Its been an amazing magic carpet ride for all of us, she said. Hugh Bonneville plays the head of the Crawley family, Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham. NEXT:Downton Abbey: 10 Actors You Forgot Were On The Show. Michelle Dockery is said to be worth $4million, MORE:11most devastating Downton Abbey moments, ranked. ), Anna (Head maid) and Gwen (house maid) in their room. Keep reading for all you need to know about the cast of Downton Abbey's incredible wealth WATCH:Are you looking forward to the second Downton Abbey film? Im hugely grateful. We are not nearly as proud of our achievements as we should be. What is the owner of a stable called? Although servants began their careers at the bottom, working menial jobs and catering to the upper servants as well as their masters, they could move up in the servant hierarchy. Alongside her eventual husband Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes was dedicated to running as strong a household staff as possible. They are: Click on their names to enter their own blogs. Molesley is decent at his duties but often falls into embarrassing situations. Mr. Batess arrival creates a stir that causes the ladys maid and first footman to plot against him. Allen Leech as Tom Branson, the Chauffeur. Wed come home and have to talk about whatever episode we just watched, etc. Who owns the house in Downton Abbey? Did Highclere Castle have bathrooms? While she was constantly working hard in her position, her past became an ultimate roadblock. A favourite maid's name was Sarah. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. How much did British servants make? I think Sarah retired from work to raise her family and only returned to domestic service when they were on their own. Express. I have thought about gathering my posts for publication, but, given my schedule, I must take a pass for now. Jim Carter appeared in many period dramas before Downton Abbey. Although only her kitchen maid, Daisy, is seen as her regular assistant, there would have been others in a house this size. Since room, board and uniforms were provided, a valet could save most or all of his money. Thank you, Karen! Back of the house. If all you could afford was a girl a couple days a week, you got one. Thomas Howes as William, the Second Footman. Servants worked 17-hour days with time off limited to church on Sunday morning and one afternoon a week. The servant class boomed in the late 19th century as the expanding empire and industrial revolution created new wealth. A ladys maid caters to her mistresses every whim, making sure that not one coat button is missing or one strand of hair is out of place. 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. 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). Sometimes experience trumps anything else. Ladys MaidsThere is one for Lady Grantham, but as all the daughters are out in society they should have maids too, at least one for Lady Mary, and one to be shared between the other two at the least. For a long time. When disaster strikes, Daisy not only steps in but demonstrates that she is more than ready to step up the servant hierarchy. June 27, 2021. 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. NCIS star Mark Harmon has a very famous niece, NCIS: LA teases long-awaited return of fan favorite character in upcoming episode ahead of finale, The Rookie's Titus Makin Jr. the real reason why he left the show. They had the ability to save a large portion of their salaries, or send money to support their families back home. The chances of a master being held to account were remote. Currently only the ground and first floors of Highclere, on the borders of Hampshire, are used. For all these great houses, you have to invest in them. Vic Sanborn, founder of this blog, is supported by a team of talented and knowledgeable writers about Jane Austen and the Regency era. One of the most interesting aspects of the show Downton Abbey is the way the servants have their own hierarchy that mirrors the strict hierarchy "above stairs." When the servants sit down to dinner, they sit according to their positions in the household, from Mr. Carson the butler right on down through the ranks to Daisy the scullery maid. 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! Domestic service, novelist and broadcaster JB Priestly declared in 1927, was "as obsolete as the horse" in an era of motor cars. Thomas is now Under Butler, and there are two footmen. While she brought a history of criminality to the house, her honesty was actually respected by Cora, earning her a higher spot on this list. Alfred was rarely at the forefront of proceedings, which makes him one of the best employees at Downtown. When Downton Abbey opens, the camera follows the servants as they rise and ready the house for the day. Dan Stevens, who played Mary's husband, Matthew Crawley, was one of the first members of the cast for whom Hollywood came knocking. The next time Im in one of these houses Ill take some pictures of the servants quarters to send you. Yet while their employers dined on nine-course meals costing up to six times a maid's annual wage employees were treated to the leftovers in the kitchen. He gave his entire being to ensure that every event, whether it was a simple breakfast or a grand feast, went off without issue. Refuse and she would soon be packing her bags for an uncertain future without references. forbidden love!). MORE:Where are the cast of Downton Abbey now? [] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vic . Afternoon tea, priced at around $60 per person, is still quite an occasion. