Such as, a typical day in the life. Who they worked for. How they were chosen. What they were expected to do and how they were treated? Any info is appreciated.
2006-06-21 11:51:16 · 4 answers · asked by DancinBubble 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
If you can find a good copy of Mrs Beetons household annual/cookbook, it is full of information like housemaids duties around the home. Also if you can find copies of The Victorian Kitchen Garden on DVD/Video then that is great to watch, it gives you all the duties of the housemaids & what they used to do on a daily basis. (try Amazon.com)
2006-06-21 20:12:29 · answer #1 · answered by byedabye 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Watch Upstairs/Downstairs, it might help to look under the phrase Below Stairs
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066722/
"Upstairs, Downstairs" (1971) [TV-Series 1971-1975]
The series follows the lives of both the family and the servants in the London townhouse at 165 Eaton Place. Richard Bellamy, the head of the household, is a member of Parliament, and his wife a member of the titled aristocracy. Belowstairs, Hudson, the Scottish butler directs and guides the other servants about their tasks and (sometimes) their proper place. Real-life events from 1903-1930 are incorporated into the stories of the Bellamy household.
Manor House: Life in an Edwardian Country House (Hardcover)
The Edwardian age (1904-1914) was the last time the rich could afford to build enormous country houses surrounded by formal landscaped gardens. These homes, where the owners often entertained guests at week-long house parties, were run by an army of servants working nearly round the clock.
What happens when modern people volunteer to live in such a mansion - either as the owner and his family or as their servants - under the watchful eye of video cameras in every room? The Edwardian Country House, the companion book to the TV series of the same name, chronicles the experiment.
The participants re-create the daily life of the time, both upstairs and "below stairs," with the help of authentic historical diary extracts, letters, advice manuals, and recipes. With color photos throughout, projects are also included to help readers re-create the period at home with a range of authentic Edwardian activities and crafts.
2006-06-21 19:35:20 · answer #2 · answered by sportin_jenny 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have recently visited a beautiful old house in England which had a little exhibition on how they chose some of their housemaids and what their life and work in the big house was like. I have no idea whether you live anywhere near the place, but on the off-chance I would recommend you visit Standen, a Philipp Webb-designed Arts&Crafts Mansion near London. It is very close to Gatwick Airport near a village called East Grinstead.
More info about getting to the house here:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-standen/
2006-06-22 04:37:48 · answer #3 · answered by hystoriker 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=house+maids&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&search_type=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSpecial%3ASearch&p=house+maids
2006-06-21 19:04:31 · answer #4 · answered by awul 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