What were Victorian servants called?

What were Victorian servants called?

They included: Footmen; Under-Butlers; Housemaids; Nursery-Maids; Still-room Maids; Kitchen Maids; Scullery Maids; Laundry-Maids; Dairymaids; Kitchen Men; Baker and Helpers.

What did servants call their masters?

The Master and Mistress of the House should be addressed as “Sir” and “My Lady” respectively. The eldest son should be addressed as “Mister Jonathan” and the youngest son as “Master Guy”.

What were servants paid in Victorian times?

The average servant earned a mere 25 pounds a year or $2,700 in today’s economy. Cheap labor is what made large staffs possible.

What is a head maid called?

Head house-maid: the senior house maid, reporting to the Housekeeper. (Also called “House parlour maid” in an establishment with only one or two upstairs maids).

Did servants get Sundays off?

As if the health hazards weren’t bad enough, consider the exhausting working hours. A typical housemaid “did at least twelve hours of heavy physical labor every day, which was two hours more than a factory worker (four hours more on Saturdays).” Also, unlike most factory workers, house servants rarely had Sundays off.

Did middle class Victorians have servants?

The Victorian period in Britain saw a peak in the numbers of servants employed in households. All upper class houses had several servants, and most middle class households aspired to have at least one or two servants.

What are male servants 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. The butler can also be assisted by a head footman or footboy called the under-butler.

How did Victorians address their servants?

In formal settings and conversations, some would also use the full term “My Ladyship” or “Her Ladyship” for introductions. Though there were many titles held by upper class families, depending on social and political rank, servants most often used “my Lady” and “my Lord” to address their employers.

How much does a man servant cost?

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Did servants get days 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.

What is a male maid called?

Actually “maid” is short for maidservant. So the male version is a “manservant”. But you can simply call him “servant” as well. you can also use “gentleman’s gentleman”.

What was it like to be a servant in the Victorian?

In the Victorian era it was not just the aristocracy who employed servants, new wealth had trickled into the cities and led to a burgeoning middle class. Employing a servant was a sign of respectability, but for the lower middle class, where money was tighter, they could only afford one servant – the maid of all work.

How many women worked as domestic servants in Victorian England?

In 1891, 1.3 million girls and women worked as domestic servants in Victorian England. (Image: By Miami U. Libraries – Digital Collections/Public domain) The British census of 1891 found that 1.3 million girls and women worked as domestic servants in Victorian England.

What was the social structure like in the Victorian era?

The Victorian Era in Britain was dominated by the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Although it was a peaceful and prosperous time, there were still issues within the social structure. The social classes of this era included the Upper class, Middle class, and lower class.

What was the maid of all work in Victorian England?

Employing a servant was a sign of respectability, but for the lower middle class, where money was tighter, they could only afford one servant – the maid of all work. According to the Victorian author Mrs Beeton, in The Book of Household Management, the maid of all work was to be pitied.