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Class Distinctions in Edwardian EnglandThe class system in England during the first decade of the 20th century was divided into the upper, middle, and working classes. The Colemans belonged to the upper middle class, for whom the average household income was £750-1500/year. The man of the house was likely to be a merchant, banker, solicitor, physician, surgeon or manufacturer. The household would include 3-7 servants – Kitty Coleman employed a cook, a live-in maid, a gardener and, when her daughter was young, a nanny. The Waterhouses belonged to the lower middle class, with an income of £150-500/year. Professions included shopkeepers, office workers, factory foremen, teachers, travelling salesmen, and small businessmen. They did not have the money for live-in help, but often employed a maid-of-all-work called a char. |