General Chat

i am sure we employed a welsh cook but she sounds scottish

So what say you about the charms of Lord Howies' Maid ?

It was Wendy McTaffy before, but tiz now Wendy McFee.....

quick thinking bcc but did the maid need mouth to mouth resucitation

Ohhhhhh *again runs away sobbing* Need someone to stroke my head....

what you have a daughter almost the same age as yourself

I must take leave for a while as my lady has sent me into town, to buy some sanitary pads - I know not what these things are, as they must be new. Will be back in about an hour as I must walk there and it is about 200 yards away!

right i am off to the club will be back for lunch

Hmmmmmmm.......the seed is sown.......I need some assurance my BCC...

What time do the posh ones arrive? Does anyone know?

Domestic Servant Hierarchy Land Steward Responsible for managing the farms, collecting rents and undertaking all those activities associated with making the estate profitable. This would be a highly- educated gentleman whose was regarded not as a servant but a professional employee with a status higher than the family lawyer. In addition to an annual salary of 100-300 pounds he would have a private house on the estate. House Steward Responsible for all purchasing, hiring, firing and paying the servant staff. He would not be considered a servant but a professional man like a lawyer. Fifty to 100 pounds per year. Upper Staff Butler The highest ranking official servant. Responsible for running the house. Forty to 60 pounds per year. He also received considerable 'gratuity' money from venders selling goods to maintain the house. In smaller estates the butler assumed the house steward's responsibilities. Housekeeper Responsible for the female staff and maintaining the house's furnishings. Her salary was usually 5 to 10 pounds less than the butler's per year. Cook or Chef In charge of the kitchen staff and responsible for preparing the family's meals. (An under cook would prepare meals for him and the staff.) Because food quality was an important method for impressing guests, chefs often earned more than butlers even though they ranked below them. A cook for a modest house might only make 30 pounds a year while a famous chef for a royal family might earn as much as 300 Lady's Maid and Valet Their main job was to be a private servant for the lady or master of the house: assisting them with dressing, caring for their cloths, being a general companion and even performing secretarial duties. They were hired by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper or house steward. Typical salaries were 20-30 pounds per year. Lower Staff First Footman Next in line to replace the butler. His main job was to be tall, handsome and represent the estate's grandeur. He accompanied the lady of the house on shopping expeditions, served the family meals and assisted the butler in his duties. Oddly, his responsibility did not include heavy work such as carrying coal or water. These were left the the female staff. His salary was around 30 pounds a year. Many footman's salaries were based one how tall they were rather than how well they did their work. The taller and more impressive they were the more they received. Their income was supplemented by 5-15 pounds a year in tips and other gifts from lady of the house. Second Footman Similar to the first footman but in more of an apprenticeship status. Twenty-five pound per year. Premium salaries were paid to a pair of first and second footman whose size and appearance made them look like twins. The idea was that they were most impressive if, like book ends, they matched. Head Nurse In charge of the nursing staff in houses with several nurses. Many of these nurses, charged with watching over young children, were themselves only 12-14 years old. Head nurses earned 25 pounds per year. Footman Additional male staff for opening doors, waiting at table, assisting gentleman or accompanying ladies as needed. Twenty pounds per year. Chamber Maids Responsible for cleaning bedrooms. Twenty pounds per year. I imagine they were slightly higher than parlour maids because chamber maids were in more intimate contact with the family, or at least the remnants of their presence. Parlour Maids Responsible for cleaning and maintaining the sitting rooms, drawing rooms, etc. of the house. Twenty pounds per year. House Maid General purpose worker. Sixteen pounds a year. Between Maid Worked in either the house or the kitchen as needed. Fifteen pounds a year. Nurse Responsible for raising the babies and young children of the house. Ten to 15 pounds ) per year depending on age and ability. Under Cook Apprentice to the chef. Prepares meals for the staff. Worked for low wages to work his way up to a full chef's job. Fifteen pounds per year. Kitchen Maid Assists in kitchen work. Fifteen pounds a year. Scullery Maid Dish washer. Thirteen pounds per year Laundry Maid Washing and ironing. Thirteen pounds a year. Page or Tea Boy Apprentice footman. Typically 10 to 16 years old. Eight to 16 pounds per year depending on age, height, appearance and abilities. Head Groom or Stable Master Responsible for running the stables. Positionally he might rank as upper staff but because he wasn't part of the inside staff he didn't have their privileges. However, as master of his own staff he undoubtedly occupied a similar status. Thirty to 50 pounds a year. Groom Cared for horses: grooming, saddling, etc. fifteen pounds per year. SEE FOLLOW ON >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Thank you Carol, I will be speaking to the Master Upon his return......13 pounds a year, I am only getting 9!!!!!!!!

