The establishment and subsequent growth of Victoria, British Columbia, from fort to capital city and beyond, is a fascinating story, and one of the most interesting aspects of that story is the social life enjoyed by the people who formed an upper-class network and came to think of themselves as the aristocracy of a new land.
In nineteenth-century England, those who were employed as servants spent most of their working days in the basements and cellars of the grand mansions owned by the wealthy elite. The term “below stairs” was coined to describe them. Conversely, those who owned the large homes were said to be living “above stairs.” These terms were popularized by a BBC-TV series produced by Masterpiece Theatre, “Upstairs, Downstairs,” which originally ran from 1971 to 1975. Even people who left Victorian England for foreign shores, such as Vancouver Island, perpetuated this class division; this book describes those who came to Victoria and lived, loved, and died above stairs.
I have chosen to describe eight specific pioneer families: the Douglases, the Skinners, the Pembertons, the Creases, the O’Reillys, the Trutches, the Rithets, and the Barnards. These families were selected merely as examples. Others, such as the Dunsmuirs, the Todds, the Kers, and the Spencers (to name but a few), were of equal importance and could well have been included had space permitted.
The eight chosen, however, were important because of their contributions to society at various stages in the seventy-five years of Victoria’s history about which I have written. In essence, they represent the structure and gradual development of the province of British Columbia.
The Douglases were the element needed to govern the colony with stringent rules in the beginning; the Skinners were one of the families that farmed the land and became part of the rural gentry; the Pembertons surveyed the wilderness and carved out the beginnings of a city; the Creases upheld the laws of the land; the O’Reillys were one of the first families to set higher social standards; the Trutches were a major part of the transition from royal governors to lieutenant-governors, as well as excellent examples of the inadvertent snobbery of the times; the Rithets introduced the commercial element of entrepreneurship to the social scene; and the Barnards were leaders in a world that was quickly changing, with war clouds on the horizon. The Barnards’ time at Government House heralded the end of the old order and the beginning of a new era with different social standards.
In reality, however, this elite circle of settlers was merely one part of the establishment on Vancouver Island. They were simply the ones with the right connections, leadership skills a little above the rest, and a definite belief in their own superiority.
Their place in high society came about initially as a result of a close association with the Hudson’s Bay Company, sometimes in the form of a letter of introduction. As the years went by, it was also important to be connected socially to the Royal Navy. Later still, political links became significant.
They did not inherit their distinguished status by virtue of land ownership, family title, or blue blood, as might have been the case in the old world. It is interesting, therefore, to discover how and why these people came to form the ruling hierarchy in the new colony.
My intention throughout has been to portray the aristocratic lifestyle of these families as they went about their daily business: dining together, worshipping together, entertaining one another, and holding splendidly extravagant weddings and funerals. While the men discussed the politics of the day and made decisions on the future policy of the province, the women held at-homes and gossiped about the affairs around them as they played hostess with grace and charm.
Their homes were elegantly built, modelled along the lines of all that was finest in the old world. Their children played together and went to the best schools back east or in Europe, and, on occasion, their families intermarried.
What follows is a glimpse of life “above stairs” in those resplendent days of long ago, when snobbery was rife, and when wealth, education, the right connections, and an added touch of charm dictated one’s place in high society.