Background Information

George IV by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1816

For our first post we thought we would provide a brief introduction to the period we will be looking at as well as some contextual information about our project.

The Georgian era covers the period between 1714 and 1830, during which there were four successive King Georges. Being an ‘Age of Enlightenment’ new ideas and interpretations were developing across Europe concerning independence, roles in society and individualism. The effect of such ideas can be seen in the development of family life during the period. The eighteenth century saw a change in family dynamics; developing a greater appreciation of childhood as a distinct stage in life and increasing sentimentality between spouses.


Although we are focusing on Hampshire as our local area, we can draw conclusions that would apply to other areas of the country too. The upper classes lived very mobile lives; whilst they were based in Hampshire, travel for education or pleasure was common, and many of the families we are researching also owned houses in London. We will also explore factors that made Hampshire different, such as its strong naval background.

What’s more, the county has a strong connection with Jane Austen; it is where she and her family lived for most of her life, and she is buried in Winchester Cathedral. Her novels give us a contextual link to the sources our study comes across, particularly in comparing the letters between Austen’s characters with similar correspondence between Hampshire siblings in parallel families. Also, her stories generally revolve around the landed gentry and some aristocratic families, the same classes as we are focusing on. In this investigation, we will see an increase in warmth and affection within marital and parental relationships. Incorporating such contextual viewpoints allow us to link these fictional families with the developing nuclear families of the Enlightenment era.

A 1723 Engraving of Winchester Cathedral

Throughout these blogs, we will use primary sources to explore these ideas and interpretations. Our focus will be mainly on sibling relationships specifically in Gentry families since we feel this is an area that hasn’t yet been fully explored. Within this there is a range of topics to be explored, varying from inheritance and gender to sources and case studies allowing us to address a different aspect each week before coming to a conclusion.

Thanks for reading!