THE CASTLE REALLY DID OPERATE AS A HOSPITAL DURING WORLD WAR I. Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Did servants get holidays? - Z Library Downton Abbey wouldn't survive without all the downstairs staff who work tirelessly day in and day out. One Scullery maid/tweenie. Servants: A life below stairs - BBC News What you do is never sit on your laurels. It's believed that she is worth $4million. Topics include Regency fashion, historic foods, Jane Austen societies, British sites, related topics. The laundry was in a different building and the laundry staff were seperate, so its no wonder you dont see them, but you really should watch the series over, if you watch the downstairs secnes theres about 20 or more extras running around behind all the servants who get a character. The same was true here. Oh, ah, let em ring again! by George Cruikshank. Wed come home and have to talk about whatever episode we just watched, etc. Forget cosy notions of Hudson the butler and Mrs Bridges the cook - this servitude was thankless, sweaty, backbreaking work. Downton Abbey: 10 Upstairs Memes That Will Have You Cry-Laughing, Downton Abbey: 10 Couples That Would Have Made A Lot Of Sense (But Never Got Together), Downton Abbey: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters Of All Time, Downton Abbey: 10 Hidden Details About Edith Crawley's Costume You Didn't Notice, Downton Abbey: 10 Actors You Forgot Were On The Show. We had been doing corporate functions, but it all became pretty sparse after that. The Portal for Public History. Just wondering assuming you could afford a house like Downton today, what would your staffing needs be now as compared to 1920? Servants who got pregnant were often fired and thrown out. Events include special Downton-themed receptions at British embassies. For all these great houses, you have to invest in them. Historical archives reveal that countless footmen were called William, Henry or James, which were considered "acceptable" names. June 27, 2021. DA has a huge cast by todays television standards (it is the closest thing we have to the old-time soap opera tradition, in both scale and plot devicesamnesia! http://files.stv.tv/img/galleries/downton-abbey-series-one/590331/DOWNTON_ABBEY_EP1_43.jpg. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. First Footman Check (if senior can fill underbutler role), also attends the lady of the house when making calls. For more information, please see our But by 2012 the Downton effect had begun to take the pressure off. Dan Stevens, who played Mary's husband, Matthew Crawley, was one of the first members of the cast for whom Hollywood came knocking. But have you ever wondered how much money they've made since the show began? But at the real Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle a stately pile owned by George Geordie Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon the financial outlook has rarely been brighter. RELATED:Downton Abbey: 10 Upstairs Memes That Will Have You Cry-Laughing. Sometimes experience trumps anything else. VisitBritains director, Patricia Yates, said: The links between tourism, films and TV are potent ones. She added that period dramas have also raised the popularity of regions outside of London. All rights reserved. Mr. Batess arrival creates a stir that causes the ladys maid and first footman to plot against him. Thomas, as a second footman, would have earned an annual salary $37,379.37 (in 2014 dollars). When disaster strikes, Daisy not only steps in but demonstrates that she is more than ready to step up the servant hierarchy. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. At all other times they were expected to remain invisible as they worked around the house, using the servants stairs and working in a room when the family was not expected to use it. In the pipeline is a Tutankhamun centenary event in 2022, 100 years after the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, with Howard Carter, discovered the tomb that revolutionised our understanding of Egyptology. Wodehouses works. 2-3 Parlor maids These maids work on the main floor public rooms and rarely if ever come in contact with the family. Due to SPAM, we will no longer accept comments on posts after 30 days of publication. (Do they mean the same thing? Although only her kitchen maid, Daisy, is seen as her regular assistant, there would have been others in a house this size. She is constantly working to better the lives of her peers and her employers no matter what. Downton shows relatively well how they spent their time and how they spent their money, but I'm still struggling to figure out what their economic status would be analogous to today. Second Footman Check but fail, in high class household is supposed to be as alike physically to first footman as to be twins. It is something I am passionate about; I am a really strong believer in soft power. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the show was reviewed extremely positively, and, even as it was still airing, creator Julian . While she had a rough exterior, it was never enough to overcome her talents and ethics. She begins to wonder if, by devoting her life to this household, she has missed out on managing one of her own. "The day would consist of doing breakfast maybe around 7 a.m., followed by elevenses, an 11 a.m. cocktail and biscuit, a 12:30 p.m. pre-lunch drink, lunch at 1 p.m. followed by coffee, then. Though some servants were married Samuel and Sarah Adams who wrote the Complete Servants come to mind most employers wouldnt hire married women and fired females who married. If you were in the business of doing events and hosting lots of parties, that maid staff would probably expand to two or three. In the background, a servant scoops coal.Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. 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While she brought a history of criminality to the house, her honesty was actually respected by Cora, earning her a higher spot on this list. "I got up at 5.30am to clean the fireplaces and front steps, polish the shoes and boots of everyone in the household. Era. Daisy was apprenticed to Mrs. Patmore, serving as second in command in the kitchens of Downton. Perhaps in the past an estate and house defined and supported the family and their lifestyle, but today it is quite the reverse: the challenge is how Geordie and I seek to support and look after Highclere. A first footman will serve as valet to the male guests if they arrive without a male servant. Mrs. Patmore was the lead cook at Downtown throughout the entire series, serving as a teacher to Daisy and feeding all the family and servants. In the background, a servant scoops coal.Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE Downton Abbey wouldn't survive without all the downstairs staff who work tirelessly day in and day out. Back of the house. They wore white gloves to serve at table to conceal their grubby hands. would be promoted into the households of the adult children, and grow old with them. Unless pregnant by a member of the household in which case they might also get paid off. Tatton Park, Baron Egerton's home in Knutsford, Cheshire, had some 40 indoor servants in the 1890s, while at Eaton Hall near Chester the Duke of Westminster employed 300 indoor and outdoor servants, among them more than 40 gardeners. Never talk to another servant in the presence of your mistress. Valet check, but see below under4thfootman. . Prior to the show, Hugh was known for his supporting roles in Notting Hill, Mansfield Park and Iris, which he starred in opposite Kate Winslet. No one at the time could have predicted that a fussy mini-series airing on PBS in this country would become a viral hit, but "Downton" soon became that rarest of things: A universal reference point. How much did domestic servants get paid? Elizabeth McGovern has $4million to her name. It just gets its catastrophically wrong. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. How many servants would a house like Downton Abbey have? We may receive books (physical or digitized) and DVDs for review purposes. Actually, I would prefer to see more actors less often, rather than the current DA model, where every actor appears in every episode. Carson leads the whole staff into battle every day at Downton and is constantly putting out fires. Youd still want Cook, and shed probably want an assistant. What were the wages of Downton Abbey-era servants? Where would this They were hired by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper or house steward. In the early seasons, Daisy is often more concerned with flights of fancy than her position, but as the series progresses, so do her priorities. One wonders if William will ever achieve that ambition, for times are changing and the aristocracy will be hard pressed to hang onto their lands and houses after the second world war. They had the ability to save a large portion of their salaries, or send money to support their families back home. He ranks second as the highest-paid star from the show, with $8million to his name. MORE:Downton Abbey star Maggie Smith looks incredible at start of career - see the gorgeous snaps. Only the butler may answer the bell. Any breakages or damage to the house will be deducted from wages. The kitchen in these great houses often sat away from the house (to prevent cooking smells from wafting up to the public and private rooms) and were connected to the main house via underground passages. We've ranked the servants' job performances. We have to compete with attractions like the London Dungeon., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Drops Season 6 Trailer, Skating Highlights of the Week: Europeans and U.S. Nationals. I wish him a long happy life with his true love, Anna. Thanks to the teachings of Mrs. Patmore, she soon is prepped to take on the role of lead cook one day. What kind of purchasing power did they have? My husband and I love it, and the people here. I love P.G. Passing her mistress on the stairs a servant was expected to "give room", which meant face the wall. Currently only the ground and first floors of Highclere, on the borders of Hampshire, are used. Servants' thoughts have rarely been recorded, slaves' even less so. I wage a one-man War against the forelock-tugging worship of all things that glorify a parasitic aristocracy and then am betrayed! That is more than worked on the land or in factories. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Joanne Froggatt as Anna, Head Housemaid. I looked up wage information, and found that a common yearly salary for a Butler like Carson would be roughly 55-70 (several sources - The Victorian Domestic Servant Hierarchy and Wage Scale and Mrs. Beeton's Household Management). Following the end of the series, she landed starring roles in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Disney's live-action Cinderella and Yesterday. So I guess what I mean when I say "what were the wages" I really mean "what did that actually mean?" But, although her personal life is often in shambles, it rarely gets in the way of her work at Downton. The kitchen maid would perform these offices if there were no tweeny or scullery maid. Mrs. Patmore is one of the most skilled cooks that the series ever confronts. servant salaries on Downton Abbey At the end of their stay with their hosts, guests paid servants a tip for their services. Occaisionally a servant who became pregnant by a member of The Family would be paid off (but also fired), depending. Housemaids would tread silently up the servant (back) stairs unseen and unheard with fresh water and carrying covered slop pails. Dowton Abbey, the series, highlights eleven servants who ran the household, but in 1912, Highclere Castle, where the exterior and interior shots were filmed, used the services of 25 maids, 14 footmen, and three chefs. ), Anna (Head maid) and Gwen (house maid) in their room. Breakfast at Downton Abbey. From reading Below Stairs by Margaret Powell is seems some employers made their servants to buy or make their own uniforms, and other provided them or parts of them (such as the cap). While Mrs. Hughes was dedicated fully to her work, no one was as dedicated to the house as Mr. Carson. One of the most interesting aspects of the show Downton Abbey is the way the servants have their own hierarchy that mirrors the strict hierarchy "above stairs." When the servants sit down to dinner, they sit according to their positions in the household, from Mr. Carson the butler right on down through the ranks to Daisy the scullery maid. Typical salaries were 20-30 pounds ($2,100-3,200) per year. Jim Carter as Mr. Carson, the Butler. The only time that the servants might be visible to family or guests was when they cleaned and polished the main halls and stairway. I've been watching the final season of Downton Abbey. The following is a list of the staff of Downton Abbey, past and present. Any resources you can refer that go beyond simple explanations but really examine this in-depth? OK seriously, this was a good post. He often has pitfalls, most recently so speaking out of turn in the presence of the King and Queen.
