Pontecorvo household account books

Scope and Content
For over 40 years Leni kept a log of everything the family purchased, how much it cost and who paid for it. Every penny spent was accounted for (including Ponte's daily newspapers) and a weekly balance showing income and expenditure was logged. The list was also split into necessities and "extras"; with necessities including food, tram tickets and other household items, while haircuts and bottles of ribena were recorded as extras. As well as providing an insight into the less than frivolous lifestyle of the Pontecorvo family, the account books are also a valuable source of information for social historians. The account books hold information relating to diet and food availability, the change to decimal currency in 1971, and rising costs in all areas of life. The account books also loosely document changes in technology, as TV and radio purchases are recorded and the family switch from purchasing the Radio Times, to both the Radio Times and TV Times, as technology advanced Although the accounts only describe the life of one family, they provide an interesting read for historians and researchers of the mid- late twentieth century.
Pontecorvo took over the accounts after Leni's death in September 1986.
Arrangement
Chronological. A rent payment book was also found amonst this material and it has been included at the end.

Scope and Content