Duties of the scullery maid included the most physical and demanding tasks in the kitchen such as cleaning and scouring the floor, stoves, sinks, pots, and dishes. After scouring the plates in the scullery, she would leave them on racks to dry.
What hours in the day did a scullery maid work?
These young women were the ones who swept, dusted, polished, cleaned, washed, fetched and carried from early morning till late at night. In Frank Dawes’ book Not In Front of the Servants, he gives a schedule of the week for maids that has them working from 6:30 am till 10:00 pm with one half-day off a week.
Where did scullery maids sleep?
attic floor
Housemaids, scullery maids and kitchen maids slept on the attic floor of the house. Two to a room, in some houses they even shared beds.
What did a scullery maid do in Victorian times?
A kitchen maid in Victorian England was also called a scullery maid and performed the most strenuous tasks in the kitchen such as mopping, scouring surfaces, and cleaning dishes.
What did Scullions do?
A scullion was responsible for the heavy cleaning of pans, utensils, and pots. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a scullion was a male servant hired to do menial jobs around the house, especially in the kitchen.
Why is it called a scullery maid?
In Great Britain and the United States, houses built before 1920 often had sculleries located in the rear of a house. “Scullery” comes from the Latin word scutella, meaning tray or platter. Wealthy families who entertained would have to maintain stacks of china and sterling silver would need regular cleaning.
What did a still room maid do?
The still-room maid is a female servant who works in the still room, the functional room in a great house in which drinks and jams are made. The still-room maid is a junior servant, and as a member of the between staff, reports to both the housekeeper and the cook.
Who did a scullery maid work for?
Description. The scullery maid reported (through the kitchen maid) to the cook or chef. Along with the junior kitchen-maid, the scullery maid did not eat at the communal servants’ dining hall table, but in the kitchen in order to keep an eye on the food that was still cooking.
Did servants get time off?
Servants worked 17-hour days with time off limited to church on Sunday morning and one afternoon a week. SOCIAL historian Dr Pamela Cox, who presents Servants – The True Story Of Life Below Stairs, says: “Country houses wouldn’t have been able to function without a vast hidden army of servants.
How much did servants get paid?
The average servant earned a mere 25 pounds a year or $2,700 in today’s economy.
What is hot plate in hotel?
HOT PLATE. The hot plate may be regarded as the meeting point b/w the food service staff (Food and Beverage) and the food preparation staff (kitchen). This is a place where all the crockery required for service will be kept warm.
What is a still room in a castle?
The still room is a distillery room found in most great houses, castles or large establishments throughout Europe dating back at least to medieval times.
What is silver room or plate room?
In larger establishments the silver room or the plate room, as it is sometimes known, is a separate service area controlled by the kitchen stewarding supervisor. They take care of all the silverwares and the china wares stored in the silver room and are also responsible for silver polishing.
What is the difference between kitchen and scullery?
As nouns the difference between kitchen and scullery
is that kitchen is a room or area for preparing food while scullery is (formerly) a small room, next to a kitchen, where washing up and other domestic chores are done.
What time did kitchen maids get up?
9–11am. The kitchen maid cooks and sends up the family breakfasts, while the scullery man washes up all the pans, dishes and china – but not the glasses and silver, which are washed solely by the footmen.
What would scullery maids wear?
The kitchen and scullery maids wore this uniform at all times. The Cook, the Housekeeper, Mrs Coombs, wore all white, dress, apron, no cap, large white belt, with a bunch of keys always dangling.
Is a scullery a utility room?
A scullery is a small room which adjoins a kitchen. These rooms can be used for a variety of household tasks, ranging from doing laundry to washing dishes, and in a sense a scullery is a sort of utility room.
Where is a scullery in a house?
A scullery is a small kitchen or room at the back of the house used for washing dishes and other dirty household work.
How much did a footman get paid?
The salaries of Footmen in the US range from $18,780 to $49,960 , with a median salary of $27,950 . The middle 50% of Footmen makes $27,950, with the top 75% making $49,960.
Do families still live like Downton Abbey?
Hughes and the rest of the staff at Downton Abbey still exist today. Many of the great houses of England prevail (though they are as likely to be occupied by international billionaires with superyachts as they are by aristocrats).
Do butlers still exist?
And although those butlers do still exist, times have changed. And the Butler profession has developed and evolved with it! You might be surprised to hear it, but a Butler is still very relevant in modern society. They might look a little different, and have some different tasks.
How much did servants make in Downton Abbey?
They were hired by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper or house steward. Typical salaries were 20-30 pounds ($2,100-3,200) per year.
What did a footman do?
Usually the footmen performed a range of duties which included serving meals, opening and closing doors, carrying heavy items, or moving furniture for the housemaid to clean behind. The footmen might also double as valets, especially for visiting guests.
What’s the difference between a footman and a butler?
Traditionally, male servants (such as footmen) were better paid and of higher status than female servants. The butler, as the senior male servant, has the highest servant status. He can also sometimes function as a chauffeur.
What was the hierarchy of servants?
The butler, or the house steward, supervised the male servants such as the footmen and valets, while the housekeeper supervised the maids. Under her, the cook was in charge of a brigade of kitchen maids, scullery maids, and stillroom maids.
What’s the difference between a footman and a valet?
As nouns the difference between footman and valet
is that footman is (label) a soldier who marches and fights on foot; a foot soldier while valet is a man’s personal male attendant, responsible for his clothes and appearance.
What do maids call their master’s daughter?
The Master and Mistress of the House should be addressed as “Sir” and “My Lady” respectively. The eldest son should be addressed as “Mister Jonathan” and the youngest son as “Master Guy”.
How much did a ladies maid make?
She notes that a housekeeper for a zillionaire may earn up to $60,000 a year (the industry median salary is less than $20,000), but a “lady’s maid” can take in $75,000. Full-time butlers can earn $70,000 a year, and some who travel around with a family on yachts or private jets could earn as much as $200,000 a year.
How much were servants paid in the 1920s?
They were hired by the Lady and Master of the house rather than by the butler, housekeeper or house steward. Typical salaries were £20-30 (£1000-£1800) per year.
What were board wages?
Board wages were monies paid in lieu of meals and were paid in addition to a servants normal salary.
What did servants eat in Victorian times?
For breakfast, the servants ate bread and meat, the meat carved by the cook from the previous day’s roast or served in a slice of cold pie. Alternatively, they ate porridge, followed by bacon and eggs.
Where do the servants sleep in Downton Abbey?
Interior, Upstairs Downstairs web page. Notice the tiny garret bedrooms. In this image, you can see the small garret rooms reserved for servants in the attic of a townhouse. Men’s and women’s quarters were separated, as in Downton Abbey, with the women’s quarters called the virgin’s wing.
Can Butlers marry?
Employers generally prefer their butlers to be single. It is felt that butlers with wives can be torn between their loyalties towards their families and their master. A butler without any family commitments of his own is therefore able to devote himself entirely to the needs of the family he serves.