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Its addictive! The Kitchen Maid: (Sophie McShera) Poor Daisy is at the bottom of the status ladder. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to C. S. Carley and castlesandcoffeehouses.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Pensioned off, but you worked until you were really old, and dying was a lot easier then anyway. But, although her personal life is often in shambles, it rarely gets in the way of her work at Downton. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. THE CASTLE REALLY DID OPERATE AS A HOSPITAL DURING WORLD WAR I. (They also received [], [] http://anibundel.com/2012/02/08/poor-crawleys-a-study-of-downton-abbeys-staffing-woes/ [], Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme. and our Downton only has 2-3 housemaids/maids of all work, thus is both understaffed and staffed at a lower level. The more important servants, known as "the Pugs", were waited on at dinner by their inferiors and ate from fine china. In real life, during World War I, the 5th . At the time, the waiters made a great show of clearing the tables by whisking the tablecloth OUT FROM UNDER the cups, plates, pots and tiered cake stand. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Ive already stated that I am going to cry at the Dowagers funeralsomething else I assume will will see in season three, I told you over at TNCs place, and Ill say it againMaggie Smith will never die, so you just stop that nonsense. There may be a difference between housemaid and parlourmaid uniforms, and perhaps differences in rank too. Alas and alack! But at the real Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle a stately pile owned by George Geordie Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon the financial outlook has rarely been brighter. England is another country. Answers must be in-depth and comprehensive, or they will be removed. We've ranked the servants' job performances. (Yes, we are fallible. Since he first started out as a footman, Carson was dedicated to the old ways that made a grand house work. The lower staff, and discussion on where all these servants are in Downton Abbey, after the jump. Hello, my name is Vic and I live in Maryland, USA. [] workers, actually earn more than the median U.S. worker. Such a close daily association often develops intimacy over time. We had been doing corporate functions, but it all became pretty sparse after that. The Ladys Maid: Siobhan Finneran plays OBrien as a cold, ruthless woman, who trusts no one. In the early seasons, Daisy is often more concerned with flights of fancy than her position, but as the series progresses, so do her priorities. The hotel is still one of the most elegant places to stay in London. King Charles III's coronation: How to watch and what time is it on? Michelle Dockery stars as eldest daughter Lady Mary and is also said to be worth $4million. Mrs. Hughes ran a tight ship with her staff, creating a culture of strong work ethic as well as personal respect. In addition to his managerial duties, he is shown in several scenes either polishing the silver or pouring over the books and counting the bottles of wine. In smaller, middle-class homes in the cities servants were pushed into attics and dank basements to keep them apart from the family. I have adored Jane Austen almost all of my life. And you, 30 year old actor playing a high schooler!). Has anybody read P.G. I know it's not an easy comparison to today, because they had room and board included in their wages. 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. So I guess what I mean when I say "what were the wages" I really mean "what did that actually mean?" According to Celebrity Net Worth, she has amassed an incredible fortune and is said to be worth an estimated $20million. Breakfast at Downton Abbey. Inquiring readers, from now until the U.S. airing of Downton Abbey, this blog will explore the facets of living in an English country house during the Edwardian era, and drawing upon the similarity and differences between the Edwardian and Regency eras. How much was Cora's dowry? Id noticed before the maids uniforms dont quite match. 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. Servants who got pregnant were often fired and thrown out. The year after leaving the ITV series, Dan landed his first leading role in a film in 2014 thriller The Guest, following by a part in the Night at the Museum sequel and Disney's live-action Beauty. Mr. Molesley began as a butler for the Crawley Houseserving Isobel and Matthew Crawley. We have to compete with attractions like the London Dungeon., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. I cant wait to see Downton Abbey. Someeven became proprietors of public houses. No other member of the Downtown staff, not even Mrs. Hughes, gave more to their work than he did. The hierarchy among the servants was strictly defined. 