The Servants' Story: Managing a Great Country House by Pamela Sambrook
| The Servants' Story: Managing a Great Country House by Pamela Sambrook | |
|
| |
| Category: History | |
| |
Reviewer: John Van der Kiste
 | |
| Summary: The lives of aristocratic families, as well as their ancestral bricks and mortar, have filled many a recent book. It therefore makes a pleasant change to read about the other side of the picture. Ms Sambrook has trawled painstakingly through a vast archive relating to the lives of the servants at Trentham, the Staffordshire home of the Leveson-Gower family, the Dukes of Sutherland, who were said in the mid-nineteenth century to be the richest non-royal family in Britain. In doing so, she has brought an often unexplored part of our history to life very well. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 304 | Date: November 2016 |
| Publisher: Amberley | |
| ISBN: 978-1445654201 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
The lives of aristocratic families, as well as their ancestral bricks and mortar, have filled many a recent book. It therefore makes a pleasant change to read about the other side of the picture. Ms Sambrook has trawled painstakingly through a vast archive relating to the lives of the servants at Trentham, the Staffordshire home of the Leveson-Gower family, the Dukes of Sutherland, who were said in the mid-nineteenth century to be the richest non-royal family in Britain. In doing so, she has brought an often unexplored part of our history to life very well.
The family and Trentham estate were looked after by a large and loyal staff, comprising servants and managers. Although the social structure was a very strict one in the early nineteenth century, it appears from the archive and from supplementary material gleaned from other records of family histories that the Sutherlands were good, kindly employers who looked after everyone well and ensured as far as possible that they lived in comfortable quarters during their working days, and when the time came, were granted fair pensions that enabled them to enjoy a reasonable standard of living in retirement. There is considerable detail about their wages, food, drink, clothing and furniture provided in their living quarters.
Even more interesting are some of the case histories which illustrate how different terms of employment were in those days. Nowhere perhaps is this revealed more clearly than in the case of housekeeper Mrs Doar, who was for many years an efficient, well-liked and loyal member of staff. After several years’ service she became pregnant and was told with some regret that she would have to leave, as 'it would be a bad example to others and a housekeeper who has maids to look after should not be bearing children even to their husbands’. However, a little later she began to send several packages and heavy boxes away. At length a close inspection of her luggage before it could be spirited away to her intended destination revealed that she was helping herself to a large quantity of her employers’ wine cellar.
Fortunately this appeared to be an isolated incident, and there were very few transgressions on the part of other servants, the vast majority of whom were evidently law-abiding and gave very little if any trouble. A brief homosexual dalliance between two male servants (in an age when such activities were illegal) was handled discreetly and soon nipped in the bud. One problem which took longer to solve was that of James Kirkby, who worked briefly at Trentham as a night porter. A father of four small children, he had to give up his post when his wife became mentally ill. Although there are few details of their subsequent history, it is good to be able to add that the Sutherlands apparently made good financial provision for them while he was seeking employment elsewhere.
This is an enjoyable, tirelessly researched book, with its portrait of life below stairs at one of the great British family homes. Its insights into the ups and downs of everyday service, and the mini-family histories involved, make for an excellent read.
For the lives of other aristocratic families and their homes, albeit not from the angle of the servants, we also recommend Renishaw Hall: the story of the Sitwells by Desmond Seward, and The Devonshires: The Story of a Family and a Nation by Roy Hattersley. Although more a work on true crime, another title about the life of a mid-Victorian family which you may find of interest is The Suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale.
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Servants' Story: Managing a Great Country House by Pamela Sambrook at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Servants' Story: Managing a Great Country House by Pamela Sambrook at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
