Adult Courses

From birth to the grave and starting with the Romans, this course will look at the superstitions, customs and traditions surrounding birth, christenings, courtship, weddings, death, funerals and mourning in Britain. You will consider the food and meals eaten, the celebrations and ceremonies involved and the clothing worn, together with a number of related subjects including mourning jewellery and the history of the wedding cake and the wedding bouquet.

Students may wish to bring a pen and paper with them to make notes.

The course will include the following subject matter:

Births including:

Superstitions surrounding:

• The sex of the child
• Childbirth
• The development of the role of the midwife

Christenings - including:

• How the christening service has evolved
• The christening of Edward Vl
• The role of godparents

The history of:

• Christening dresses
• Christening gifts
• Christening cakes

Deaths including:

Rituals surrounding the death bed and the dead

The great London cemeteries and the Necropolis Railway

The development of the role of the Funeral Director

Death masks, post mortem paintings and photography - including:

• Madame Tussaud

State funerals and state mourning

Rules and traditions around mourning - including:

• Mourning clothing
• Mourning jewellery
• Queen Elizabeth's "white wardrobe” for the State visit to France in 1938
• Funeral feasts and the "ham tea”

Marriages including:

Courtship - including:

• Rituals
• Welsh love spoons
• Superstitions
• Pre-nuptial agreements
• "Bundling”

The Wedding - including;

• Ceremony
• Registry Office weddings
• Gretna Green and elopements

The history of:

• Wedding rings
• The wedding cake
• Wedding clothes
• Wedding bouquets
• The wedding breakfast and the reception

Perry Staker

About Perry

Perry developed an interest in seventeenth century food and recipes during the 26 years she has spent as a member of the English Civil War Society. Following her retirement from the Civil Service she spent time researching seventeenth century recipes in the British Library and adapting them for the 21st century kitchen.

As well as cooking for the gentry and officers at Living History events she has also cooked for a number of seventeenth century banquets for both civic and charity organisations. Perry also appeared in an episode of the 'Instant Restaurant' series for BBC2, cooking a seventeenth century meal with two friends for 10 guests.

In recent years she has widened her interest and research to include the food and recipes of other periods of history.