The House at Riverton

The House at Riverton is set during the first part of the 20th century in Britain, a period of marked social change, catalyzed by the end of the Victorian era and the disruption of World War I, 1914-1918. Attitudes were divided: Some people embraced the modernizing forces of technology and social movement, while others adopted a more reactionary, conservative attitude. In particular, the role of women, including opportunities for education and non-domestic work, became the focus of much debate and anxiety. In wartime, many women stepped into traditionally male roles—such as Nancy on the railway—to replace men serving in the war. These opportunities were often better paid and afforded more freedom and status than traditional female work. By the end of the war, some of these social changes had become embedded, although many, such as Mr. Hamilton, believed that the old ways should be preserved so that soldiers would return to “the society they remember” (88). In fact, social movement necessitated by the war effort precipitated long-term changes to class and gender structures, eroding the traditional, privileged existence of the upper classes, represented in the novel by the Hartford family. Riverton Manor acts as a microcosm for the novel to explore these issues, with characters such as Hannah, Miss Starling, and Robbie Hunter exemplifying modernity, while Lady Violet, Mr. Frederick, and Mr. Hamilton characterize conservatism. The novel avoids a simplistically negative presentation of early 20th-century social structures. For instance, Chapter 9 shows Grace defending the secure “family” unit of Riverton’s staff in the face of Kiera’s scornful perspective.

In the early 20th century, Britain was still shaped by a fairly rigid traditional class structure, shaping the novel’s “upstairs/downstairs” hierarchical dynamic. Grace’s experience as a young domestic servant reflects reality: In 1911, domestic service was the largest occupation for women in Britain, employing 28% of females aged 10 and above (UK National Archives, 2025). Many of these were very young women or girls: In 1914, the compulsory school leaving age was 12, with only a small proportion of girls, such as Grace, staying until 14. In the novel, this signals that Grace is an unusually well-educated working-class girl, enabling the fluid dynamic between her and the Hartford girls, as well as her subsequent academic studies and career. Grace’s later academic success highlights the changing opportunities increasingly available to women in post-war Britain, but her trajectory is again unusual: Only 3% of UK women entered higher education in the 1950s and 1960s, and the majority of these were upper-middle class (Oxford University Research Archive, 2019). Crucially, it is the financial legacy from her employer, Hannah, which enables Grace to make her transition from servant to career archaeologist.