Sunday, October 4, 2009

Keeping Their Place by Pamela Sambrook

I'll confess straight away that my pinny doesn't come off its hook in the pantry every single day but often enough. Keeping Their Place: Domestic Service in the Country House by Pamela Sambrook arrived last week and I know this subject is one of interest to several so I'll share a bit of it with you. It's an excellent book for dipping in and out of, although I can see it as being one of those books that has you saying to yourself 'I'll get going after one more page' and you're still sitting there an hour later. There are chapters regarding the recruitment of servants, their accommodation and clothing, food and drink, recreation, relationships with other servants and employers, health, old age and death. Stories are largely told by the servants themselves through letters or journal entries, which are quite rare among this group. Dorothy Fudge at Colonel and Mrs Adam's, Marnhull 'There was only one bathroom, which we staff were not allowed to use, but when our employers were away we had a special treat of a hot bath every night! Otherwise, we maids had a hip bath in our bedrooms, which meant carrying the hot water up to them when we had a bath. We also had a basin, and a jug with cold water. On frosty mornings, the water in the jug had a thin layer of ice on it: it was lovely how warm it made me feel afterwards! But the other maids wouldn't wash until the breakfast was over and they were able to take hot water up to their rooms.' Edwin Lee on servants' food at Glynliven, Caernarvonshire 'Strangely the food for the staff at Glynliven was not good, consisting for the most part of a plain unappetising succession of stew-like meals. When I was first there we were only served one pudding a week, rice on Sundays, tacky stuff. Whether our old gentleman suddenly though that we'd moved into more enlightened times I don't know but after I'd been there a year we were allowed stewed fruit every Wednesday.' Sarah Sedgwick 'I was one of a family of ten. My father was one of the gardeners on a big estate...I was earning by the time I was twelve...Children were staying at the house, and I was engaged to take them for walks. I earned four shillings a week.' 'Although there was a laundress for large things, we did all the small washing, and the nappies, and of course all the children's mending. The clothes to be worn the next morning were always pressed over-night, but it was the ribbons that took the most time.' This book features a range of stories so it is not all frivolity below stairs nor is it misery and despair. You will find a bit of both and more. I laughed when I read of two servants trying to put out candles by spitting over a railing above! Quite gross but youth of a certain age will find fun wherever they can. In flipping through the letters and reminisces I could happily sit with this book, a pot of tea and some toast for the rest of the morning but I have work to do!

10 comments:

  1. This sounds fascinating, absolutely my sort of read. I always love the "below stairs" aspect of visiting stately homes most of all. How awful not to be able to wash before breakfast and to have to break the ice - I'm a home-comforts girl definitely need my hot shower in the morning!

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a visual of the candle spitting...sounds like something I would find my cousins doing and having great fun at it:) The upstairs/downstairs is something I have become more aware of since reading your blog (especially in the Wodehouse books). Often in the books I read, the line is blurred between the help and those they serve. I think a book like this would be a nice contrast to my fictionalized experiences.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh I love the sound of this! I am so interested in servants and their experiences. A lot of the big National Trust houses in the UK have opened the 'below stairs' sections now and explain about what it was like for the servants who were running such massive places and I find it fascinating. They had such rigid hierarchies and strange rules and regulations. I think this will be going on my Christmas list! Thanks for a lovely review Darlene!

    ReplyDelete
  4. verity, It does make for some fascinating reading indeed! One aspect that makes me tired to think about is the one evening off a week and one day off a month. I'm with you on the hot shower!

    Book Psmith, Where would Wooster be without Jeeves! I'm sure the 'below stairs' experience could vary quite a bit depending on who you worked for.

    Hooray for mischievous cousins!

    Rachel, Have you watched Gosford Park? The way the staff sat at table depended on the social status of their employer, that's fascinating stuff. I think you'd really enjoy this book, Rachel!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Darlene, Gosford Park is one of my favourite films! I love how pivotal the 'below stairs' staff are in the lives of the people they serve - they see and hear everything but say nothing...an ever watchful, ever listening, silent army...who are really far more powerful than their employers by virtue of the knowledge they have. There's a novel in there somewhere! One day I'll write it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rachel, If you wrote that book I would buy it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is definitely going on my wish list! I expect they must not have had any spare time for diary keeping or letter writing! Does the book center on a specific time period or it is more of a history of? Thanks for sharing the excerpts--what a hard life, but I find it so fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Danielle, There are some entries from the very late 1700's but the majority are early to mid 1800's. This book is made up mostly of letters and reminices of the servants themselves so it makes for highly addictive reading.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You sold me! This sounds great, thank you!

    ReplyDelete