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.). Cookie Notice I don't think an inflation calculator can accurately communicate what those numbers really signified. The servant bells behind William, the second footman. There are many things about Downton Abbey that evoke a bygone erathe costumes, of course, and the cars, not to mention the clipped diction, the proper manners, and the attitudes toward sex and class. Each napkin likewise. Servants were not allowed to marry of have children of their own. One period household manual gave this advice to employers: "By not acknowledging them you will spare them the shame of explaining their presence.". The first break was usually taken mid-morning and involved a drink. See also. Also, could not some of the servants live in town? The First Footman: Thomas (Rob James-Collier) is a piece of work. This meant that the food often arrived at the dining table cold or, at best, lukewarm. I hadnt noticed that. Having a butler to buttle and function as house manager would be good, considering that in todays world, Husband and Wife would have the kind of two-salary high powered jobs that can afford that size house. Surprisingly, Downton Abbey was positively frugal in comparison to that estimate, though the series was largely filmed before the cost of filming TV shows began to skyrocket thanks to the rise of streaming giants (per Variety). The viewer will be struck by the sheer volume and variety of dishes that she creates and oversees daily. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Subject to the cooks every whim (and to the housekeepers and anyone else who happens nearby) she goes about her duties cheerfully. Write us at. Towards this end, she has been secretly taking typing courses. Downton shows relatively well how they spent their time and how they spent their money, but I'm still struggling to figure out what their economic status would be analogous to today. RELATED:Downton Abbey: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters Of All Time. However, her portrayal of Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham, is perhaps her most memorable role to date. Scan this QR code to download the app now, The Victorian Domestic Servant Hierarchy and Wage Scale. This was a deliberate ploy to demonstrate that they were a class apart. However, we do accept and keep books and CDs to review. They wore white gloves to serve at table to conceal their grubby hands. He often has pitfalls, most recently so speaking out of turn in the presence of the King and Queen. But Downton Abbey is a great house, and there are servants aplenty. By the end of the 19th century, the time of servants . A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. Estate manager (agent) Jarvis (1880-1920) Tom Branson (1920-24, since 1925) Mary Talbot (since 1925) Henry Talbot . Yet Gwen represents the future, in which political and socio-economic changes for women will end their dependency on the men of their family and force many to start fending for themselves. (Hugh Bonneville) in the Julian Fellowes period drama Downton Abbey. Its given us a wonderful marketing platform, an international profile. They run about 30 pages and are packed with information. What were the wages of Downton Abbey-era servants? I suppose they are buying them as needed from the shops rather than having them made to match, or even expecting the maids to sew their own to a matching pattern. Though some servants were married Samuel and Sarah Adams who wrote the Complete Servants come to mind most employers wouldnt hire married women and fired females who married. Yet service allows him to better himself and someday work his way up to the position of butler. Youd still want a maid to do laundry and vacuum. [] Downstairs in Downton Abbey: TheServants [], [] Downstairs in Downton Abbey: The Servants []. This was the youngest (12-16) and weakest and least well paid of the servants. The price includes piano entertainment and an unlimited supply of little sandwiches, scones and cakes which are served graciously for as long as the customer wants to sit there basking in luxury. Fox Refuses to Worry Publicly About Idol or XFactor, Domestic Servant Hierarchy and Wage Scale, Project Runway Season 10: The Wrong Ones Leave, Downton Abbey Season 5: As Jolly As You Like, Downton Abbey Season Two: Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time, http://files.stv.tv/img/galleries/downton-abbey-series-one/590331/DOWNTON_ABBEY_EP1_43.jpg, How 'Downton Abbey' Shows Income Inequality Doesn't Matter | Acton PowerBlog, DOWNSTAIRS AT DOWNTON: THE MEN | D.E. STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE: A PICTURESQUE HISTORY The Portal for Public History. Unfortunately, I don't know that we know much about how servants and slaves in England viewed each other. Servants were often left utterly exhausted but they had no unions or employment rights.". Jim Carter as Mr. Carson, the Butler. In some stately homes such as Petworth in West Sussex hidden passages kept servants separate from family members to spare them the embarrassment of encountering this under-class. 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. The Valet: (Brendan Coyle) In small households, such as Matthew Crawleys, the position of butler and valet was combined. Unlike their poorly paid counterparts, servants were housed and fed by their masters. Some years ago, I had tea there. A first footman will serve as valet to the male guests if they arrive without a male servant. 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. 