Three Generations of Unconventional Family Values: A Case Study of the Ashursts

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-24-2014

Publication Title

Journal of Victorian Culture

ISSN

1750-0133

Abstract

In addition to shaping individuals, the family unit can be an important agent of political change. Although Victorian family values fortified the father's role as the undisputed paterfamilias with almost unlimited patriarchal control, the Ashurst family disavowed convention. For three generations the Ashursts carried their commitments to equality and freedom out of the home, where the ideas were nurtured, into civil society, where family members campaigned for change. From the 1830s through to the early twentieth century they were on the front lines of reform in Britain. Through their correspondence and social contacts, they created an international network stretching from Italy to the USA. Anecdotes in their letters, memoirs and obituaries reveal how families transmit values. The Ashursts defined ‘family’ broadly, including not only blood relatives but also those who cared as deeply as they did about reform. Rather than accommodate to cultural norms they self-consciously subverted society's expectations to foster nonconformity. Family members involved themselves in prominent campaigns of the era from anti-slavery to Italian unification to women's suffrage. They created circles of likeminded activists, both male and female, and built upon the connections established at home. Ostensibly a family that rejected conventional norms, their unwavering loyalty to each other and lifelong close relationships reflect their embrace of one of the most fundamental Victorian values: the sanctity of the family.

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