Domestic servants, also known as domestics, are members of a household employed to assist with the running of various aspects of the household. During the 18th century in England servants were commonplace, with almost all employed families able to afford servants, or rather domestic drudges, who were supplied from the workhouses and charity schools and treated little better than slaves for the most part. While in apprenticeship female domestic drudges, or scullery-maids also known as scullions, were not paid and could not leave their mistress. Even less fortunate were charwomen, employed for odd work or single days to assist in the kitchen and paid with just a few scraps of food and a few coals.
Page boys, usually black, were employed by the fashionable women of 18th century London to precede her and hand refreshments to her guests. Footmen were similarly employed more for show than labour to impress the guests and people one met on ones travels, hence they received their slang name of 'fart catchers', from their position of walking behind their master or mistress, dressed up in fancy clothes provided by the household as a form of uniform for the job.
By the 19th century conditions had improved for some servants, though for the lower staff they were still appalling. In the mid-19th century Mrs Beeton, the famous author, lists domestic servants in order of rank as follows:
Households would employ a election of servants varying upon the household income, a very wealthy household employing a full selection of servants, a less fabulously wealthy household maybe just employing a housekeeper, a cook or a maid-of-all-work. A chamberlain being only employed by the king or noblemen of very high position. In the mid-19th century most households which employed servants employed two or three male servants, comprising a servant out of livery, or a butler, a footman and a coachman, or a coachman and a groom where the household had more than two or three horses. A popular mis-conception is that cooks are, and were, always female. Not so. Male cooks were also employed in the 19th century and were paid more than their female counterpart.
Each domestic servant had their own scope of duties or responsibilities, though these overlapped depending upon the number of domestic servants employed. A butler, for example, where only one footman was employed would be required to perform some of the duties of a valet, to pay bills and to superintend the other servants.
19th century English society was warned against abusing its servants, for, as Mrs Beeton puts it; "The sensible master and kind mistress know, that if servants depend on them for their means of living, in their turn they are dependent on their servants for very many of the comforts of life; and that, with a proper amount of care in choosing servants, and treating them like reasonable beings, and making slight excuses for the shortcomings of human nature, they will, save in some exceptional case, be tolerably well served, and in most instances, surround themselves with attached domestics." It was possible for domestic servants to progress up the ranks, usually through leaving one position and seeking a higher appointment at another employer. In order to achieve this a servant required a good reference from their employer, and this encouraged a degree of honesty in a position with a lot of opportunity for misappropriation.
The Great War instigated a great deal more equality in British society and the use of domestic servants greatly reduced, though it was still not extinct in the 21st century. Research Domestic Servants
Glossic was a phonetic system of spelling invented by A J Ellis, intended to be used concurrently with the existing English orthography (Nomic) in order to remedy some of its defects without changing its form or detracting from its value. The following is a specimen of Glossic: Ingglish Glosik konvai'z whotever proanunsiai'shon iz inten'ded bei dhi reiter. Glosik buoks kan dhairfoar bee maid too impaar't risee'vd aurthoa'ipi too aul reederz. Research Glossic
A lady's-maid is a lady's personal servant, with similar duties to a gentleman's valet, but more numerous. A lady's-maid is responsible for dressing her mistress, ensuring her clothes are in good order, hairdressing her mistress and also repairing and producing some of her mistress' clothes. Mrs Beeton in her 1861 book 'Household Management' describes hairdressing as the most important part of the lady's-maid office. Research Lady's-Maid
A maid-of-all-work is a general domestic servant. They were typically employed by lower income households who could not afford a reticule of servants, and as such the maid-of-all-work carried out all the house work, from cooking to washing up, making beds, cleaning the fire places, making the beds, sweeping and cleaning. Research Maid-of-all-work
A valet is a domestic servant performing a general role as a man's personal attendant and also superintending the other servants, a lady employing a waiting-maid in a similar role. Within the hierarchy of domestic servants, the valet was almost at the top, receiving orders only directly from his master, dressing him, accompanying him on his journeys, being a confidant and generally 'right-hand man'. In her book 'Household Management', published in 1861, Mrs Beeton describes the duties of a valet as follows:
His day commences by seeing that his master's dressing-room is in order; that the housemaid has swept and dusted it properly; that the fire is lighted and burns cheerfully; and some time before his master is expected, he will do well to throw up the sash [open the window] to admit fresh air, closing it, however, in time to recover the temperature which he knows his master prefers. It is now his duty to place the body-linen on the horse before the fire, to be aired properly; to lay the trousers intended to be worn, carefully brushed and cleaned, on the back of his master's chair; while the coat and waistcoat, carefully brushed and folded, and the collar cleaned, are laid in their place ready to be put on when required. All the articles of the toilet should be in their places, the razors properly set and stropped, and hot water ready for use.
