What Ho! A Library!

Words That Could Be Confusing and Embarrassing In The UK US

Excerpt:

Words that could be confusing and embarrassing in the UK & US

At long last, here is the complete list of Anglo-American confusions. The definitions have been cross referenced with the most recent edition of the Oxford Dictionary, so if you don't agree with some of my definitions take up the argument with them (unless I say otherwise in the text.)

1) Buns. You know what these are. You're probably sitting on them now. Over here buns are either bread or cake rolls. Asking for a couple of sticky buns in a bakery here will mean Mr Crusty the baker will give you two cake buns with icing (frosting) on the top. If I went into a deli in Manhattan and asked for a couple of sticky buns I'd probably get arrested...

The Great Brit-Picking Dictionary

This is a reddit post relating to Harry Potter fanfiction, with over 200 additional comments and corrections.

Excerpt: 

Taking the piss is mockery, being pissed off is angry, being pissed is drunk, go piss up a wall is go away because I don't like you.

duskpeterson  added:
I like the wonderfully comprehensive book, Mighty Fine Words and Smashing Expressions: Making Sense of Transatlantic English.

  The library's previous scope, 1900-1940, focusing on English fandoms, was too narrow to be useful to many people. To that end, the library is being expanded to focus on 1840-1945, non-fandom specific, including origfic.

And hit up Ask The Librarian for any questions!  Members, the mod has limited information about history before 1900, so please post entries regarding earlier times. Everyone will appreciate it.

These are slang terms for race, sexuality, insanity and many other large concepts. Dating back to 1850. Translation: has that religious person gone insane?
PLEASE NOTE: An number of these entries will contain slang that is hurtful or offensive.

Timeline of Slang of White and European

Timeline of Slang of People of Color

Timeline of Slang for Religion

Timeline of Slang for Male Homosexuality

Timeline of Slang For Gay And Lesbian

Timeline of Slang For Insanity

Timeline of Slang for Fool and Foolishness

Timeline of Slang for Relationships

Timeline of Slang for Good

Timeline of Slang for Death

This isn't a collection of the usual stuff about balls, dinners, etc. This post addresses the lives of single gentlemen and ladies, owners of townhouses, and great country homes.

What Downton Abbey Doesn't Tell You This blog entry summarizes what is seen on the show versus the reality of life, in great detail.

The 1920s In Britain from Historic UK, a fantastic research resource
Excerpt:
What was it like to live in the 1920s? The 1920s, also known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, was a decade of contrasts. The First World War had ended in victory, peace had returned and with it, prosperity. For some the war had proved to be very profitable. Manufacturers and suppliers of goods needed for the war effort had prospered throughout the war years and become very rich. For the ‘Bright Young Things’ from the aristocracy and wealthier classes, life had never been better.

Social Classes And Status In The 1920s. What it says on the tin. Concerning itself with America, this is a short PDF that can be helpful.

10 Things You Didn't Know About The Aristocracy from the Official Magazine of Britain
Excerpt:
10. When it comes to historical connections they don’t come greater than the 11th Duke of Devonshire (1920-2004) says Professor Wasson. “He was closely related by blood or marriage to President John F Kennedy, the fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, the Hollywood star Fred Astaire, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, the novelist Nancy Mitford, and the communist journalist Jessica Mitford. His great grandfather was three-time Prime Minister the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury.

How American "Dollar Princesses" Invaded British High Society

Excerpt: Between the late 19th century and World War II, a flood of “dollar princesses” flocked to England looking for love. In return for a coveted title, they offered their much-needed wealth to an aristocracy desperate for cash. And along the way, they helped change British royalty forever—including the lives of the modern-day heirs to Britain’s throne.

British Nobility - Wikipedia

Why Did The British Aristocracy Become Poorer As Society Modernized? 

