how much did servants get paid downton abbey
Servants - The True Story Of Life Below Stairs starts on BBC Two on September 28. Thank you for visiting this blog. Historical archives reveal that countless footmen were called William, Henry or James, which were considered "acceptable" names. OF THE COACHING AGE, VOL. Joanne Froggatt plays Anna Bates on the show. Laundry MaidsA house the size of Downton generates huge amounts of laundry. And I also know they led relatively simple lives in terms of travel, leisure, etc. Which would mean female servants would have to be celibate or very careful. Anna has often received the worst cards in life. Although Downton Abbey follows only 11 of the upper servants closely, one can see other servants (housemaids, a scullery maid, young boys, coal men, and the like) in the background going about their business. Please read the rules before participating, as we remove all comments which break the rules. When her secret is uncovered the other servants are astounded how could anyone prefer working in as some faceless office over service in a great house? Mrs. Hughes was a friend to all of her staff, but she never allowed herself to be manipulated by her sympathies. Thomas is constantly rising in status in his role, eventually even taking on the duties of Butler come the end of the series. The neglected tombstone found in an overgrown burial ground. Nick BriggsCarnival Film & Television Ltd. By J.I. That was very interesting! 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! What you do is never sit on your laurels. See today's front and back pages, download the newspaper, order back issues and use the historic Daily Express newspaper archive. Despite the awful wages and conditions competition for places was fierce. Valeting, unlike what is implied in DA, involved more than helping on the clothes, it meant supervising the washing and cleaning, (many could not be laundered in these times, they were sponged and pressed which was the valets job), mending, polishing etc and it was here that most of the valeting time was consumed. In fact as a new BBC series reveals their lot could be miserable, degrading and exhausting. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. He is dedicated to working to the best of his ability (as long as he is awarded in return). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Sadly, falling in love with your employer's daughter isn't a great resume builder. The female staff are forbidden from smoking. 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. We've ranked the servants' job performances. Servants' thoughts have rarely been recorded, slaves' even less so. Baxter took on the role of Lady's Maid for the Countess of Grantham after Mrs. O'Brein's exit. Looking at all the staff of the series, here are the 10 best ranked on their job performance. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. It just gets its catastrophically wrong. Again, hosting events, parties and random BBC shows who want to film period pieces on your grounds might require him to have an assistant or two. Unless pregnant by a member of the household in which case they might also get paid off. This was a deliberate ploy to demonstrate that they were a class apart. Only the butler may answer the bell. The countess mistakenly thinks that OBrien is as fond of her as she is of her maid. Mrs. Reynolds no doubt received a tip from the Gardiners after showing the public rooms of Mr. Darcys great estate. Young, able servants were in a constant state of flux (they worked on average for 2-3 years before moving on), always looking for a better position, which they could acquire as long as their masters gave them good references. For example, the poet Lord Byron had a valet named James Brown. Downton Abbey as History | Foreign Affairs At this same time, there were about 700 families in England who could support large country homes. SOCIAL historian Dr Pamela Cox, who presents Servants - The True Story Of Life Below Stairs, says: "Country houses wouldn't have been able to function without a vast hidden army of servants. But perhaps most antique of all is the idea of life in a house full of servants, with two symbiotic. Second Footman Check but fail, in high class household is supposed to be as alike physically to first footman as to be twins. Always stand still when being spoken to by a lady and look at the person speaking to you. Never let your voice be heard by the ladies and gentlemen of the house. Staff was generational too: the more senior but still relatively young maids and footmen and underbutlers etc. The fact that Bates the valet was expected to fill in at even a small dinner is not something that would normally be case. Loved Downton! Tom was an Irish radical turn chauffeur for Downton Abbey. Privacy Policy. At the end of their stay with their hosts, guests paid servants a tip for their services. Servants should never offer any opinion to their employers, nor even to say good night. She earned the job after the reference from Thomas but was soon embroiled in blackmail due to her past. In smaller, middle-class homes in the cities servants were pushed into attics and dank basements to keep them apart from the family. Service at table, except in the lowest houses employing servants was never performed by female servants. Never talk to another servant in the presence of your mistress. In the worst homes life was little better than a form of silver-service slavery. Who owns the house in Downton Abbey? But, looking beyond that, he is one of the most dedicated staff members period. But I assure you they have the normal amount of servants that an estate of this size was expected to have, probably more, as you posted they just arent part of the story, to many speaking parts would get confusing and very difficult to follow all the drama for every servant, oh and eventually as everyone knows, Branson takes over as land agent later in the story. What It's Like to Work at the Real 'Downton Abbey' House Now in 2019 How wrong I was. Do Servants Still Exist In England? - FAQS Clear RELATED:Downton Abbey: 10 Couples That Would Have Made A Lot Of Sense (But Never Got Together). Matthew and Isobel did seem to live in Crawley House with a staff of only two, however, and Isobel seemed for a time to have only Mrs. Bird, and then Ethyl. 