How many servants would a house like Downton Abbey have? OF THE COACHING AGE, VOL. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Occaisionally a servant who became pregnant by a member of The Family would be paid off (but also fired), depending. I think Sarah retired from work to raise her family and only returned to domestic service when they were on their own. Its the first TV period drama that has really leaped out of the screen and become part of popular culture., Lady Carnarvon is still keen to emphasise that the long-term future of Highclere is not necessarily secure. While Mrs. Hughes was dedicated fully to her work, no one was as dedicated to the house as Mr. Carson. Downton shows relatively well how they spent their time and how they spent their money, but I'm still struggling to figure out what their economic status would be analogous to today. The Cook: Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Patmore, the cook, is hiding a secret, one that threatens her very livelihood. Youd still want Cook, and shed probably want an assistant. There are also hallboys and other maids whose names we dont know. While she had a rough exterior, it was never enough to overcome her talents and ethics. For a long time. (modern), The Downton Abbey cast gather in front of Highclere Castle as they prepare for the final series. The neighbours are selling up their own stately home, while Lord Grantham seeks to cut back on servants after declaring that under-butlers are no longer affordable. Yet service allows him to better himself and someday work his way up to the position of butler. . The book lists some typical YEARLY salaries for household staff in the late 19th century: Butler 70 pounds (Mr. Carson), Masters Valet 60 pounds (Mr. Bates), Housekeeper 40 to 60 pounds (Mrs. Hughes), Ladys Maid 50 pounds (devious Miss OBrien), Footman 20-30 pounds (saintly William , dastardly Thomas), Scullery Maid 5-10 pounds (Daisy). In Sundays episode, when Lord G comes downstairs to tell everyone the war is over and how theyre going to assemble on the 11th at 11:00, he says I expect all of you, including the kitchen staff and hall boys, everyone, to be there. This implied to me that there are other servants, but since they dont have plot lines, we simply dont see them. Downton only has 2-3 housemaids/maids of all work, thus is both understaffed and staffed at a lower level. Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. The Ladys Maid: Siobhan Finneran plays OBrien as a cold, ruthless woman, who trusts no one. She would stoke the kitchen fire for the cook and boil water. Elizabeth McGovern began her career almost forty years ago in 1979, landing her first part in a television show when she was still a teenager. One housemaid (to perform the duties of both Chambermaid and Parlor maid). The hotel is still one of the most elegant places to stay in London. Really it is a fantasy world, based in a particular time in history. At the bottom of the ladder were the young girls who could enter service when they were 13, earning a few pounds a year. In addition, the sheets of the family would be changed several times a week, as would those of any guests. They were hired by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper or house steward. Never begin to talk to ladies and gentlemen. Even fairly low on the middle class scale, money would be found for part time live out help. Downton. And I also know they led relatively simple lives in terms of travel, leisure, etc. I suppose they are buying them as needed from the shops rather than having them made to match, or even expecting the maids to sew their own to a matching pattern. Footmen are expected to wear livery and are generally tall and handsome. Since he first started out as a footman, Carson was dedicated to the old ways that made a grand house work. Lucy Lethbridge, author of "Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times," joined Antonio Mora on the Jan. 6, 2014 edition of Consider This. In addition to his managerial duties, he is shown in several scenes either polishing the silver or pouring over the books and counting the bottles of wine. Typical salaries were 20-30 pounds ($2,100-3,200) per year. Vic said: Downstairs in Downton Abbey: The Servants: Jane Austen's World http://t.co/8ufFL50 [], Very informative, thank you! However, it seems clear from the series that there are a number of other servants in the household who effectively serve as extras in the series. The only time that the servants might be visible to family or guests was when they cleaned and polished the main halls and stairway. Servants - The True Story Of Life Below Stairs starts on BBC Two on September 28. Alongside his partner Mrs. Hughes, Carson becomes an even sweeter and softer version of his obstinate self. Marvelous Mrs Maisel: will Lenny Bruces death be depicted in season 5? OK seriously, this was a good post. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog's author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Mrs. Patmore is one of the most skilled cooks that the series ever confronts. A ladys maid caters to her mistresses every whim, making sure that not one coat button is missing or one strand of hair is out of place. would be promoted into the households of the adult children, and grow old with them. But Downton Abbey is a great house, and there are servants aplenty. Afternoon tea, priced at around $60 per person, is still quite an occasion. So I guess what I mean when I say "what were the wages" I really mean "what did that actually mean?" Express. They are more highly paid than parlor maids). In some instances, links will be removed from comments as well. Your conclusion on the number of staff at Downton Abbey is Wrong. Margaret Powell, a former servant who died in 1984, recalled in her memoirs: "I was confined to the basement, the backstairs and the miserable attic room that I shared with another maid and which was so cold in winter that the ice froze in the jugs of water we used for washing. