Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: An archaeological perspective on the influences of Victorian values and city-wide health in Parramatta, New South Wales
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: An archaeological perspective on the influences of Victorian values and city-wide health in Parramatta, New South Wales
By (Author) E. Jeanne Harris
Sydney University Press
Sydney University Press
31st July 2025
Australia
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Archaeology by period / region
Physical Properties
Paperback
136
Width 210mm, Height 297mm
Description
For more than 30 years, archaeologists have recorded and studied the colonial past of Parramatta, the second-oldest European settlement in New South Wales. Archaeological investigations provide a wealth of information that contributes to the interpretation of the landscape, the history of the town's development and our understanding of the people who lived there. Cleanliness is Next to Godliness uses archaeological assemblages generated by these investigations as the basis for exploring what these mainly British settlers and their descendants held as societal beliefs, principles and norms (termed 'Victorian values'), which emerged concerning cleanliness and health-related issues.
Dr E. Jeanne Harris explores the ways in which the colonial population of New South Wales was heavily influenced by 'Victorian values', which encouraged good health practices through a clean lifestyle. Eight residential sites were chosen for examination based on the following four criteria:
- sealed rubbish deposits
- a long 19th-century date range
- a cross-section of social classes
- identified resident(s) associated with the location and deposits
Synthesising these findings, Cleanliness is Next to Godliness analyses the evidence for social reforms that promoted both public health initiatives and personal health practices, providing insight into the everyday lives of those who lived in Parramatta in the 19th century.
Cleanliness is Next to Godliness is the first scholarly work that presents the archaeology of Victorian social conventions as evidence of something more than respectability manifested as socio-economic status, manners and etiquette.
Author Bio
Dr E. Jeanne Harris has over 35 years' experience in cultural heritage and resource management in the USA and Australia. She is the owner of UrbanAnalysts, a consultancy specialising in the analysis of historical artefacts.
