The House
The Wordsworths’ home must have been a lively and noisy place. John and Anne Wordsworth had five children, of whom William was the second and Dorothy the third. In total, there were four boys and one girl.
Mr and Mrs Wordsworth employed a modest but standard range of servants. They included a Maid-of-all-work, a Manservant, a Nurse to care for the children and a ‘jobbing’ gardener. Mrs Wordsworth probably acted as Housekeeper, overseeing the running of the household.
Of all of the servants, the Maid seems to have worked hardest, with most housekeeping chores falling to her – including laying fires, cleaning rooms, cooking, sweeping floors, making beds and doing the laundry. By comparison the Manservant did far less. In the mornings he may have joined in the housekeeping chores - especially the outdoor jobs - but in the afternoon he would have acted as footman to his master, receiving guests and serving food and drink.
Records show that the Wordsworths employed a maid called Amy, for several years and a manservant by the name of William. Two nurses called Betty and Sally seem to have shared the care of the children.
Investigating the House
Until recently, very little was known about Wordsworth House, or the people who once lived here. Architectural historians were called in to determine how the house had changed over the centuries, whilst census and other records were examined at local record offices, to trace past occupants.
Decorating the House
Specialist paint analysts has shown how the Wordsworth’s might have decorated their house, by examining samples of paint from almost every wall surface.
Today, the paint colours in most rooms reflect the results of this investigation. The types of paint used (such as oil-bound and casein distempers) were chosen carefully to give the finish and texture characteristic of an 18th-century home.
Furnishing the House
A house only becomes a home once it is full of the belongings of the people who live there. The challenge at Wordsworth House has been to find pieces likely to have been owned by families of middling status like the Wordsworths, and where possible originating from Cumbria. Today, the ‘Best’ rooms (at the front of the house) have been furnished with antiques, dating from the mid-late 18th century, collected over several years.
Furnishings for the informal ‘hands-on’ rooms have been made by specialist craftspeople and conservators, replicating 18th-century examples. Great efforts have been made to use traditional techniques and materials, so that the finished products look and feel as they did in the 1770s. Replica items include furniture crafted by cabinet-makers, kitchen utensils forged by blacksmiths, carpets and fabrics made by weavers, crockery hand-made by potters and a cradle by a willow-weaver.
Wordsworths' Lifestyle
The Wordsworths’ household accounts (at Dove Cottage, Grasmere) show much about their lifestyle, such as who they employed as servants, where they shopped and what they bought.
John Wordsworth also kept detailed accounts on behalf of his employer, Sir James Lowther, and these reveal the nature of his work as Estate Agent – where he went, how much he spent, and who he met. Gradually, it has been possible to piece together the fascinating jigsaw puzzle of the Wordsworths’ daily life.