A Victorian buisnessman’s life

Have you found your own family ancestor yet? They will be your grandparents, great grandpar- ents or even great, great grandparents! Before we move ahead, do we know anything else about Thomas Robert Massingham? The dates and events are taken from accurate sources, but there is little we know about his character or personality. Since nothing was ever recorded we can never know, but we can make some assumptions. He had seven children and was a butcher for most of his life. He would have been a respected local business man. His estate when he died was valued at £2073, worth £320,000 today, so he and his family were very comfortable for the time they were living in. Looking at Thomas and Elizabeth’s clothes, it is evident that they were well dressed so probably every day life was not a hardship for them. Was he a good dad? Did he laugh a lot? Could he swim? Did he smoke like most men of his time? We just don’t know. This is why it is important to talk to your family, par- ticularly the older ones as they rarely write anything down about their lives. There a two stories about Thomas. Bob Massingham would recall that his father Percy and his father Thomas used to herd flocks of geese from King’s Lynn to London for the Christmas mar- kets. The geese wore little leather shoes to protect their feet on the long walk. Is this believable? Also, it is said that Thomas fell through a warehouse door and dropped two floors to his doom. However, without evidence, it is just a story, Do we really want to know?

Living in the 1890s - our ancestors’ lives in the historical context (click)

1891 – ELEMENTARY EDUCATION BECOMES FREE A major advance in British education came in the Elementary Education Act 1891, which put state funds of ten shillings per head towards every child’s education. This had the effect of making elementary education free and opened a basic education up to all social classes. 1893 – MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL COMPLETED Running from the port of Liverpool inland to Manchester, the Manchester Ship Canal was a major advancement in trade when it was completed in 1893. Construction began in 1887 and cost £15 million (over £2 billion today). At 36 miles, it continues to see use today as an important inland shipping route. 1894 – THE JUNGLE BOOK IS PUBLISHED Rudyard Kipling was born in India and spent much of his early career as a foreign journalist before turning to writing short stories. The most famous of these were encapsulated in The Jungle Book, which was first published in 1894. The book introduced readers to the character of Mowgli as well as the short story “Riki-Tikki-Tavi”. 1896 – THE DAILY MAIL FIRST PUBLISHED Love it or hate it, The Daily Mail first saw publication in 1896 and currently has the largest distri- bution of any newspaper in the United Kingdom. It’s published in a tabloid format and has the content to match. It was the first paper to use the term “suffragette” to describe the militant advocates for giving women the vote in the early 20th Century. They’ve also seen dozens of libel suits that they have lost for various accusations that saw print. 1897 – QUEEN VICTORIA’S DIAMOND JUBILEE It was a first for the United Kingdom when Queen Victoria marked the 60th year of her reign in 1897. This made her the longest-reigning English monarch though the celebrations were a bit more subdued compared to her Golden Jubilee. Victoria didn’t want much of a fuss made so the celebrations were largely confined to a parade with a thanksgiving church service, a state ban- quet, and a garden party. Elsewhere in Britain, the occasion was marked with the dedications of new statues, buildings, and parties. 1899 – SECOND BOER WAR BEGINS Also known as the South African War, the Second Boer War started in 1899 when militias and irregulars attacked British colonies in present-day South Africa. The war went on until 1902 and resulted in the end of the Boer Republic and the Orange Free State, with both being annexed into the British Empire and eventually forming the country of South Africa.