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. No one at the time could have predicted that a fussy mini-series airing on PBS in this country would become a viral hit, but "Downton" soon became that rarest of things: A universal reference point. It made me wonder what sort of money they made and how that would be reflected in their lifestyles. Downton Abbey irritates me immensely because its central theme is the interplay between the family and the servants. Maybe well find out more about the family finances in season III, when Coras mother appears. Servants - The True Story Of Life Below Stairs starts on BBC Two on September 28. Head Housemaid: Joanne Froggatt as Anna is a pretty, quiet, and dependable presence. (Read more about this topic in my post, Hiring Servants in the Regency Era and Later. Marvelous Mrs Maisel: will Lenny Bruces death be depicted in season 5? Sigh. Oddjob mandoes heavy lifting in the house, replaces oil in lamps, carries logs for the parlormaids to make fires in the main floor fireplaces, carries logs for the chambermaids to look after the fireplaces in the family and visitor bedrooms, can help maids carry up hot water for baths (piped hot water was so rare as to practically never happen). One housemaid (to perform the duties of both Chambermaid and Parlor maid). She works with a positive attitude and champions those who need defending. But was this always the case? The accounts of Highclere Enterprises for 2014-15 show current assets have almost trebled to around 1m since 2012. Even if the first episode, as we follow Thomas around the house collecting up glasses, there are a number of servants that are un-named doing various jobs. Carriages are being replaced by automobiles, but the infrastructure for maintaining cars is not yet in place. We may receive books (physical or digitized) and DVDs for review purposes. Scullery maids, cleaned and washed up in the separate scullery area. Archived post. Love thomas, hes hot, hope I can find one that looks like him, Great BLOG I LIKE AND I COPY IN MY BLOG, [] also found lots of good articles on the downstairs staff and on Downton Abbey over at Jane Austens World blog [], [] a full explanation of who does what below the stairs, Id recommend reading this post on the blog, Jane Austens []. made them look like twins. I wish him a long happy life with his true love, Anna. As for Mr. Bates on Downton Abbey, I hope he is able to climb out of the hole hes landed in. A stoic and capable man who served the earl as batman during the war, he must perform his duties of dressing the earl and seeing to his wardrobe regardless of the war injury that requires him to use a cane. MORE:Downton Abbey star Maggie Smith looks incredible at start of career - see the gorgeous snaps. No servant is to take any knives or forks or other article, nor on any account to remove any provisions, nor ale or beer out of the hall. Bizarrely in another stripping away of identity they were sometimes given generic names. Now I will feel so much more in tune with whats going on in it. While Mrs. Hughes was dedicated fully to her work, no one was as dedicated to the house as Mr. Carson. 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. . Love this post, Vic. Downton has about six housemaids who do all duties of parlour and chamber, theres about 3-5 kitchen maids besides Daisy, who, poor darling, is the scullery maid I think, in additon to being a VERY young undercook, she couldnt have been much older than 14 at the start, probably younger, the footmen, you are quite correct on that mark. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jane Austen's World with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Historical archives reveal that countless footmen were called William, Henry or James, which were considered "acceptable" names. The Chauffeur: Allen Leech asTom Branson, the chaffeur, demonstrates how very different Edwardian England is from Regency England. Housemaids would tread silently up the servant (back) stairs unseen and unheard with fresh water and carrying covered slop pails. It's believed that she is worth $4million. Youd still want Cook, and shed probably want an assistant. At all other times they were expected to remain invisible as they worked around the house, using the servants stairs and working in a room when the family was not expected to use it. VisitBritain estimates that nearly 30% of foreign visitors, or nearly nine million people, include castles and historic houses on their. Some servants suffered terrible abuse including beatings and rape. 2-3 Chambermaids These maids work solely on the bedroom floor and in contact with the family (because of the bedrooms. If this is explored later in the series for those who have watched, how accurate is the portrayal? At the turn of the 20th century when the population of Britain was only 36million there were 1.5million servants. Forget the polished image of Downton Abbey, life below stairs was sadistic and miserable. Except I guess we do, since each episode seems to span months, and sometimes years. http://files.stv.tv/img/galleries/downton-abbey-series-one/590331/DOWNTON_ABBEY_EP1_43.jpg. Forget cosy notions of Hudson the butler and Mrs Bridges the cook - this servitude was thankless, sweaty, backbreaking work. . Downton Abbey: 10 Upstairs Memes That Will Have You Cry-Laughing, Downton Abbey: 10 Couples That Would Have Made A Lot Of Sense (But Never Got Together), Downton Abbey: 10 Most Hated Supporting Characters Of All Time, Downton Abbey: 10 Hidden Details About Edith Crawley's Costume You Didn't Notice, Downton Abbey: 10 Actors You Forgot Were On The Show. Credit: Courtesy of Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE. 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. Like this story? For example, when Lady Sybil comes down to the kitchen to be taught to cook during series 2, there are several other kitchen maids, in addition to Daisy, around. I am a proud lifetime member of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Quite a few went on to work in inns or hotels. The Crawleys Manchester house was well furnished (what we saw of it) and fashionably furnished, so they redecorated within the last 5/10 years, they still had all their tea sets and china and silver. How much did Downton Abbey servants make? porky pig sings bad to the bone, harford county obituaries 2022, basin electric power cooperative ceo salary,