Gentlemen generally prefer performing the operation of shaving themselves, but a valet should be prepared to do it if required; and he should be a good hairdresser. Shaving over, he has to brush the hair, beard and moustache, where that appendage is encouraged, arranging the whole simply and gracefully, according to the age and style of the countenance. Every fortnight, or three weeks at the utmost, the hair should be cut, and the points of the whiskers trimmed as often as required. A good valet will now present the various articles of the toilet as they are wanted; afterwards, the body-linen. Neck-tie, which he will put on, if required, and, afterwards, waist-coat, coat, and boots, in suitable order, and carefully brushed and polished.
Having thus seen his master dressed, if he is about to go out, the valet will hand him his gloves, and hat, the latter well brushed on the outside with a soft brush, and wiped inside with a clean handkerchief, respectfully attend him to the door, and open it for him, and receive his last orders for the day.
He now proceeds to put everything in order in the dressing-room, cleans the combs and brushes, and brushes and folds up any clothes that may be left about the room, and puts them away in drawers.
Mrs Beeton goes on to describe how some gentlemen are indifferent to their clothes and appearance, and how it is the duty of the valet to select suitable clothes for his master and to check and ensure all clothes are clean, paying particular attention to collars which often become greasy and dirty. In addition, the valet liases with the tailor, perfumer and linen-draper.
The valet also dresses his master for dinner and any other occasion, and is awaiting his master's return to the house, ensuring that the master's drawing-room is properly ready with fire lit and candles prepared. Research Valet
John Bell was a Scottish surgeon. He was born in 1763 at Edinburgh 1763 and died in 1820. After completing his professional education he travelled for a short time in Russia and the north of Europe; and on his return to Edinburgh began to deliver extramural lectures on surgery and midwifery. These lectures, which he delivered between the years 1786 and 1796, were very highly esteemed, and speedily brought him into an extensive practice as a consulting and operating surgeon. His principal works are: The Anatomy of the Human Body, Discourses on the Nature and Cure of Wounds, The Principles of Surgery, and Letters on Professional Character, etc.
John Bell was a Scottish surgeon. He was born in 1763 at Edinburgh 1763 and died in 1820. After completing his professional education he travelled for a short time in Russia and the north of Europe; and on his return to Edinburgh began to deliver extramural lectures on surgery and midwifery. These lectures, which he delivered between the years 1786 and 1796, were very highly esteemed, and speedily brought him into an extensive practice as a consulting and operating surgeon. His principal works are: The Anatomy of the Human Body, Discourses on the Nature and Cure of Wounds, The Principles of Surgery, and Letters on Professional Character, etc.
John Bell was a Scottish surgeon. He was born in 1763 at Edinburgh 1763 and died in 1820. After completing his professional education he travelled for a short time in Russia and the north of Europe; and on his return to Edinburgh began to deliver extramural lectures on surgery and midwifery. These lectures, which he delivered between the years 1786 and 1796, were very highly esteemed, and speedily brought him into an extensive practice as a consulting and operating surgeon. His principal works are: The Anatomy of the Human Body, Discourses on the Nature and Cure of Wounds, The Principles of Surgery, and Letters on Professional Character, etc.
Abbreviations
Research Abigail
