Introducing Mrs. Isabella Beeton

I would like to introduce you to Mrs. Isabella Beeton, a woman to whom much gratitude is owed.

She is most famously known for writing the book Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, which was published on December 25, 1861. Mrs. Beeton was the eldest of 22 children, and gained much of her experience in household management growing up in a middle class English family.

Mrs. Beeton's publishing career started with the writing of articles on cooking and household management for her husband's publications. She also wrote a monthly supplement to a domestic magazine published for women. It is these articles and monthly supplements that were consolidated into her popular book. It is after her pattern of writing and publishing that this website took shape. The original book covered all the various responsibilities of the mistress of a home, including the management of various household staff members, such as the: Housekeeper, Cook, Kitchen-Maid, Butler, Footman, Coachman, Valet, Upper and Under House-Maids, Lady's-Maid, Maid-of-all-Work, Laundry-Maid, Nurse, and Nurse-Maid.

In addition to the articles pertaining to household staff, the book also encourages women to develop the traits of the Proverbs 31 woman. As meal preparation is a large part of any household, her original book contained a lot of recipes, some of which will be featured in future posts.

We know that the Proverbs 31 woman had handmaidens, and Mrs. Beeton's book features an extensive domestic staff. However, today's woman must accomplish everything these women did using her skills and those that she develops in other family members. In my own life, I have taken the best advice from each staff members' responsibilities and attempted to incorporate them to the best of my ability in the management of my own home. It is the best and the most successful that I intend to share with you in future posts.

I pray that you are as inspired by this woman as I was and can recognize that although her book was written over 150 years ago, much of its advice can still be applied to our lives and homes today.

Blessings be upon you.