Stable Boy Cleaned stables and etc. Six to 12 pounds per year depending on age and ability. Many times they started when they were only 10. Head Gardener Like the head groom the head gardener was management and therefor upper staff, yet his position outside the house prohibited him from occupying a position in the house's upper servant's. Also like the stable master his position of authority had its compensations. Because a grand estate's grounds were as important to impressing guests as the chef's skill, the head gardener could earn a very high wage, as much as 120 pounds per year. Game Keeper Responsible for maintaining the bird population of the estate so that the Master and guests would have game birds, such as pheasant, to hunt. Thirty to 50 pounds ( per year. Grounds Keepers The general laborers under the head gardener. They'd do everything from planting trees to cutting grass. Eight to 16 pounds ( per year depending on age and ability. Governess I'm listing governesses as a separate category because they existed in a kind of social limbo. Typically they were unmarried daughters of gentlemen who for one reason or another had to go into service to support themselves. Because they officially belonged to the genteel class it would be unspeakable for them to accept service as a maid. As a governess they were able to make use of their education and in theory retain a little of their dignity. In reality their lives were miserable. They were looked down on by the house's family as being from a failed family. Equally, the staff looked down on them because they represented hypocrisy: they worked for wages like any servant yet were supposed to be genteel. Their job was to care for the family's teenage girls. (Teenage males were sent off to boarding school.) Their salaries were 25 pounds per year. I found no references that clearly stated whether they were considered upper or lower staff. Movies that show governesses walking through the front door and assuming a status high above that of house servants are not consistent with the lives described in my references. Gate Keeper This is another servant hard to categorize. His job was to guard the main entrance to the estate and often lived in a small house attached to the gate. Yet he would be classed as unskilled labor and as such would occupy a low position on the servant's hierarchy and receive a commensurately low salary, perhaps as little as 10 pounds per year. One might wonder how people could live on such small incomes. Even when the value of room, board and clothes were added in these salaries still represent a poverty existence by today's standards. Part of the reason they were able to survive is because their lives were so simple (no car to pay off, no insurance, no phone bills, no electric bills, no water, waste and property tax bills, etc.) that they didn't require as much. Additionally, with the typical work schedule being 16-hours a day, 7-days a week they didn't have much time to spend their income on entertainment... of which there wasn't much. Such conditions seem horrendous to us today, but it needs to be remembered that the work ethic was completely different 100 years ago. Today we work with the mind set that we do so mainly to get ahead in the world and pay for possessions and activities that bring us pleasure or satisfaction. Back then people worked to survive. Without any form of social security if you didn't earn a salary you starved to death, or froze to death in winter, or died of disease. There was no societal safety nets to catch you if you lost your job and no union to fund your retirement. While the life of a servant was unbelievably hard, many nonetheless considered themselves lucky to have food to eat and a roof over their heads regardless of the pay. They had a perspective born from a desperate need for survival and this went a long way toward sustaining them. Additionally, many began service at very young ages and were conditioned to accept it as a natural lifestyle. Victorian Servants at www.ourwardfamily.com/victorian_servants.htm is an outstanding webpage for detailed information about the duties and life styles of most of the servants mentioned on this page.

That is great news my lovely......but I feel that i must stay here for a while longer...please stay with me, I need your comfort.

And now I know how much you earn I will be sticking very closely to you!

Oh we are so lucky to have food to eat and a roof over our heads regardless of the pay...........................after all 16 hours a day, seven days a week,

Yes I suppose so Carol, well I am so glad that you have joined the household, what position have they given you?

Sadly I am a between maid........... sorry must go have been called to the kitchen. Carol

/www.ourwardfamily.com I found this website by accident if you have time have a look very interesting. Carol

I look forward to being that Carol, but this Cook is always on my back! If she is not on the Sherry, she is on me!