"We are not amused", probably one of the most well known quotes attributed to Queen Victoria. It is a quote that is meant to indicate her view of how seriously she treated the experiences of life, and what she expected of her subjects at that time. However, would it not be great to be able to get a glimpse into what was happening behind the public scenes. It would be an understatement to say that very few of us will know from personal experience what was happening in Victorian times, we can only rely upon what we read from other sources.

My grand parents lived during the reign of Queen Victoria and there were some interesting tales that they were able to leave behind. (There is a connection to that opening quote, please hang on while I digress a wee bit)

Grandad, Thomas Hill, was an orphan. He and his two brothers were raised in an orphanage in the South of England. He had two sisters who were fostered out, and they never met again. (It was easier to find a family to take on a pretty young  female.) Life in such an institution was clearly very rough and severe, and grandad would rarely speak of his experiences except that it was a very unhappy time. Charles Dickens probably gave us something of an indicator of that side of Victorian life.

Fast forward some years to when grandad was an adult, and met the love of his life, Eliza  Emily  Gunn, known as Emily Gunn. Emily came from a wealthy family who had good connections amongst the nobility of the day, including royalty. Shock and horror came, however, when she spoke of her intentions to marry, especially when her parents saw who her intended was. Thomas did not know anything of his ancestry, he was an orphan with little ability to discover where his family came from, but the Gunns knew about their own family history.

The maiden name of Mrs Gunn was ........... HILL!!!! This was something she was proud of, her family were related to Sir Roland Hill, who  initiated the "Penny black".  And their daughter wanted to marry a young man of the same name, Hill. They looked at him, and convinced themselves that he looked like relatives they knew. They must be related!  Imagine the shame that would come to the family name if their daughter was to marry within the family! This is not much better than incest, it seemed to them. This wedding could not happen, but it did, and the family disowned the young lovers immediately. The wedding photos showed the story well, not one family member was present, and the two young people were left to fend for themselves. Those were, it seems, hard tough times. There were little opportunities to imagine any humour within a Victorian world.

Now look back a few years to the childhood of Emily. Walking through the  Queens estate with her father Mr Gunn. Along the way they meet the Queen herself who greeted them warmly. "Good morning Mr. Gunn", she said, and then turning to the young child said "Good morning little miss Pistol!" Could this be the very same Queen who is remembered for her serious looking image. Is it possible that she really did have a sense of humour in private?

WE ARE NOT AMUSED!!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

For those who wish to read more of my writings, the details of my book can be seen in the link to the left. See the cover design below.