Reconstructing the role of the household in businesswomen’s networks of support, London 1851-1861

Until the late nineteenth century the ties between people, familial or otherwise, were the only effectiveagency through which to spread risk. Such risk protection was vital for women in business in London,often engaging in such economic enterprise because other means of support such as suitable paidemployment or marriage were unavailable to them. Responsible for their own survival in terms of bothsocial position and economic well being, the stronger the network of support these women wereconnected to through some manner of reciprocity, the greater their chances of surviving the impact of economic shocks. This paper will argue that studies of businesswomen’s support networks must includethe household if we are to fully understand the nature of their economic agency and the networks of support from which they were able to draw strength. It was here in the home, where the business of making a living and keeping family and reputation intact was centred, that the web of responsibilities, promises, favours, allegiances and contacts began to be spun. Just as their small businesses were usuallycarried on from within their home, the inhabitants of their household were connected to their businessactivities. Children, siblings, cousins, servants, and employees all had their part to play in ensuring thesuccess of the business and the network that it fed into. Furthermore, through the myriad of occupants inthe proprietor’s household, connections between one household network and another were forged, thusfuelling larger, local networks. Using insurance records, record linkage with the census, and comparisons with other studies of female-headed households in the UK and London, this paper will argue that businesswomen and their household support networks re-negotiated the notion of separate spheres of home and work.