Talk of servants still brings to mind Mr Hudson (played by Gordon Jackson) and Mrs Bridges (Angela Baddeley) in Upstairs Downstairs, an ITV drama which ran 1971-1975. For younger genealogists Downton Abbey similarly.

Having servants seems so decadent, but servants in the past weren’t so much a luxury as a necessity. There was no running water, definitely no hot water unless it was painstakingly heated. The day’s water had to be fetched from the well or river. Food needed far more preparation and some was often grown by a household, requiring digging, watering, storage and regular checking. At times of plenty drying, bottling, salting etc was needed. No fridge, so milk was fetched daily. Clothes were made by hand, materials far less forgiving, necessitating washing, drying, mending, starching and ironing. There were no vacuum cleaners but unmetalled roads created far more dirt and dust everywhere. Carpets and mats needed regular beating, houses sweeping and mopping daily. In many places the front doorstep was scrubbed daily too. No cookers let alone central heating or electric heaters, so fires needed to be laid, lit, tended and cleared. Wood and coal needed fetching. The smoke of course adding to the daily grime.

Housework was never finished and was very, very time consuming. At the same time a man’s employment often involved long hours, 6 or more days a week, so he needed a wife or a servant. As the family grew, more servants were needed, or the children joined in with the chores.

For many Sticklepath folk of the lower and middling sort, being ‘in service’ during teenage years was almost a rite of passage. Some boys as well as girls. For a poor family having even one child boarded out in service meant one less mouth to feed, a little more space in the house, and perhaps a small supplement to the household income. Later in life unmarried women often continued in service, and widows commonly sought a housekeeper position with board and lodging provided. From 1871 to 1911 about 4 in every 10 women were in service. Even in 1931 a quarter of working women were still servants(1). The majority would be working in modest households probably as the ‘maid of all work’.

During the 1800s the main alternatives for Sticklepath women were farm work, domestic service, or working in the local woolen mill. It is hard to know how many women worked on farms from the census as most family workers were not documented. About equal numbers of women were in service or working in the wool mill or ‘factory’ in 1851. Taking in laundry, dress-making or other handicraft work in the home, such as glove-making, was another possibility. Some women, especially married women or older spinsters, ran a little sweet shop or grocery from their house.

Although there were hiring fairs many domestic servants would have answered an advert in the local paper, or taken a job through ‘word of mouth’.

“Wanted – an experienced PARLOURMAID, good needlewoman”. Adverts commonly used words like steady, respectable, thorough, or trustworthy. For cooks the request might be ‘a good cook’ or a ‘plain cook for a gentleman’. Sometimes the wage offered was stated but often it was “apply stating wages and full particulars”. References were usually needed.

As Methodists there was a likelihood that the Chings would have heard through Methodist contacts of a post, and similarly been recommended through the Methodist network, with a reference from the minister. Live in servants were often expected to join the family for church and the many church related events, so it was helpful if they were of the same religious persuasion.

Equally a local acquaintance may have put them in touch. William White’s Directory 1878-9 tells us that Miss Margaret James, one of 9 children of Mr John Haddy James who had been a renowned surgeon in Exeter, lived in Belstone. (See his portrait and obituary). It is likely Miss James recruited Eliza Ching as a respectable and hard working teenager. Two of Miss James’s sisters were living at a house called Southerleigh in Lympstone, Devon. It is in that household that we find Eliza Ching working as a housemaid in 1881 at the age of 24. Sister Georgina aged 17 is also working for Miss Lucy and Miss Mary James in Lympstone as a cook. It would seem only natural if a post became vacant to suggest her own sister. As well as the two ladies there is a boarder to look after. You may recall that the Ching family were in financial difficulties in 1878 and this was perhaps when at least one the Ching sisters were sent into service.

Working for higher social classes could be a very different experience. Servants in the Victorian period became increasingly specialised. Some would travel with their master or mistress or perhaps be moved from one grand house to another or perhaps to a relative’s employment. From the 1850s it had became fashionable for servants in these wealthy households to wear a uniform. Often the servant had to purchase this themselves.

We don’t know how Auntie Kate started out in service but in 1881 she was in a much grander house than her sisters. Right on the seafront at No 8 Powderham Terrace in Teignmouth. Kate was parlour maid to Major Henry Bourchier Toke Wrey J.P., Major in the 1st Devon Militia.  On census night there were 13 further family members and 7 live-in servants in the house. The. servants were a cook and kitchen maid, the nurse and nurse maid, Kate the parlour maid, the housemaid and a page. A big house for Kate and one housemaid to keep clean with a basement and 3 full floors. Image

Whilst a parlourmaid and housemaid’s duties were somewhat interchangeable, as parlourmaid Kate would have answered the door, served tea, and done the lighter cleaning. She perhaps had some authority over the housemaid too. The housemaid would generally be the one to rise at dawn and light the kitchen fire, beat the rugs and black the grates, laying and lighting fires and heating water. Later in the day they would move upstairs, emptying bedpans and sorting the bedrooms. The Wrey family had properties around Okehampton, within a few miles of the Ching family home. It is likely Kate started as a housemaid with the family there and was moved to Teignmouth, perhaps with a promotion. She would have needed to scrape her hair back tidily and no doubt wear a white cap. It would be interesting to find some photographs of the Wrey family households to see how their servants dressed. This picture of Kezia in her Sunday best gives some idea of how she would have looked answering the door at No 8.

Many women stayed in service until they were married… the next step for Auntie Kate.

Today’s challenge is to think about servants in your ancestry or place of interest. What exactly would their role have been? How would they have been recruited? Would it have been an annual contract? What were the wages like? Did they get accommodation or clothes provided?

In the past the Society for One-Place Studies used #OnePlaceServants and some articles can still be found to show what can be done to gain a different perspective on servants in your place, for example “Keeping up with the Ashworths“. For a summary of the blog prompt, more examples and a possible reading list see here

FACHRS have also looked at different roles eg Governesses, and more details of the Parlourmaid’s duties can be seen here.

Auntie Kate’s story continues…

Bibliography

(1) Women’s Lives – Researching Women’s Social History 1800-1939 by Jennifer Newby Pen&Sword 2011

Census materials accessed mainly through Ancestry.co.uk

William White’s trade directories through University of Leicester Special Collections online