Object Handling & Interpretation Dev. Kit.

Theme: Working and domestic life in 19th century rural Scotland.

Target Group: Primary School Pr4-7

Robin Patel, Heritage Freelancer

What was life like in the 19th century?

Let’s imagine a world without…..

Electric Light

Cars and buses

Dishwashers

Central Heating

Washing Machines

Refrigerators

TV

InternetTelephones

The Kitchen

How does your kitchen look different?

Activity 1: Food Preparation & Serving

What objects did people use to prepare and serve food?

Activity 1: Food Preparation & Serving1. What’s the object called (check the

label)2. What would you be doing if you were

using this object? 3. How is the object used?4. Could it have more than one use?5. How easy / difficult would it have been

to use it, and why?6. What materials are used in the object?7. Why is it made of these materials?8. Are there any patterns or marks on the

object?9. Have you ever seen anything like it

before?

Life at Home : Household Chores• Before we had electric washing machines, dishwashers and vacuum

cleaners, people had to use human-powered equipment to keep things clean.

• Children would be expected to help carry out these chores, like cleaning the dishes and washing clothes.

• There would have been no access to a hot water tap, so water had to be gathered from a well, or the loch and then boiled over the fireplace in the kitchen.

• There wasn't any washing up liquid, so solid soap had to be grated by hand.

• The 19th century created an increase in the availability of clothes that could be bought in shops, especially in larger towns. People often had to make their own clothes and ‘make do and mend’ if clothes became damaged – they couldn't be easily replaced.

Which items do you think are from the 19th century or the 20th century?

Activity 2: Household Chores

Activity 2: Household Chores1. What do you think the item would have been

used for?2. What’s the difference between this object and its

modern-day equivalent?3. How heavy is the object? Would it have required

a lot of energy to use?4. Does the object need something else to make it

work? 5. Is there more than one type of material used in

the object? 6. What size is it? How do you think this will affect

its function?7. If you had it use this item, how would you feel?8. Who do you think would have used these

objects? 9. Briefly look at the other team’s objects. Can you

group similar items together under headings?

Life at Home : Comfort & Wellbeing

• We often take for granted things that make us comfortable in our own homes. In the past we didn’t have double-glazing, electric heaters or electric light.

• We relied on different types of fuel to keep us warm and so we could see at night. Can you think of the different types of fuel we may have used?

• What would you do today if there was a power cut? How would you see, cook and keep warm?

Activity 3: Comfort & Wellbeing

Activity 3: Comfort & WellbeingLet’s swop these items amongst ourselves

1. Which item is involved in the manufacturing of another well known item? Can you guess what it makes?

2. What types of “fuel” do these objects use?3. Where would you source the fuel from?4. Can you guess how this item works? How

do you “turn it on”?5. Are there any unique markings on any of

the items?6. What would you be doing if you were using

this object? 7. Does it smell of anything?

Activity 4: LightingLet’s look at the items related to lighting

1. If you had a powercut in your home, would you prefer to a Cruisie Lamp, Candle or a Rush Light? Why?

2. Sort the Cruisie Lamp, Candle and Rush Light from most expensive to cheapest.

3. Both the Cruisie Lamp and the Rush Light Holder use rushes for wicks. What is ‘rush’?

Activity 5: The Maritime Industry?Have a look at the objects that are presented to you.

Let’s go through this togetherCaulking Mallet & Iron

A Caulking Mallet was used to help waterproof ships. It would hammer oakum (a material made of rope fibres) between the planks of the ship. When finished, a layer of putty would be smoothed over it.

Write down the CODE of the item you think is the Caulking Mallet. Does the mallet need anything else to make it work? What do you think it would be like to use this tool?

Fids : A Fid was used to open the strands of rope and sailcloth to allow them to be spliced and

joined. Fids of different sizes were one of the tools of sail makers, who had to fit ropes to the finished sail.

Write down the CODE of the item you think is the Fid What do you think the old sails were made of? What do you think they are made of today?

Net Mending Needle Used in net mending and making. It has an “inner” tongue. The tongue holds thin line or

thread so it is easy to pull through and wind. Write down the CODE of the item you think is the Net Mending Needle

The Blacksmith?Many villages had a Blacksmith (or “smiddy”)

before large scale manufacturing was introduced.

The smiddy would often be the place to go if you needed something made of iron to be manufactured, e.g. horse shoes, iron tyres, barrel hoops and tools.

Activity 6: Cobbler’s LastA Cobbler’s Last was a typical item made by a Blacksmith.

Group discussion1. How do you use it?2. What material is made from?3. How do you think the material is made?4. Is it heavy? Why?5. Do you see a use for it today?

Life at School!Can anyone tell what’s pictured here?

Activity 7: Life at SchoolDon’t forget to swop the items and discuss things!

The Slate Board• What would you have used against this to write?• How often do you think you could use it?• How would it compare to an pen and inkwell?

The Belt (Tawse)• The classroom was very strict and you weren’t allowed to talk.• This would have been used to discipline children• Look at the item carefully can you see anything unusual? Once you

spot it tell me!

Activity 8: Cataloguing Objects Out of all the objects you have seen it would be great if you

could select one of them that interests you and complete the following:

I have selected the… A brief description of the object….This object interests me because… If you like to draw /sketch it would be great if you selected

an object and made your own representation of it……. Be as creative as you can!