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Today's Lesson is Domestic Service

In the Victorian and Edwardian Eras

By Ruth Elizabeth StiffPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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Maids in Domestic Service

Good morning, today we will be looking into Domestic service within the Victorian and Edwardian Eras. The older generation watched “Upstairs, Downstairs”, and more recently there is the very popular series “Downton Abbey”, both which accurately portray what life was like for domestic servants during these two Eras.

In the 19th Century, one in four people worked as a servant. Whether male or female, working in “Service” was considered secure and respectable employment, but in the late 1800’s, girls as young as nine and ten went to work as maids. Some of them became nursery maids, looking after children almost their own age! In Service, though, meals were provided, with accommodation and wages, which made it more appealing than the terrible Workhouse. These servants worked long hours and had little (personal) freedom, but they were proud of their positions, especially if they worked in a ‘big house’ for a Lord and Lady. Their friends and family were proud of them and held them in high esteem.

In these Eras, you were either a servant or you owned servants. Society back then could not have survived without these domestic servants. To some of the Upper class, these hard workers were just a necessity, but to others — they were ‘human’. An example of this fellow feeling was when Queen Alexandra, in 1902, invited 10,000 of London’s ‘maids-of-all-work’ to tea parties across the capitol (to mark the Coronation). Between 10th July and 2nd August, these hard working maids gathered for “tea”,in their own clothes (not uniforms) and raised their cups to the new King and Queen. This was a real treat for these maids, who (usually) had only one day off a month!

If you were prepared to work, you could really get on in Service. The maid could work her way up to become the housekeeper or a Lady’s maid. The hall boy could work his way up to becoming a footman and then the butler. The scullery maid could work her way up to becoming a kitchen maid and then the cook. However, these ‘promotions’ could take well over ten years, so you had to ‘devote’ your life to Service.

Domestic Servants

So, who were these servants? What were they called? For the Lord and Lady who lived in a mansion, their domestic staff, who ‘lived’ downstairs, were like a ‘mini-family’ themselves, and within this ‘mini-family’ there were Upper servants and Lower servants (who served the Upper servants). The Butler was the head of the male servants, and the Housekeeper was the head of the female servants. The Cook dominated the kitchen staff. The valet and Lady’s maid were in personal attendance upon the master and mistress. The footmen worked with (and under) the Butler, during the family meals, and they did all sorts of different jobs for the family, such as opening doors for guests, delivering messages and letters (before the telephone was invented), and basically helped the family during the day.

The maids did all the cleaning, made the beds and (sometimes) helped the Laundry maid. Remember, this was at a time when there were no hoovers, cookers (as we know them today) and none of the cleaning fluids that we take for granted in this Century. The work was hard, as was the work for the kitchen staff. They cooked such beautiful and delicious meals, without the kitchen equipment we have today (including fridge-freezers), that these cooks and their assistants were “artists”. There’s nothing new or special about the scullery maid doing the washing up, but again, without the washing up liquids that we use today. For cleaning, these maids learnt to use what was available and pure “elbow grease”.

Book of Household Management

The “Book of Household Management” by Mrs.Beeton is considered the ‘Bible’ for Domestic Service. It was written for the mistress of the house AND the servants who worked for her, and no stone is left unturned! Even which foods to buy in which seasons are cataloged, to help the cook in her preparation for meals. The book was first published in installments in The Englishwoman’s Domestic magazine, and then as a book in 1868. You can still get this book today (in 2022) either in kindle form or hardback. For anyone ‘studying’ domestic service — it is THE study book!

The First World War started to change the “Class System”, and with the (new) inventions over the two Eras, domestic staff became out of fashion and not needed. I don’t doubt that some may still have domestic servants today, but it is nothing like the ‘teams’ that the Victorian and Edwardian masters and mistresses had. Back then, it was a way of life rather than just a job.

We have only just opened the first page on Domestic Service, and will be going much deeper into this subject at a later date. My grandmother was a maid and would often tell me about her experiences working in a ‘big house’. Do you have anyone in your family who worked in Domestic service? We can learn a lot from their experiences.

(If you enjoyed this article, have a look in my profile for more articles on the different Eras)

Historical
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About the Creator

Ruth Elizabeth Stiff

I love all things Earthy and Self-Help

History is one of my favourite subjects and I love to write short fiction

Research is so interesting for me too

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