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. The Table cloths in the servants hall , the butlers room and the housekeepers parlor would not be washed as frequently but would add to the workload. Visitor numbers doubled, to 1,200 a day, as Downton Abbey, scripted by Julian Fellowes, came to be screened around the world after becoming a hit in the UK in 2010 and then in the US. Valet check, but see below under4thfootman. He gave his entire being to ensure that every event, whether it was a simple breakfast or a grand feast, went off without issue. Since he first started out as a footman, Carson was dedicated to the old ways that made a grand house work. Combining the pleasures of trashy soap operas with prestige historical fiction, "Downton Abbey" was a phenomenon when it first hit TV screens in 2010 (in the U.K.) and 2011 (in the U.S.). Hall boyto take cards in the hall, polish shoes and boots of visitors. Good eye! Alas and alack! Copyright Statement: Jane Austen's World blog, 2009-2022. My husband and I love it, and the people here. In Downton Abbey, the veteran actress plays Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham and mother of Lord Crawley. In reality, service in great houses was preferred over other jobs that were available during the 18th and 19th centuries, such as tedious and often dangerous labor in factories or backbreaking work on farms. Neame is now an ambassador for the GREAT Britain campaign, which is backed by government departments and the British Council, using it to promote the UK around the world. Our image of this. At the top stood the butler and housekeeper. II, By CHARLES G. HARPER. 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. Have you seen the television series with Laurie and Fry? Their commitment to their employers and the home they serve shows in the meals they provide, and the cleanliness of the estate. We do not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. While the servants of Downton Abbey are shown to be loyal and proud of their positions, the Punch cartoon below shows a group of shiftless servants who are slow to respond to their masters summons. ($860-$1,700) per year depending on age, height, appearance and abilities. Her total earningsare estimated to be around the $2million mark. This chauffeur can also read and has been given permission by the earl to check books out of his library. Servants: the True Story Of . Wodehouses works. STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE: A PICTURESQUE HISTORY Refuse and she would soon be packing her bags for an uncertain future without references. So much of it is about the personal relationships built with your coworkers and employer, as well as the commitment to go above and beyond. Youd still want a maid to do laundry and vacuum. based on what I've seen of Downton Abbey (which I assume to be relatively accurate). Thanks and courage, my friend. The Portal for Public History. servant salaries on Downton Abbey I guess Ill have to return to find out. The typical (median) domestic worker is paid $12.01 per hour, much less than other workers (who are paid $19.97 per hour). Did Highclere Castle have bathrooms? One male servant, footman/valet:To serve in the dining room, valet Matthew, and accompany Mrs Crawley as the lady of the house on her calls. During season two, Downton Abbey was turned into a convalescent home for soldiers. Drops Season 6 Trailer, Skating Highlights of the Week: Europeans and U.S. Nationals. Downton Abbey servants: New BBC series Servants: The True Story of Life Following the end of the series, she landed starring roles in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Disney's live-action Cinderella and Yesterday. Rob James-Collier as Thomas, First Footman.Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Quite a few young men found domestic service a good training ground and experience for other occupations. But have you ever wondered how much money they've made since the show began? The Real Reason Why Downton Abbey Was Canceled - TheList.com MORE:Where are the cast of Downton Abbey now? Each table cloth would be washed, starched and ironed after each use. Read the review of the book at this link. ), Thank you, JHarper2! Carriages are being replaced by automobiles, but the infrastructure for maintaining cars is not yet in place. Downton Abbeyfans have been loving watching reruns of the period drama on ITV ahead of the release of the highly-anticipated second movie, which is due out in early 2022. Do they still do it? Thomas Howes as William, the Second Footman. And there has been a deficit since the 1930s. RELATED:Downton Abbey: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters Of All Time. Anna maids the three daughters, plus different houses had different rules for daughters, some gave them maids and let them have breakfast in bed, others didnt, Downton is obviously the latter. Posted in jane austen, Movie review, PBS Movie Adaptation, Popular culture, Servants | Tagged Downton Abbey, Edwardian Country House, Edwardian servants, PBS Masterpiece Classic | 17 Comments. Downton Abbey: How much did Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith and more make Alongside his partner Mrs. Hughes, Carson becomes an even sweeter and softer version of his obstinate self. His net worth is believed to total $4 million. So, how much did slavery impact England? As head housemaid, she assists the daughters of the house with their hair and wardrobe, but she also performs the duties of a regular maid, dusting, cleaning, and changing the bed linen. The next time Im in one of these houses Ill take some pictures of the servants quarters to send you. It became fashionable for the up-and-coming middle classes to mimic the aristocracy and hire cooks, maids and housekeepers and tens of thousands of young people flocked from the countryside to work in town houses. 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). Alas and alack! A rule of thumb was that an income of at least 1,000 pounds per year was required, or the income from at least 1,000 acres of land. How many servants would a house like Downton Abbey have? A 'Tweeny' servant who worked seven days a week, from 5am until 10pm, and was paid 13 a year. We'll own up to our mistakes and will make the corrections with a polite smile on our faces.) As for Mr. Bates on Downton Abbey, I hope he is able to climb out of the hole hes landed in. forbidden love!). Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Sophie McShera as Daisy, Kitchen Maid. Lord Carnarvon said then: It was just after the banking crisis and it was gloom in all directions. Click on this link. His dedication to Downton was arguably stronger than even the family who lived in it. The castle has been one enormous character as well.. Alongside her eventual husband Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes was dedicated to running as strong a household staff as possible.