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Houses and homes in Tredegar

during the 19th century

A Key Stage 2

Educational Resource Pack

Part 2—Food, Lighting & Sleeping

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What did people eat in the 19th century?

2 Household budgets of 1839

Investigate

what units of

measurement

were used

during the

19th century

for:

Money

Weight

Volume

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Workers’ food was plainer and simpler in the 19th century than today.

Much of the food that people ate was produced or grown locally so

what was eaten depended upon the season of the year.

People ate little fresh meat—and this was usually bacon. Instead they

ate lots of bread, dairy products and vegetables which were cheaper.

Fridges or freezers weren’t available so most meat or fish that was sold

was salted or smoked to stop it rotting. Tinned food didn’t appear until

the end of the 19th century.

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Where and how was food cooked?

In 19th century workers’ houses,

all food was prepared in the main

living room downstairs.

Food was cooked either on an

open fire or a stove or baked

inside an oven.

Cooking utensils such as pots,

pans and kettles were usually

made from cast iron and were

very heavy, even when empty!

Can you find any objects in the

museum shown in the photo on

the right that may have been

used to cook food or boil water?

Cooking pot

hanging over fire

Open fire Cast iron

Kettle Oven Skillet

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Look for case number 7 in the museum.

Make a list of the names of the cooking utensils in this case.

What material are these utensils made from?

How are these utensils different to those we use today?

Make a sketch of an object used for

cooking food in the box below.

Make a sketch of an object used for

boiling water in the box below.

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Look for case number 2 in the museum.

Make a list of the names of any objects used to cook or prepare food.

What materials are these utensils made from?

What do we use to do the same job today?

Make a sketch of an object used for

mashing vegetables in the box below.

Make a sketch of an object used for

making toast in the box below.

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Stay with case number 2

How did these objects work?

What do we use to do the same job today?

Make a sketch of an object used for

roasting meat in the box below.

Make a sketch of an object used for

making pastry in the box below.

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Look for case number 10 in the museum.

Make a list of the names of any objects used to store or prepare food.

What materials are these utensils made from?

What do we use to do the same job today?

Make a sketch of an object used for

cutting sugar in the box below.

Make a sketch of an object used for

storing cheese in the box below.

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Where were meals eaten?

All meals were eaten in the main living

room downstairs such as in this room

inside a cottage at Merthyr Tydfil.

Plates, spoons and bowls were made

from wood. Drinking vessels were

made from pewter. Knives and forks

had handles made from animal bone!

Crockery was expensive and only used

on special occasions.

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Crockery was usually kept on a Welsh Dresser to show it off! (left photo)

Food was stored in a small, dark room called a ‘larder’ (right photo)

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The objects in the picture below are from the re-created 19th century

cottage in Blaenafon. What are the 2 taller objects?

How were homes lit during the 19th century?

Find 3 objects

used for hold-

ing a candle in

cases 3 and 10

in the museum.

What are they

called?

What are they

made from?

What are the

handles for?

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The tall objects are called ‘rushlight’ holders. Rushlights were made by

collecting and peeling soft rushes (growing in wet places) to expose

their spongy centre. These were then dried. Once dry, they were dipped

in melted animal fat along their whole length. When the fat had cooled

and solidified, the rushlight was clamped between the jaws of the rush-

light holder to keep it in place. It was then lit, burning slowly to provide

light. The cup on its opposite side could also be used to hold a candle.

Left: Soft rushes

Right: A rushlight

holder in closed

and open positions

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Here is one of 2 rooms upstairs at the cottage in Blaenafon. This room

has been recreated to show how it may have looked during the 1800s.

Where did people sleep in the 19th century?

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This is the other room upstairs. Families often had lodgers staying with

them. Why did they decide to allow strangers to live in their own home?

Look for case

number 2 in

the museum.

Find 2 objects

used for

warming

beds.

How do you

think these

worked?

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Above: (extract from) The Bristol Mercury (newspaper) April 15, 1865

What were the beds of poor people made from in the 19th century?

What were the dangers of using this material with lighted candles?