For those who love love love etiquette
“In the home where guests are frequently entertained and where the hostess holds many formal social functions, servants are essential. Every family that can afford to do so, should have one, or two, or more servants according to social requirements an the appointments of the house. They should be well instructed in their duties and they should…
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It really is amazing just how much staff was needed to run a country home. We’re finally leaving the main house and now we’re headed outside. Coachman/ Chauffeur The coachman is in charge of the carriages and drives the family about. In a large household the first Coachman drove two horse teams and the second coachman…
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Well, here we are at part three, did you imagine that there were so many jobs serving one house and one family? The Kitchen The kitchen was its own personal fiefdom run by a chef or cook. Often cooks and housekeepers might be at odds with one another and those political struggles could infect the…
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So here we are, back looking at all the servants in a great house. For part two, we’re on to the woman who served as the back bone of any house, great or small. The Ladies The Housekeeper The housekeeper was in charge of the bedrooms and the servant’s quarters. She managed all the female employees, watched…
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When you watch Downton Abbey or any other period television program, you don’t begin to get the full picture of how much staff ran a stately home at the height of the Victorian and Edwardian periods. This is because television shows and films don’t have the time to show you every single person who would have…
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I want to talk about the people who populated the grand Victorian and Edwardian home, but first I need to mention the staff who always seem to go missing in period dramas. If you had owned a country house during the Victorian or Edwardian periods, you would have first and foremost hired a Land Steward…
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