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Thomas is now Under Butler, and there are two footmen. I looked up wage information, and found that a common yearly salary for a Butler like Carson would be roughly 55-70 (several sources - The Victorian Domestic Servant Hierarchy and Wage Scale and Mrs. Beeton's Household Management). Im watching downtown abbey as a distraction from quarantine. It became fashionable for the up-and-coming middle classes to mimic the aristocracy and hire cooks, maids and housekeepers and tens of thousands of young people flocked from the countryside to work in town houses. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. The Crawleys of Manchester I think are recently upper middle class, Doctor Crawley must have been middle middle class along with Mrs. Crawleys Doctor father, as Matthew is a solicitor they must have moved up in the world and bought a bigger house but not a bigger staff, they had a cook and two maids, if you listen to Mrs. Bird she says shes always had one kitchen maid and gotten on perfectly well. On a different note, Vic, have you ever thought of taking all of the cool research youve done and publish it in paper form? Im only on episode one, but as an African American who majored in history but focused mainly on ancient history and African American history, Im curious about the differences in England. While employers would prefer servants to be married than to engage in out of wedlock sex, most employers wouldnt have a pregnant woman or children around. An ambitious man, who cares only for his own advancement, he will use anyone to achieve his goals, even if it means destroying anothers reputation. Tweenies had pretty much gone out of fashion by 1900, so the absence is perhaps not as surprising as the apparent absence of a laundress. If this is explored later in the series for those who have watched, how accurate is the portrayal? Archived post. based on what I've seen of Downton Abbey (which I assume to be relatively accurate). In the big country houses or the great London mansions servants were crammed into shared bedrooms and beds with no bathroom or lavatory facilities. 2-3 Chambermaids These maids work solely on the bedroom floor and in contact with the family (because of the bedrooms. The female staff are forbidden from smoking. ), I love this post. They were better-paid jobs, less demeaning and didn't require the wearing of the hated servant's uniform of starched cap and apron. Id noticed before the maids uniforms dont quite match. Dan Stevens, who played Mary's husband, Matthew Crawley, was one of the first members of the cast for whom Hollywood came knocking. Then Downton came along and it became a major tourist attraction.. Combining the pleasures of trashy soap operas with prestige historical fiction, "Downton Abbey" was a phenomenon when it first hit TV screens in 2010 (in the U.K.) and 2011 (in the U.S.). It's believed that she is worth $4million. Servants are portrayed as a loyal and largely contented breed. A favourite maid's name was Sarah. In fact the doors of stately homes and townhouses revolved with departing servants seeking a better life elsewhere. For a start, how many servants are there in DA? Mrs. Reynolds no doubt received a tip from the Gardiners after showing the public rooms of Mr. Darcys great estate. Thanks to the teachings of Mrs. Patmore, she soon is prepped to take on the role of lead cook one day. The bottom line is quite thin, she said. Though this information is not known when this article was first posted, I seem to remember it didnt come out until season3. Maggie Smith will be playing a 120 year old by the time this show wraps production. Its a small number compared to the west, but a much smaller nation. Only the very rich could afford footmen, and thus they were a form of status symbol. 15 Proper Facts About 'Downton Abbey' - mentalfloss.com The formerly somewhat basic ticketing policy has become a computerised advance booking system, helping to guarantee foreign visitors admission. The more important servants, known as "the Pugs", were waited on at dinner by their inferiors and ate from fine china. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Originally airing from 2010 to 2015, the show made household names - and now movie stars - out of its cast. A lady, even of the middle class would be accompanied on her errands and calls by a footman. Currently only the ground and first floors of Highclere, on the borders of Hampshire, are used. In 1891, the number of indoor domestic servants is 1.38 million, which is a pretty high number," says Dr Pamela Cox, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Essex. The First Footman: Thomas (Rob James-Collier) is a piece of work. Girls worked part-time for two years to buy the uniform necessary to secure a job because service offered a roof over their heads and regular meals. By the end of the 19th century, the time of servants . MORE:Where are the cast of Downton Abbey now? See also. Apparently nothing was considered too menial and records show that servants' duties included ironing shoelaces and cutting their masters' toenails. In the worst homes life was little better than a form of silver-service slavery. As the driver, he took all of the family to and from the main house and around the countryside. What kind of purchasing power did they have? This chauffeur can also read and has been given permission by the earl to check books out of his library. Upon rising, servants would labor first and eat only after the family had risen, dressed, and breakfasted. I hadnt noticed that. Undercook or 1stkitchenmaid check, but the first kitchen maid is responsible for cooking the servants meals, not the cook, and there should be more than one kitchen maid. Rarely has her talent or her methods been challenged by anyone. Servants' thoughts have rarely been recorded, slaves' even less so. Dan Stevens left the show to pursue other roles, MORE:Dan Stevens reveals the real reason he left Downton Abbey. Have you seen the television series with Laurie and Fry? Thank you, Karen! It [Downton Abbey] is iconic for expressing Britishness. Ha! Downton Abbey (TV Series 2010-2015) - IMDb Breakfast at Downton Abbey. In reality, service in great houses was preferred over other jobs that were available during the 18th and 19th centuries, such as tedious and often dangerous labor in factories or backbreaking work on farms. Ha! Housekeepers, as Jane Austen famously showed in Pride and Prejudice, served as tour guides when the family was absent.

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