Today's Lesson Is The Lady's Maid

After the Butler and the Housekeeper, the valet and the Lady’s Maid were the two most senior “domestic servants” during the Victorian and Edwardian Eras. They had the ‘ear’ of the Master and the mistress which gave them some influence with the Lord and Lady of the House. Despite being at the top of the maids ‘ladder’, the Lady’s Maid still had to answer to the Housekeeper, as well as her Mistress.

The lady’s maid got up early to take up her ladyship’s breakfast (the married lady usually breakfasted in bed), and then she would draw her mistress’s bath and get her clothes ready. Having ‘dressed’ her mistress, which included hair and makeup and jewellery, the lady’s maid tidied up the room while the mistress started her day.

Then the lady’s maid started her day. After finishing any ‘jobs’ her lady had instructed, the lady’s maid would look over the mistress’s wardrobe, mending, sewing, ironing and even cleaning certain dresses. She would check her lady’s jewellery, cleaning and even repairing it if needed, which put the lady’s maid in a position of great trust. She would keep a list of items that needed replacing or purchasing.

Then the lady’s maid would check her lady’s personal rooms, tidying away anything that was left out by the mistress. This included flower arranging and always making sure there were fresh flowers in her mistress’s vases.

Sometimes, the lady’s maid would accompany her lady on visits to family and friends and shopping, or even on holiday. She would pack the lady’s cases, making sure her mistress would have everything she would need whilst away, (which included abroad).

The lady’s maid had a long and busy day. Depending on her lady’s diary, she would have to dress her mistress up to five times a day — for breakfast, receiving guests (usually in the mornings, unless a big dinner or ball was planned for the evening), lunch, tea and dinner. She would have to prepare, maybe several days before, to make sure that every dress, pair of shoes, jewellery, make-up and even underclothes (underwear) was “ready” and in perfect condition.

The lady’s maid needed good qualifications, especially if she wanted a good position in a ‘big house’ with a Duchess or Marchioness. She could get these qualifications through “experience”, by working her way up the ladder, from parlour maid, or she could ‘study’ which was usually expensive. Some picked up “tips” from their mothers and grandmothers who were lady’s maids themselves. If the lady’s maid proved to be particularly ‘talented’, the lady she served paid for lessons for her maid, (in hairdressing, for example). This was as well as having a good standard of reading, writing and mathematics.

The other domestic servants treated the lady’s maid with respect, calling her “Miss”. Showing her superior position in the ‘maids ladder’, she had a good wage, a room of her own, full board and, sometimes, some of her lady’s ‘cast-off’ clothes, to do with as she pleased, to alter and wear or sell, keeping the money to maybe save up for something.

If her mistress had pets, the lady’s maid looked after them, walking the dog, grooming the cat, and so on.

One thing the lady’s maid could never forget was to never go out looking better than the lady she served — even on her day-off!

“There is no member of an establishment who has better or more frequent opportunities of self recommendation than has a lady’s maid, but her constant attention to the wants and wishes of her mistress”.