tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740569507462865624.post6579649241459325396..comments2024-01-27T01:51:07.872-08:00Comments on Jot101: Domestic Servants and the Law (UK 1930s)Jot101http://www.blogger.com/profile/04163335378108954329noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740569507462865624.post-5588620113994997842015-03-25T17:19:29.475-07:002015-03-25T17:19:29.475-07:00"Every time I hear someone on the Antiques Ro..."Every time I hear someone on the Antiques Roadshow say that a piece of silver or a Ming vase was given to their great-aunt for her loyal service as a maid"<br /><br /> I always find that immensely amusing - I wonder if the 'owners' actually believe these households summarily stripped themselves of possessions acting as a gift-shop for departing employees?!<br /><br />The other staple backstory is the gift that was given in recognition of a kindness to "an old neighbour we used to help"...the 'help' presumably being of the 'themselves' persuasion, and to anything they could squirrel out of the poor soul's house.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6740569507462865624.post-53855967728141407932015-03-25T16:11:00.475-07:002015-03-25T16:11:00.475-07:001932 was certainly late in the game for the age of...1932 was certainly late in the game for the age of household servants. My grandfather was a butler from 1917 until 1962 in houses of varying degrees of grandness and had endless stories about the drama that went on among the rotating hordes of footmen, housekeepers, maids, etc. He never had a negative word to say about his employers, as stingy or eccentric as they probably were, but he had much to say about the misbehaviour of staff under his watch. According to him, everything went to hell in a hand basket during and after the war when life "in service" became less appealing than ever. Due to the great shortage of staff, much was forgiven, from near ineptitude to moderate drunkenness, especially among positions that were vital to the basic running of a great house such as a housekeeper, cook, or gardener. In the 1930's, footmen were virtually extinct, even in the 100-room house he managed at the time, unless paid exorbitant sums. Maids of all stripes gave him the most trouble and he remained perplexed until the day he died that so many of them gave up regular pay, room, and board during such difficult financial times for a multitude of reasons, usually mild criticism over their job performance. Even the few remaining country houses that operated on a relatively grand scale in the 1930's and 1940's often had to take on staff devoid of any experience and who bristled at class distinction. He recalled one maid, who on her first day, managed to stain an Aubusson with red wine, break a pair of Meissen vases while dusting, and fall asleep in her employer's bed during an unauthorised break. She stormed out when my grandfather and the equally exasperated housekeeper pointed out her errors. As far as a "wrongfully dismissed servant taking action for damages"...Well, the employer almost always had the upper hand because a good reference was vital to securing any future job upon leaving, but it was quite common for a disgruntled servant to leave with something of value, usually small enough to fit in a small piece of luggage, to serve as "damages."<br />Every time I hear someone on the Antiques Roadshow say that a piece of silver or a Ming vase was given to their great-aunt for her loyal service as a maid I smile and remember many an ending to one of my grandfather's stories: "After she stormed out, we discovered that the silver cruet set/Elizabethan spoon/Cartier travel clock left with her!"<br />He would have found Downton Abbey about as realistic as a Disney film about mermaids. I wish he had written a book.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com