3 - “The comforts of a private fire-side”

Summary

Unlike other aspects of the history of old age, ideals regarding old people's homes and families were quite clear and relatively uniform in the eighteenth century. First, older people expected to retain independent dwellings (or at least dwelling spaces) until, and even after, they reached decrepitude. Although older people strived to remain independent, they also sought to contribute actively and significantly to the well-being of their families. The close ties that they ideally retained with their family members were characterized by reciprocal responsibilities between the generations. Once an old person fell into need, his or her children, and even more distant kin in cases where children were not available, were expected to offer whatever assistance was possible, including co-residence. An old person's ability to meet these ideals was strongly connected to gender and economic status, as well as to age and individual family circumstances. These expectations and ideals changed little over the course of the eighteenth century, despite the sweeping changes that affected England's economy and demography.

This chapter focuses on expectations of residential independence for the aged and examines the degree to which these expectations were met in the lived experiences of old men and women. It also examines the nature of the relationship between spouses, showing the variety of ways in which husbands and wives depended on each other. Older couples sought and achieved economic and residential security and autonomy as pairs rather than merely as individuals.