Drawing on several sources, this volume seeks to bring England's Victorian era to life. Teachers, students and interested readers can use this resource to examine Victorian life in a multitude of settings, from idyllic country estates to urban slums. Organized for easy reference, the volume provides information about the physical, social, economic and legal details of daily life in Victorian England. Over 60 illustrations plus excerpts from primary sources are included in this work, which can be used in both the classroom and library to answer questions concerning laws, money, social class, values, morality and private lives. Chapters in the work cover: traditional ways of life in town and country; social class; money; work; crime and punishment; the law of daily life (marriage, divorce, inheritance, guardians and bankruptcy); the development of a modern urban world (with railways, electricity, plumbing and telephones); houses; food; clothing; shopping; the rituals of courtships and funerals; family and social life; education; health and medical care; leisure and pleasure; the importance of religion; and the impact of the Raj and the Empire. Historical contexts are explained and emphasis is placed on groups often invisible in traditional history: children, women both at work and at home, and people who led respectable, ordinary lives.