Review on England Society in Regency Period

business families from banking, industry, and large commerce. The larger number of servant was very important indicator of wealth and standing for the middle. The sign of real wealth in a middle class household was a male servant; two or three were mark opulence Hill 847. The middle classes were closely united by a certain lifestyle. Food was the largest item of the household budget. Those food and servants absorbed about a half of the income. They usually would settle the dinner party once a month Hill 849-850. Below the wealthy upper middle class was much larger, much less wealthy and increasingly diversified middle class. Here one found the moderately successful industrialist and merchants, as well as profession in law and medicine. This was middle-middle class, solid and quite comfortable but lack of great wealth Hill 848. Below the middle-middle class was the lower-middle class who were composed mainly of independent shopkeepers, small trades and tiny manufactures. The lower-middle class expanded modestly in size with economic development. Industrialization also expanded and diversified the lower-middle class.

2.3.2.3. The Lower or Working Class

The last was the working class. This working class divided into two subclasses. They were the upper working class and the lower working class. The upper working class which was composed mainly people whose livelihood depended on physical labor, who did not employ domestic servants as the upper and middle 17 class had and who had levels of livings and education. They were usually recent migrants who were come from rural areas to the city. The popular employment for the lower working class was domestic service. Domestic service was hard work at low pay with limited personal independence. For the full-time general maid in a lower-middle class family, there was an unending routine of babysitting, shopping, cooking and cleaning Hill 852-854. Domestic servants worked seven days a week, twelve hours at least each day because they were expected to work hard to support themselves Landow 1.

2.3.3. Materialism

The economic life changed constantly and rapidly since Industrial Revolution in 1760. It did not only bring the advantages, but also the disadvantages to England society. Generally, the disadvantages were recent arrivals from agricultural area where they had driven off the land. They kept trying to be able to support their living even though they had to be servants and laborers in factories, workshops, mines and miles. Unfortunately, since human laborers were replaced with machines, their lives were become more depressing because they lost their job and income which supported their lives. Only the upper and middle classes had benefited material wealth. It means that the sense of prosperity was not shared by all the people. This inequality was very apparent in London. The upper class wanted to gain money in order to be richer. By having a lot of money, they would be more respected 18