Victorian Tea Time in the Canadian Frontier: How Settlers Kept British Traditions Alive

The Wright siblings have landed in Agassiz, British Columbia, which is a far way from their home in England. To make it feel more like home, they brought more than their luggage; they brought their traditions, such as tea time.

 

This post is all about how the siblings kept their Victorian traditions, such as  tea time, alive in Canada.

The siblings are settling in at their new home in Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada. It’s springtime, and May plants a beautiful garden that includes the above blue irises, or as they are commonly called during the Victorian era in England, flages.

Curiously, their parents have started marking when they receive their letters from their children.  As mentioned in the previous post, the new “Empress” line of steamships were purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway to improve mail service between Canada, Britain, and Hong Kong.

The Area Belle

Written by William Brough and Andrew Halliday, The Area Belle was first performed at the Adelphi Theatre in 1864. The play is about a young cook trying to juggle her different suitors, which she records in her “dairy.” One day, she mixes up her schedule, and two of her suitors, Pitcher and Tosser, are due to arrive on the same day, a situation further complicated by the presence of her boss. Hilarity ensues, particularly when the two suitors attempt to face off against one another.

Letters Home

May’s Letter to Mother- April 19, 1896

Received May 10th

Agassiz British Columbia
April 19th, 1896

My dearest Mother,

I am afraid I shall only have time for a short letter. This week, I have just finished work & was going to change my dress when Mr. Gibson arrived to call, he is a very nice man who has just taken a farm about a mile from here. He doesn’t know that he is quite a gentleman with a boy beard, I left him to talk to Jack & went to tidy & almost directly I had finished Mr. Dingle came, he is a young man who cooks for Captain Jemmett, son of an English clergyman, he is a quiet, nice mannered man but should never have taken him for a gentleman.

Shortly afterwards, Mr. George arrived, he is a though gentleman and nice, after he came Mr. Lane & a friend, they all stopped for afternoon tea so that my time has been entirely taken up till now.

On Monday morning, Mr. Goucher walked out to see us, he was staying at the Bella Vista for two days. He had lunch with us & made himself very pleasant on Monday evening, Harold and Mr. Burhett & Mr. W___t went to a concert in Agassiz for the church. They charged 50 cents each and made $43. First there was a concert they acted The Area Belle then we had tea, coffee, cake & ice cream & then there was dancing, it went off very well & really was great fun.

On Tuesday, the two youngest Agassiz’s came here, Nellie & Edith, they seem such nice girls. On Thursday, Mr. Jemmet’s youngest sister, Nellie Woods came to call with her small nephew Leonard Bontley & when we were at tea, Mrs. Agassiz and the second girl turned up and stopped about half an hour; so we have had plenty of visitors.

On Friday, some ____ were wanted, so Cecil & I drove into Agassiz in the afternoon. __ have had to be ___ & one of two other _____, we went to call on the Agassiz’s, & I stopped there whilst Cecil did his business & brought the ray for me. They were very pleasant and Miss Nellie gave me some plants for my garden which I have planted, some flages, lilies, & narcissus.

Yesterday I was very busy cleaning the house & cooking for to-day. I find I can manage the work very well. Choy is coming to-morrow to clean out the raspberry canes, which have been very much neglected, as the boys are busy with seeding, our hired man left at the end of a fortnight, as he wasn’t well & the boys didn’t want to get everyone else.

Jack has not been well lately, but he is better. He strained himself and has had to be quiet & do nothing. He says he will rest himself to-morrow. I’m meant go to bed, as it is late & I mean to be up early in the morning to do the washing.

Please thank Father for the letter which arrived two days ago.

With much love,
Your affectionate daughter
May Wright.

Jack’s Letter to Father – April 20, 1896

Received May 10th

P.S. Please thank Dorothy for the letter & tell her it shall be answered. And also please thank Aunt H. for the photos. 

My dearest Father,

As May told you in her last letters, I have been for the last fortnight a burden instead of a help. May thinks I have been laid up with a strain. As a matter of fact, I was out riding with Cecil & I was leaning over the saddle to open the gate when the horse gave a sudden jump and bruised one of my testicles badly; it swelled up very much & the next day, Cecil sent for the doctor from Hot Springs. This is the first day that I have been allowed up & except for being rather weak, I am all right again.

I have fixed up shelves in May’s and the boys’ rooms & in the larder, I have only got my own room to do now & the carpentry will be done. The boys have begun seeding to-day. Mr. Flannerly had not got any of the ploughing done, so he allowed them $1.50 an acre; and they have ploughed 60 acres, so it will mean $90 or 15 pounds off the rent.

The Agassiz’s have been very kind. They have been down here and Mrs. Agassiz came to see me in bed & asked me to come & stay with them as soon as I was well enough, she would feed me up.

We have had a good deal of rain altogether, but yesterday & to-day has been glorious, very hot, and hardly a cloud in the sky. I don’t know whether they have told you that Llewlet has gone — he quarrelled with Hamersley (then his people wrote & told him to come home at once).

Much love your aff. son

Jack.

 

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