The evolutionary father once had regal students

With nearly a dozen people helping to polish shoes, clean the beds, wash clothes and a group of fireplaces, life during Charles Darwin's school days was something that today's students could only dream about.

Darwin's portrait when he was young . Photo: shimer.edu.

Two hundred years after the birth of the father of evolutionary theory, scholars have discovered many new information about the well-being of Charles Darwin at Cambridge University before he made his five-year adventure at sea. That trip has changed the way the scientific community perceives the world.

6 leather-led accounting books have been found involving Darwin in the Cambridge University archive. According to these books, he lived in one of the most expensive dorm rooms from 1828 to 1831. He hired a number of people to do everyday tasks, including a dishwasher, a laundromat and a shoemaker.

A tailor, a hatmaker and a barber takes care of Darwin's appearance. His fireplace also had two people in charge, including a chimney sweeper and a firewood specialist.

Dr. John van Wyhe, lecturer at Cambridge University, said that little is known about Darwin's student life. 'It's great to know the information about Darwin's life when he was a student. Those are extremely detailed information, ' he said.

The bill shows that, for 3 years studying at Cambridge University, the biggest expenditure of the evolutionary father in a month is 636 pounds. Darwin's overall spending is equivalent to the majority of students at Cambridge in the 19th century. Dr. Robert Darwin, his wealthy father, pays all the bills. Darwin later described his student days as 'the happiest time of my life'.

'In the 19th century Cambridge University attracted many young people in the upper class of society and they enjoyed a quite comfortable life at the school. If you look at the accounting books, you can see not only Darwin's luxurious life, but almost all of the hundreds of students at the time, too, ' van Wyhe said.

In addition to the maids Darwin paid for, he received the service of 'gyp' - a nickname for the school's maid. Van Wyhe commented that, with dozens of waiters and only having to go to class every two hours, Cambridge University students at that time had a lot of time to study and socialize themselves.

'Darwin has hunted, collected insects, conducted scientific research or visited friends during his free time. They play cards, drink alcohol at night - things that students often do, ' van Wyhe said.

After leaving Cambridge University, Darwin sailed to South America and Australia, where he launched the theory of evolution. All his doctrines are gathered in the book 'The Origin of Species'.