,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and electric lighting of a modern home are all absent.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Without a vacuum cleaner, the maid would spread the carpet with
0:23:04 > 0:23:07damp tea-leaves, to remove the dust,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11then sweep them up and start all over again in the next room.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15At 6am, with the house clear, there's lots to prepare for the day.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19A large estate was like a big department store -
0:23:19 > 0:23:22but one where everything had to be made on site.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26The servants had to mix their own scents, make their own jams,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30sew their own clothes and even prepare their own cosmetics.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33And they made primitive forms of teeth whiteners,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35with honey and charcoal.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Charcoal, on your teeth -
0:23:37 > 0:23:40it doesn't sound like a brilliant plan for whitening to me!
0:23:42 > 0:23:44You were born into your position in life,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47falling into a natural order whether you liked it or not!
0:23:51 > 0:23:54At 7am, having already been up for two hours,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57it's time to raise the mistress from her slumber.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59It wasn't just a case of knocking on her door.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03The maid had to dress her lady, and even prepare lotions for her
0:24:03 > 0:24:07sometimes disgusting skin conditions -
0:24:07 > 0:24:09worm pimples, small red pimples,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13and even some sort of mega-spot called the Barolph pimple.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Judging by the number of names they had for different spots
0:24:17 > 0:24:21and pimples, skincare must have been a huge problem!
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And worse than all of these spots combined
0:24:24 > 0:24:26was the "livid buttony pimple".
0:24:26 > 0:24:30"In its most severe form, this eruption nearly covers the face,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34"breast, shoulders, and top of the back."
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Mmm... That sounds disgusting!
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Downstairs, things were much grubbier -
0:24:39 > 0:24:42they didn't have access to these kinds of lotions
0:24:42 > 0:24:45and would often have to wear the same clothes for much, much longer.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And at the bottom of the servant pecking order,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50there were some pretty horrible jobs to do,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54like emptying the chamber pot of your master and mistress.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56And you could be on call, day and night.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It sounds absolutely exhausting!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Though their conditions were tough,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03we shouldn't think of servants as slaves.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06They are the poorest characters that we read about in Jane Austen's
0:25:06 > 0:25:10novels, but they earned much more than people farming the land.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13And there was no need to pay rent or buy food,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15so you could save almost all of your earnings.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Many servants served the same families for most of their lives,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and there were opportunities to move up the ladder and have a reasonable life.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Servants would prepare breakfast for their masters and mistresses,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33but they weren't to hang around for too long after the meal.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Part of the reason servants are largely missing
0:25:35 > 0:25:38from Pride And Prejudice is that in this era,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40the ladies and gentleman of the house expected privacy.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Too much contact would lead servants to chatter about their superiors.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49But rules get broken
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and we know from Jane Austen that servants loved to gossip!
0:25:52 > 0:25:56When Elizabeth Bennet's sister Lydia runs off with a soldier,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01their mother doesn't have "prudence enough to hold her tongue before the servants".
0:26:01 > 0:26:03Soon everyone will know!
0:26:03 > 0:26:06And it wasn't just gossiping that was against the rules.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09No swearing was allowed at the table.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Gambling was prohibited.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15And drunkenness, forbidden.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Servants were to be seen and not heard -
0:26:17 > 0:26:19they had to keep noise to an absolute minimum.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24And male and female servants were to sleep at opposite ends of the house,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28as when they had the opportunity, they could get up to all sorts.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33A little bit of slap and tickle was an everyday occurrence.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37But for a woman, pregnancy out of wedlock was a serious thing.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38It meant instant dismissal.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43At one o'clock, the family have a light lunch,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46while the servants sit down for their main meal of the day.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50But even amongst the servants, there were strict hierarchies.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Senior servants took their meals separately,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55sitting down to roast beef and wine,
0:26:55 > 0:26:56while in the servants' hall,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59they had to settle for boiled meat and beer.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Apart from Sunday afternoon church,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04servants had few opportunities to go out.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07And in many houses, maids weren't even allowed out,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09except for the odd local fair.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15So the servants would have no balls, parties or feasts to attend,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18but they'd make them happen for their superiors.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21In Pride And Prejudice, we hear little of servants at Netherfield,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23where Mr Bingley holds a ball,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26but they would have had their work cut out.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Coachmen drive the guests to the ball.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31The way they dressed and the way they spoke reflected the status
0:27:31 > 0:27:33of the families who employed them.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Whatever the conditions outside, footmen would stand
0:27:37 > 0:27:41carrying torches, coated in flaming tar, to guide guests to the party,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45and they'd announce their visitors' arrival.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48The ball was a time of fun, frivolity and excess,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50but not for the servants.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56The silver has to be laid, the candles lit
0:27:56 > 0:27:58and hours spent in the kitchen.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00There were no extractor fans,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03so preparing for dinner could be an uncomfortable process.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Heat, smoke and lack of ventilation were common perils.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10Expensive cuts of meat are prepared to impress
0:28:10 > 0:28:14the guests at the party, and elaborate garnishes are added.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18There were no freezers, so ices are prepared outside.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20The mountains of food are placed in silver dishes,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23and finally the feast is served.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Occasionally, it could be as late as midnight before the butler
0:28:29 > 0:28:31gave the servants leave to go to bed.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35The footman might sleep in the butler's pantry
0:28:35 > 0:28:37to stop people from stealing the silver.
0:28:37 > 0:28:42And as for the housemaid, after what could have been a 19-hour day,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45upstairs for a well-earned rest.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48Life for a servant in Regency England
0:28:48 > 0:28:52sounds absolutely exhausting, but not without its fun.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56In Pride And Prejudice, we only see them through the eyes of their
0:28:56 > 0:29:00masters and mistresses, but they played a vital role in Regency life.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd