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Sarah Ferguson

b. 1959

Born
15 Oct 1959, London Welbeck Hospital
Country of birth
United Kingdom

Living person. The family sees only the name, dates and photo; everything else stays private unless they choose to share it.

facts
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sources
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images and files
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · London Welbeck Hospital

    Birth, London Welbeck Hospital

What was it like?

The world around London Welbeck Hospital, 1959: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Sarah was born the same year as Bryan Adams, Emma Thompson, and Stephen Harper.

Born the same year

  • Bryan Adams

    Canadian singer-songwriter and musician (born 1959)

  • Emma Thompson

    English actress and screenwriter (born 1959)

  • Stephen Harper

    22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015

  • "Weird Al" Yankovic

    American comedy musician (born 1959)

  • Kevin Spacey

    American actor

  • John McEnroe

    American former tennis player (born 1959)

Fashion

Everyday wear and voluminous party skirts

Women wore floral pinafores as everyday house wear and favoured full-skirted dresses with stiffened petticoats for special occasions. These skirts were sometimes so voluminous that they made it difficult for women to pass through doorways.

Sparking boots and mandatory school wear

Children's footwear included hobnail boots with metal studs that created sparks on pavements, later replaced by rubber-soled Tuf or Commando boots. For school, boys were required to wear short trousers with knee-length socks held up by elastic garters.

Music

DIY Skiffle Craze of the 1950s

In the late 1950s, an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 amateur skiffle groups performed in youth clubs, church halls, pubs, and school halls using cheap or homemade instruments like washboards and tea chest basses. This democratic, do-it-yourself music movement made performing accessible to young people who lacked the resources for traditional instruments.

Popularity of Dance Halls and Instruction

In the 1950s, dance halls like the Palais were popular venues where people learned the foxtrot and waltz to the music of dance bands. These halls were essential social spaces for meeting others, supported by numerous local dance schools and instructors.

Getting around

Work commute times remained stable

The average time for a work commute in Britain remained remarkably stable, averaging roughly 33 to 34 minutes during the 1950s and 1960s.

Walking remained common for everyday travel

Walking remained a primary mode of transport throughout this period, serving as the main way to commute for one-third to one-fifth of people in smaller towns and cities as late as the 1970s.

Daily life

Manual housework and outdoor facilities

Many homes lacked modern appliances, so housework was manual and time-consuming, and people often stored food in larders instead of fridges. Outdoor toilets and washing in tin baths in front of the fire were common for some families during this time.

National school system and gendered subjects

The 1944 Education Act created a national school system, including the Eleven Plus exam which determined secondary school placement. In secondary schools, boys often learned woodwork and metalwork, while girls were taught home economics and needlework.

Food

Limited crisp flavors for many years

Until 1962, potato crisps were available in only three flavors: potato, plain, or salted, before cheese and onion was introduced.

Olive oil was for ears, not cooking

In the 1950s, families often used olive oil in tiny quantities purchased from chemists, not for cooking, but to warm and put in the ear to loosen earwax.

Prices and wages
Around 1950–1950

1950 weekly wages for manual workers

In 1950, the average weekly wage for a male manual worker was £7, while agricultural workers earned only £6 per week.

Around 1940–1949

Wooden-soled shoes to save coupons

To supplement rationed footwear, people could buy wooden-soled shoes with a hinge for bending, which did not require spending clothing coupons.

News and letters
Around 1950–1950

Extreme postal delays in 1950

Postal delays could be extreme, with one documented instance taking five days for a letter to travel just 20 miles.

Around 1945–1949

Severe post-war letter delays

By the late 1940s, postal delays were so severe that some letters took three days to travel less than two miles, leading to public frustration and increased demand for telephone services.

During their lifetime

  1. 1971

    1971 Immigration Act passed

    The 1971 Immigration Act restricted rights for Commonwealth migrants, effectively ending the Windrush era.

  2. 1971

    Decimal currency introduced in 1971

    The UK switched to a decimal currency system in 1971.

  3. 1994

    Channel Tunnel opens in 1994

    The Channel Tunnel, linking Britain and France, officially opened on 6 May 1994.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.