Fact from Fiction: what the great 19th century novels can tell us about our ancestors?
Dave Annal must have put an impressive amount of research into producing this extremely interesting and enlightening talk which was well received by members. It encouraged many of us to want to return and read the works of the great 18th/19th century novelists once again.
Dave gave us quotes under categories such as: Family History, Home, Birth, Baptisms, Illegitimacy, Marriage, Death, Education, Work, Research, Literacy, Travel and Evidence and said that there were even more categories he could have used but for time restraints. He rationalised that despite these authors having their own political stance they can still give us insight into how our ancestor’s lived. Dave continued by saying that would not apologise for using a lot of quotes from Dickens in today’s talk as he is a great admirer of his works. Other authors included: Jane Austen, Emily Bronte, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, Wilkie Collins. Although, Dave said Collins starts off well telling us about family research in Women in White then gets carried away with his plot and ends up providing us with “Fiction from Facts!”
Starting with some family trees we get a whole one from Jane Austen at the start of Persuasion! As Dave remarked what a great way to introduce your characters. Whilst Thomas Hardy tells of the descent of the d’Urbervilles back to Sir Pagan d’Urberville, who came with William the Conqueror as appears in the Battle Abbey Roll.
In Tess of the d’Urbervilles Hardy reminds us that at one time the unbaptised would not be buried in the consecrated ground. Whilst Eliot in Silas Marner mentions Baptism and Christening the difference people still debate.
Hardy, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Far from the madding crowd is an excellent source for the lives of our agricultural labourers with descriptions of payday and harvest time. Although, we should beware of TV adaptations of the harvest in Tess of the d’Urbervilles where everyone was dressed in white!
Dickens gives us a wonderful insight into the poverty, noise and filth through the eyes of Oliver as he first sees London. Dave remarked that although in many cases authors often stretch reality for the sake of their story but the areas of London Dickens described were possibly even worse than he writes. And our ancestors lived in them! Dave contrasted this with Dickens' description of a tranquil country town in the same era.
We were reminded that an X in a marriage register may not be due to illiteracy when in Dickens' Bleak House a bride known to be literate would not sign the register as she didn’t want to shame her husband. Dave said that also an accident to a limb might prevent a literate ancestor from signing the register, so not to presume. Whilst witnesses might be the churchwarden and no relative of either bride or groom. Look through the register Dave suggested to see if those witnesses appear regularly.
Modes of transport particularly before the railway had much to do with social status. Although, from Dickens’ characters Oliver and David Copperfield we can appreciate that our ancestors travelled mostly by foot! There were many other helpful quotes in theses novels.
Dave referred to Mr Pancks in Dickens' Little Dorrit as truly one of us, a family historian, as through the pages of that novel he gives us a master class in family research! He ended with words again from Dickens when Pip in Great Expectations tells Mr Jagger that he had presumed his benefactor was Miss Haversham and Mr Jagger replies with words that we family historians would do well to remember:
“Take nothing on its looks; take everything on evidence. There is no better rule”
-----------------------------------------------------------
Report by Tricia Baxter