Tag Archives: servants

Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, Part I

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

In the mid to late 1840s, many girls in service decided to make the arduous journey from England to Australian ports. One must remember that the journey took three to four months to complete, depending upon the weather and the … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, business, commerce, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Life Below Stairs – The ‘Pugs’ Procession of Precedence

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

A sense of status above stairs was to be expected among the aristocracy, but it was no less observed below stairs. For example, the lower servants often spoke poorly of the “Pug’s” Procession, which happened after the first course of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Life Below Stairs: Rising with the Sun in Victorian England ~ Part I

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Servants needed to be up and about their business long before the Master and the Mistress. For example, lower servants were up at 5 A.M. and at work minutes later. Most did not waste time in their rooms for they … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, history, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Life Below Stairs – Snobbery and Rules of Engagement

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Previously, we looked at what a servant in an upper house, or even in a second-class household, of the late Regency Period or early Victorian times, might encounter. We spoke of wages, delineation of duties, and additional compensation. Today, we … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, food and drink, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the UK, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Life Below Stairs ~ The Role of the Male Servant

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

  The English aristocrat often lived beyond his means. Maintaining country houses (often several of them) and a large Georgian town house in Mayfair took its toll on his purse strings. In addition to owning the property, Society forced him … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Life Below Stairs – The Valet

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Footmen as we learned the last time often thought to join the upper servants in the role of valet or butler. (We saw the character of Thomas Barrow work in all three positions in Downton Abbey.) Today we have a … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Life Below Stairs – The Expense of Keeping Servants

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

The landed aristocrats were VERY slow to give up the expenses of an extensive household staff. We saw that “plot” being used in the final season of Downton Abbey. It is said that the sixth Duke of Portland employed some … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Napoleonic Wars, Regency era, servant life, Uncategorized, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Life Below Stairs: Compensation Beyond Salary for Work Done

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Despite the sometimes less than desirable conditions under which many of those below stairs endured in service, there were other compensations. Servants learned their deference. They were “invisible,” while remaining upon display throughout most of their work days. As such, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian Era, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, the U. S., and Canada

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Regina Jeffers

Young girls who set out for Australia to earn a living as a domestic servant, opportunities to marry were not out of the question. In England, seduction ruled, but these young girls entered a different world, where they could consider … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Living in the UK, real life tales, servant life | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Tax Day During the late Georgian and Regency Periods

Posted on April 15, 2020 by Regina Jeffers

Today is tax day in the U.S. I paid mine in March. My tax receipts are sometimes 5 inches deep in paper. As a self-employed author and retired teacher, I save receipts for lodging, mileage, advertising, home office, technology, insurance … Continue reading →

Posted in British currency, British history, buildings and structures, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Inheritance, Living in the Regency | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments