112

Houses and homes in Tredegar

during the 19th century

A Key Stage 2

Educational Resource Pack

Part 5—Clothes and looking

after them

113

How did people wash clothes in the 1800s?

Few houses built in the 19th century had running water inside the build-

ing. Often the nearest supply of water could be at the end of the street

or much further away! In towns, water carriers sold water to houses.

This meant that all the

water used for cooking,

drinking, washing and

cleaning in a house had

to be brought from the

well or water spout or a

street seller.

The picture on the right

shows a common sight

from the 19th century -

even in towns!

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The inhabitants had to carry water, either from Doctor’s spout, or the

Quarry spout behind River Row, or from Llyswedog, or Cefngoleu, or

Hard Level spout; and indeed, in droughty seasons, the inhabitants of

the most remote parts of the town had to carry water from the Crown

well!

Another method was to purchase water from ‘water carriers,’ who

conveyed the fluid in casks placed on rude carriages and drawn by

donkeys. These water vendors travelled the streets from dawn of day

until dusk, especially in summer seasons, but never announced the

article to be sold.

Purchasers were always on the threshold waiting the important vendor

with his or her long-eared steed to arrive before the door; then

modestly placing the pan or pail, jack, or jug under the tap to receive

the half-penny worth. Evan Powell, 1884

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Once the water had been brought back to the house, all the washing

had to be done by hand as there were no washing machines of course!

For washing clothes,

the water needed to

be heated so it was

first transferred into

metal containers

that were then

placed on the fire.

Once there was

enough hot water,

any stains or marks

on clothes had to be

scrubbed with soap

using a washboard.

Washboard

Scrubbing brush

Carbolic

Soap

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Clothes were also washed using a

tub and washing dolly.

Dirty clothes were placed in a

washtub with soap and water and

then, the dolly was rotated back

and forth inside the tub, moving

the clothes about in the water.

Washing dolly

Wash tub

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Look for case number 2 in the museum.

Make a list of the names of any objects used for washing clothes.

What materials are these utensils made from?

What do we use to do the same job today?

Draw an object used to get stains or

dirty marks out of clothes.

Draw an object used to move washing

about in a large tub of soapy water.

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The type of soap often used for

washing clothes in the 19th century

was called ‘carbolic’. It contained

carbolic acid, which was good for

disinfecting and killing germs. It was

red in colour but had a very strong

and distinctive smell!

For washing clothes in a tub, soap

was normally grated up to make

soap flakes —similar to using a

modern cheese grater!

Make a list of the makes of soap that

you can see in case 2 in the museum.

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Starch was also added to the ‘wash’ to help clothes keep their shape

and to give them a smooth and stiff finish when they were ironed.

It became fashionable for white clothes to have a ‘blue-white’ finish so a

type of starch called ‘blue’ was very popular.

Right: 19th century

advertising picture

for Reckitt’s Paris

Blue Starch!

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How were clothes dried in the 1800s?

Today’s washing machines spin

dry clothes after the end of the

washing cycle. When clothes come

out of the machine, most of the

water has been driven out.

In the 19th century, clothes had to

be wrung by hand before they

were hung outside to dry.

There was also a hand-powered

machine called a mangle, which is

shown in the picture on the right,

that helped to remove some of the

water from washed clothes.

Find the 2 mangles in the museum.

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Find 2 mangles in the museum —both have parts missing so you will

need to compare the two to work out what a complete one looked like!

1. What materials are both mangles made from? ______________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2. The job of a mangle was to squeeze the water out of wet clothes.

Explain how you think it worked. _____________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Why might mangles have damaged buttons on clothes?

_____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

4. What dangers might there been to very small children

when a mangle was being used? __________________________

__________________________________________________________

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In the 19th century there was no electricity to heat irons as today! In the

1800s, irons would be heated up but putting them in direct contact with

a hot metal surface such as a metal stove or range that contained a fire.

How were clothes ironed in the 1800s?

Right: Look for a

group of flat

irons heating up

on the stove.

Why was this

done when only

one iron could be

used at any one

time?

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Here is a close-up view of 2 flat irons. They were made in different sizes

and weights but the basic shape remained the same, as do modern

electric irons.

What is different

about the design of

the handle of the

iron on the left?

Why do you think

this design may

have made the iron

easier to use?

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Why is the woman holding the flat iron with a cloth?

125

Look carefully inside cases numbered 2 and 7 in the museum.

Make a list of the names of any objects used for ironing clothes.

How did the gas iron work? Who may have used the flat irons in case 7?

How are the irons that we use today different to the ones in the museum?

Draw an iron that was heated by gas. Draw a flat iron that was heated by

contact with a hot surface.

126

What clothes did people wear in the 19th

century?

Cameras were expensive to use in the

19th century so most old photos that

exist tend to be those taken at special

occasions and of people dressed in their

‘Sunday best’ outfits rather than clothes

they would have worn every day.

In this picture, taken at a photographer’s

studio in Tredegar in 1905, we can see

parents, Albert & Rose Rendell, with

their baby son, Albert Henry.

Photos showing people in everyday or

working clothes are much rarer but

fortunately some do exist.

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Children at Red Lion Square, Tredegar about 1900

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Around 1865,

the Tredegar

photographer,

William Clayton

produced a

large number of

portraits of

working men

and women.

It seems that

William Clayton

thought that he

might be able to

sell the photos

as curiosities to

rich people at

the time.

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Although the

photographs

were taken in a

studio, it seems

likely that the

people were

wearing their

own working

clothes.

Most of the

people that

were photo-

graphed were

women. About

50 photos or

portraits are

known to exist.

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Unfortunately,

we don’t know

who the people

were but it

seems likely

that they were

from Tredegar.

Some are seen

with tools or

lamps or food

and drinking

flasks.

William

Clayton’s

studio was

situated in

Tredegar.

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Report from the Children’s Employment Inquiry 1842

Look carefully inside case

number 1 in the museum.

Most of the items that you can

see are about 100 years old

and would have been worn on

special occasions or as part of

a ‘Sunday-best’ outfit.

Find the 2 babies’ christening

gowns and make a quick

sketch of one of them in the

box opposite.