Tag Archives: Victorian era

Precedence in Seating at Supper During the Regency Era

Posted on May 11, 2020 by

I often read in another’s author’s book about the guests for supper at Lord and Lady So-and-So supper party entered the room according to precedence, meaning according to rank/title, with the host escorting in the highest ranking female and the … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, food and drink, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Regency era, Regency romance, titles of aristocracy, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Heartsease, or The Brother’s Wife,” the Victorian Retelling of Austen’s “Mansfield Park”

Posted on May 8, 2020 by

Are you aware of the Victorian tale Heartsease, or the Brother’s Wife by Charlotte Mary Yonge? June Sturrock, editor of the Broadview Texts, gives us this summary of the story. “A very young, timid, but highly principled and religious girl from … Continue reading →

Posted in Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted on April 17, 2020 by

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

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

Posted on March 27, 2020 by

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: Non-Existent Legal Redress

Posted on March 20, 2020 by

Was there legal redress for the servants of Victorian households?  Although there was genuine concern for the conditions in which many of the servants operated, most claimed it was impossible to make laws to protect domestic servants. Those that were … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Life Below Stairs – The Expense of Keeping Servants

Posted on March 13, 2020 by

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: Rising with the Sun in Victorian England, Part II

Posted on February 28, 2020 by

Recently, we had a look at breakfast chores for servants in a Victorian household. See it HERE. Today, we carry on with other duties.  About a half hour after the household staff consumed their meager meal, the family was summoned … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, servant life, Seven Years' War, Uncategorized, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted on February 21, 2020 by

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: Compensation Beyond Salary for Work Done

Posted on February 12, 2020 by

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: Life as a Maid-of-all Work in Victorian England

Posted on February 7, 2020 by

Maids-of-all-Work were the “general,” rather than the exception in Victorian England. Women employed in these positions were expected to be a combination of housemaid, nurse, parlourmaid, and even cook if something happened to incapacitate the cook. They were expected to … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Britain, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments