East of England Sense of Place Suffolk
Guided tours of Suffolk's past
Seven Ages of Man, and Woman, in Suffolk
The Pantaloon
Nowadays, we do not mock senior citizens, of course. There is the University of the Third Age, and even the OAP tag has |
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given way to 'Senior Citizen'. But what about the days between Shakespeare and ourselves? How were older people regarded then?
There were no pensions before the 20 th century, and no old people's homes, so people worked for as long as they could, and counted upon family to look after them when they could no longer live independently. They were no doubt as useful as they could be - perhaps using early versions of the lawn mower from time to time. By then there were more options open to the elderly - but many continued to live with relatives.
There was always the pub, of course, for those so inclined, and hobbies to enjoy, if you were lucky.
Like some elderly people now - who feel stranded for lack of expertise with mobile phones and computers - the generation born at the end of the 19 th century came to feel by-passed. It seemed that the changes of their day had led to younger people belonging to a different world from the one that they knew.
It was pleasant, of course, to be on mains water and electricity, but the passing of the horse, and the mechanisation even of farm work, left many elderly people feeling: "The young 'uns, you can't tell 'em nawthin'"
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