Did servants ever get a day off?

Servants worked 17-hour days with time off limited to church on Sunday morning and one afternoon a week. SOCIAL historian Dr Pamela Cox, who presents Servants - The True Story Of Life Below Stairs, says: "Country houses wouldn't have been able to function without a vast hidden army of servants.

Did Victorian servants get time off?

Servants were usually (but not always) given a break to rest in the evenings, but this did not apply when there were large parties or midnight celebrations. This custom later evolved into having a half day off (or a whole for the lucky few) per week.

How many hours did servants work?

They had the most gruelling job of all, as they had to do all the chores for the house, often working from 6 in the morning until 10 at night, with very little time off. In households like Shibden, there were normally a few servants working together.

How many hours did Victorian servants work?

Some men went into service as butlers, coachmen, or gardeners, but most servants were women. Servants worked from 15 to 18 hours a day, with only half a day off per week. Meals and lodging were included, but pay was low.

When did servants stop?

Domestic service dropped by more than half between 1940 and 1950. After the war, wages remained high. In a bid to sidestep labor laws, employers paid nannies and cleaners under the table instead of hiring servants full-time.

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Did servants get paid?

Although these were generous, wages could vary greatly depending on a servant's gender or the position they occupied within the house. Butlers, housekeepers, and chefs were amongst those most highly paid, whereas hall boys and tempys (temporary maids) often received the lowest wages.

How much did Downton Abbey pay servants?

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 ($2,100-3,200) per year.

Where did maids sleep?

In the early 1800s, servants slept in the kitchen or in cupboards under the stairs. Later in the century, they were given the attics as bedrooms, which were cold, damp and dimly lit. Often, however, men continued to sleep downstairs to guard the plate.

What time did servants eat?

The basement is buzzing again: the servants eat supper at 6 pm - a smaller meal than at midday. A five-course dinner is to be served upstairs at 8 pm, so everyone is hard at work.

Did servants live upstairs or downstairs?

The servants followed a hierarchy downstairs as strict as upstairs, and the upper servants, the butler, housekeeper, cook, valet and ladies maid would be served meals and tea by the lower servants. The highest ranking servant was the stewart, then came the butler and housekeeper.

How much did a Lady's maid earn?

She notes that a housekeeper for a zillionaire may earn up to $60,000 a year (the industry median salary is less than $20,000), but a “lady's maid” can take in $75,000. Full-time butlers can earn $70,000 a year, and some who travel around with a family on yachts or private jets could earn as much as $200,000 a year.

When did ladies maids stop?

The last recorded lady's maid at Wells House and Gardens was a girl called Ida Chambers approximately 19 years old. Her name appears on the 1911 census. On the 1901 Census the lady's maid was an older woman called Lace who had travelled from England with Lady Francis after her marriage in 1870 to Charles Mervin Doyne.

What was a servants life like?

In addition to their wages, they were provided with meals and clothes, and accommodation was often given. Working in service did provide opportunities for servants to progress professionally, through hard work, thrift and a little luck.

What did female servants do?

To launder, sew, empty chamber pots, dust, haul water for baths, light fires, and shop–all these duties fell within the realm of women's work. Although household positions came with wages, the domestic burden lay upon the female.

Were butlers allowed to marry?

The butler's life is a solitary one

A butler without any family commitments of his own is therefore able to devote himself entirely to the needs of the family he serves. If a butler lies about being married he can be dismissed without notice.

Do families still live like Downton Abbey?

Hughes and the rest of the staff at Downton Abbey still exist today. Many of the great houses of England prevail (though they are as likely to be occupied by international billionaires with superyachts as they are by aristocrats).

Was Downton Abbey realistic?

Though Downton is not a real place (the TV series and movie were filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire), its struggles represent very real challenges that similar real-life aristocratic families faced. The working class in Britain had changed after World War I.

Is Downton Abbey food real?

Though you might think it would be easier to use a plastic lobster or other trick, Sophie McShera (Daisy Mason) told Rachael Ray In Season that the food on Downton Abbey was almost all real, in a sense. It just had to sit out under hot lights and through multiple takes, which could take days.

Why did the English dress for dinner?

Dress for dinner was important because young men and women looking for a companion used dinner parties as a way to meet and court potential mates. After preparing for dinner, guests would proceed into the dining room.

Did servants have families?

As a servant, you had an attic or shared an attic with another servant. It wouldn't look like much to us, but to them, it was a great thing. If you had a good employer, you could have at least a limited sense of membership in the family. Some families were very good to their servants.

What did servants eat in Victorian times?

In most wealthy houses, food for servants was abundant, if somewhat below the standard served 'upstairs'. For breakfast, the servants ate bread and meat, the meat carved by the cook from the previous day's roast or served in a slice of cold pie. Alternatively, they ate porridge, followed by bacon and eggs.

Did servants live in the house?

Maids were traditionally housed in the attic, with the housekeeper's own quarters at the end of their passage, while male staff were lodged in the basement. The butler's quarters were close by, usually next to the strong room where the silver was kept.

Do the rich still have servants?

They do for themselves.

They have dog walkers, maids, assistants, butlers, and drivers to take care of the monotonous chores of everyday life. Contrary to this image, billionaires often do just fine fending for themselves.

What is a female butler called?

A butler is usually male, and in charge of male servants, while a housekeeper is usually a woman, and in charge of female servants.