I am always amazed at the youth of servants and sometimes their great distance from home. Is there a good article on this subject or does someone want to opine on this topic. How were these people "hired" did they answer adverts in the paper, through family, relations, it just seems odd to me that 13 year old children were let out to service. What were they paid? Etc. Cheers Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 3:04 AM Subject: ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM Digest, Vol 3, Issue 270 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > _____________________________________________ > > Have you considered adding "postems" to "your" events on > www.freebmd.org.uk , giving your contact details? Other researchers will > then be able to make contact. Click on the info button to add your postem. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Today's Topics: > > 1. 1901 Birmingham look up request. (rayb) > 2. Re: 1901 Birmingham look up request. (Reg Wesson) > 3. Re: 1901 Birmingham look up request. (David Carr) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > To contact the ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM list administrator, send an email to > [email protected] > > To post a message to the ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM mailing list, send an email > to [email protected] > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the > email with no additional text. >

Ken: Many "servants", particularly in lower and middle income families, were actually relatives - nephews, nieces, or cousins. People were usually happy to have one less mouth to feed. Of course, in the wealthier families this didn't apply. There is where servants are most often found from considerable distances away, and this was sometimes because the family had more than one residence around the country, and the servants moved between them. Best wishes Paul Prescott ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ken Poole" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 1:49 PM Subject: [B'ham] Servants >I am always amazed at the youth of servants and sometimes their great > distance from > home. Is there a good article on this subject or does someone want to > opine > on this > topic. How were these people "hired" did they answer adverts in the > paper, > through > family, relations, it just seems odd to me that 13 year old children were > let out to service. > What were they paid? Etc. > Cheers > Ken > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 3:04 AM > Subject: ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM Digest, Vol 3, Issue 270 > > >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >> _____________________________________________ >> >> Have you considered adding "postems" to "your" events on >> www.freebmd.org.uk , giving your contact details? Other researchers will >> then be able to make contact. Click on the info button to add your >> postem. >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. 1901 Birmingham look up request. (rayb) >> 2. Re: 1901 Birmingham look up request. (Reg Wesson) >> 3. Re: 1901 Birmingham look up request. (David Carr) >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >> To contact the ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM list administrator, send an email to >> [email protected] >> >> To post a message to the ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM mailing list, send an email >> to [email protected] >> >> __________________________________________________________ >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> [email protected] >> with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the >> body >> of the >> email with no additional text. >> > > > _____________________________________________ > _____________________________________________ > > Have you considered adding "postems" to "your" events on > www.freebmd.org.uk , giving your contact details? Other researchers will > then be able to make contact. Click on the info button to add your postem. > > Any problems, please contact the List Admin: > [email protected] > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Hi Ken, Although there was a 'requirement' for children to go to school, very often parents could not afford to send them. Consequently many young children were put into service or gained employment as 'errand boys', thus they were less of a burden upon their parents who were struggling to make ends meet. Whilst I am not fully familiar with the agency in question, I am aware of a service in Birmingham during the late 1800's that acted as an agency for servants. Regards Jan > From: [email protected]> To: [email protected]> Date: Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:49:08 -0400> Subject: [B'ham] Servants> > I am always amazed at the youth of servants and sometimes their great > distance from> home. Is there a good article on this subject or does someone want to opine > on this> topic. How were these people "hired" did they answer adverts in the paper, > through> family, relations, it just seems odd to me that 13 year old children were > let out to service.> What were they paid? Etc.> Cheers> Ken> ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[email protected]>> To: <[email protected]>> Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 3:04 AM> Subject: ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM Digest, Vol 3, Issue 270> > > >> > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------> > > > _____________________________________________> >> > Have you considered adding "postems" to "your" events on > > www.freebmd.org.uk , giving your contact details? Other researchers will > > then be able to make contact. Click on the info button to add your postem.> >> > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------> > > > Today's Topics:> >> > 1. 1901 Birmingham look up request. (rayb)> > 2. Re: 1901 Birmingham look up request. (Reg Wesson)> > 3. Re: 1901 Birmingham look up request. (David Carr)> >> > > --------------------------------------------------------------------------------> > > > To contact the ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM list administrator, send an email to> > [email protected]> >> > To post a message to the ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM mailing list, send an email > > to [email protected]> >> > __________________________________________________________> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > [email protected]> > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > > of the> > email with no additional text.> > > > > _____________________________________________> _____________________________________________> > Have you considered adding "postems" to "your" events on www.freebmd.org.uk , giving your contact details? Other researchers will then be able to make contact. Click on the info button to add your postem.> > Any problems, please contact the List Admin: [email protected]> -------------------------------> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _________________________________________________________________ http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000007ukm/direct/01/

<it just seems odd to me that 13 year old children were let out to service.> 13 year olds were not necessarily viewed as children. Depending on the year you are referring to girls for instance were already of a marriageable age, with parental consent. Chris

Ken Poole wrote Sunday, June 22, 2008 1:49 PM Subject: [B'ham] Servants " I am always amazed at the youth of servants and sometimes their great > distance from > home. How were these people "hired" it just seems odd to me that 13 year old children were > let out to service.What were they paid? Etc." Hi Ken, My mother was in service from age about 14 years. Initially locally where she was a general maid and was paid fourteen shillings per calendar month. This would have been in around 1922/1923 in Berkshire. Her Dad's next door neighbour's daughter had a post in London and when another became vacant in the "big house" my mother wenr for interview and got the job as a parlour maid. She was paid £3.00 per calendar month, she was thrilled about this enormous raise. This was in central London and around 1924. I imagine most of those employed got the jobs by knowing someone already in the house. However it would be interesting to know if there was some other way. I also imagine that late eighteenth century pay would have been a lot less than my mother got. For country girls there was little other employment available and the families often could not afford to keep them at home. My paternal great grandmother was born in Cornwall in 1843 but was "in service" in London when she married in 1867. Barbara

My sixpence worth! There is a magazine on the market today which has been running since at least the 1920,s, called The Lady. It is aimed at people wishing to do "service" type work. For example carers for elderly and disabled. This magazine still carries advertisements for nannies, housekeepers, butlers, gardeners/handymen and the like. I am sure the newspapers would have carried advertisements for domestic staff in the 1920's. Lynette Surrey -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Barbara Clarke Sent: 22 June 2008 18:01 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [B'ham] Servants Ken Poole wrote Sunday, June 22, 2008 1:49 PM Subject: [B'ham] Servants " I am always amazed at the youth of servants and sometimes their great > distance from > home. How were these people "hired" it just seems odd to me that 13 year old children were > let out to service.What were they paid? Etc." Hi Ken, My mother was in service from age about 14 years. Initially locally where she was a general maid and was paid fourteen shillings per calendar month. This would have been in around 1922/1923 in Berkshire. Her Dad's next door neighbour's daughter had a post in London and when another became vacant in the "big house" my mother wenr for interview and got the job as a parlour maid. She was paid £3.00 per calendar month, she was thrilled about this enormous raise. This was in central London and around 1924. I imagine most of those employed got the jobs by knowing someone already in the house. However it would be interesting to know if there was some other way. I also imagine that late eighteenth century pay would have been a lot less than my mother got. For country girls there was little other employment available and the families often could not afford to keep them at home. My paternal great grandmother was born in Cornwall in 1843 but was "in service" in London when she married in 1867. Barbara _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Have you considered adding "postems" to "your" events on www.freebmd.org.uk , giving your contact details? Other researchers will then be able to make contact. Click on the info button to add your postem. Any problems, please contact the List Admin: [email protected] ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message