Excerpt: Those aristocrats fortunate enough to survive the war returned to a very different country than the one they left. The high death rate amongst young officers resulted in many field commissions from outside the nobility. Shop keepers and servants that returned wearing lieutenant colonel or major’s rank slides were less inclined to return to their previous servile positions.
Those aristocrats fortunate enough to survive the war returned to a very different country than the one they left.

This is a collection of links to historical resources about domestic servants. Each one is worth at least skimming, and many contain small details which will aid you in writing about almost any aspect of domestic service in the early 20th century.

Valet And Lady's Maid from A Victorian Guide. This article lays out in extremely precise detail the duties of a valet and lady's maid. Including their duties, care of clothing, demeanor toward both employer and tradespeople. It is invaluable.
 

The Duties Of A Valet From the blog Jane Austen's World, comes this lengthy, detailed article. It quotes extensively from Mrs. Beeton's Book Of Household Management (1861)! Also, in enumerating the valet's duties, the entry mentions this:

"If his master has no clothes sense, the valet will select suitable clothes, making sure they are clean, particularly the collars, and maintained in good repair."

Speaking of which, you can read The Book Of Household Management by Mrs. Beeton on Project Gutenberg!

Valet - Wikipedia

Servants: A Downstairs View of Twentieth-Century Britain by Lucy Lethbridge – review

Excerpt: Staying at an English country house, the Edwardian viceroy of India was faced with the challenge of opening his bedroom window after the servants had gone to bed. Baffled but indomitable, he picked up a log from the grate and smashed the glass. Forty years later, Winston Churchill's valet was unimpressed to find that the former prime minister was incapable of dressing himself without assistance. "He sat there like a dummy and you dressed him."

The Life Of Domestic Servants In Victorian England

Excerpt:  If you went to work for a middle-class family or an upper-class family, you would usually have to go to live in the house where you were working. If you were working for an upper working-class family, it was more likely that you would live at home and simply migrate over every day to do the work. Wherever you were a servant, the hours of labor were very long.

The Secret History Of London's Servants

Excerpt:  It's not gender stereotyping alone that ensured domestic help mainly consisted of women. From the 18th century onwards, householders wishing for a male servant had to pay for a special licence, "the same as for a dog or a carriage." Jeeves must have cost Wooster a bomb.

Beyond The Black And White: Female Domestic Servants, Dress and Identity in France and Britain, 1900-1939

Excerpt:  The bulk of the historiography on dress has focused on the clothing of the elite or items with more public symbolism such as ceremonial dresses, court clothing and military uniforms...Eileen Balderson started her career as a between-maid – i.e. a junior housemaid at the bottom of the staff hierarchy – in a country house in 1931 and later moved up to the position of housemaid. She recalled that her employer asked her to wear ‘a striped print dress, usually blue and white, but [sometimes] pink or mauve and white’ with ‘a large white apron and a cap’ and ‘black shoes and stockings’. In the afternoon, she changed into ‘a black dress with the same apron and cap as in the morning’.

Understanding Old British Money Many thanks to quaffanddoff , who used this guide in their wonderful give_satisfaction fill, Jackpot) on AO3. The fic itself is a helpful guide to prices and wages, especially Jeeves's wages!

What ho and welcome! Pour yourself a cup of tea and feel free to browse among the stacks. This is a general fandom historical resource library for writers of fanfic and origfic in Great Britain and America, roughly from 1850 until 1945. All fandoms are encouraged!

People can also ask the librarian about information they need. Other users are encouraged to post or to provide information on existing posts.

Research junkies welcome!

Please bear in mind that this library is under construction so check back regularly.

There are currently (Oct. 30, 2020) entries on servants, slang, sexual slang, lbgtq history. And resources to help you write smut!

To come:
Aristocratic life and manners in the 19th and 20th century
Clothing, with an emphasis on women's clothing

And more will be added as necessary. There is also be an "Ask The Librarian" post. Anyone besides the mod can answer the questions posed therein (in fact we encourage it).

Members, the mod has limited information about history before 1900, so please post entries regarding earlier times. Everyone will appreciate it.