ABSTRACT
Britain in 1860 was demonstrably both more secure and more prosperous than in 1840. In the 1830s and 1840s the ruling classes feared for their safety. Both in 1831 and 1842 Sir Robert Peel's family put Drayton Manor in a state of fortification. As has been suggested, Britain's bourgeoisie benefited from living in a benign state. The Navigation Laws were repealed in respect of foreign trade in 1849 and coastal trade in 1854. The symbol of national self-congratulation was the 'Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations', an international gathering held in London's Hyde Park in 1851. The greatest increase between 1850 and 1870 was probably in trading and commercial employment. The bourgeois ethic stressed hard work, seriousness, competition and religious observance as the hallmarks of both individual and national progress. The concept of 'respectability' had both social and cultural resonance. The archetypal Victorian home represented retreat from the pressures of competitive acquisition.
