For the upper classes, money was not a problem and these families could live however they wished. They lived in large homes with many servants. Children in these families were more often raised by nannies or nurses.
Did rich Victorians have servants?
The Victorian period in Britain saw a peak in the numbers of servants employed in households. All upper class houses had several servants, and most middle class households aspired to have at least one or two servants.
How were rich children treated in Victorian times?
Life for Victorian children was very different from our lives today. Children in rich households had toys to play with and did not have to work, but children in poor households often had to work long hours in difficult, dangerous jobs.
Were there servants in the Victorian era?
Servants in Victorian England were a small step up from abject poverty as they generally had quarters and food from the household they looked after, but they generally lived a difficult life of constant work and servitude.
How were rich and poor Victorian children educated?
Children in Victorian times
School was not free and only richer families could send their children to school. Some rich children would be taught at home by a governess. With no school to go to, many children hung around the streets. Some ended up in jail for begging or causing trouble.
Did aristocrats have servants?
Many aristocrats could afford a large team of live-in servants at their country estate, and there was a distinct social hierarchy in the servants’ quarters.
Were ladies maids allowed to marry?
A great majority of female domestic servants did get married, of course. On the average, they were about 25 years old when they married. By the time of marriage, they had, on average, been in service for some twelve years, and had been placed in between three to five situations.
What did rich Victorian girls do?
More specifically, it was a rich, upper-class, man’s world, and even better if you had land, a large house, a title, and a doting wife. Women of this class enjoyed a life full of all the things money could buy; travel, fine clothes, good food and of course, servants and staff to do chores for them.
Did rich Victorian kids go to school?
At the start of the Victorian era, very few children actually attended school. Children from rich families would be educated at home by a governess (a female teacher). At the age of ten, boys would go to public schools, such as Eton or Harrow, and girls would continue their education at home.
Did the Victorians love their children?
Parents Didn’t Show Affection
Victorian parents were not known for showing affection. In fact, they believed even minimal amounts of affection would spoil a child. Victorian parents were encouraged to never kiss or hug their children, only a peck on the forehead before bed if they really couldn’t help themselves.
When did people stop having ladies maids?
Such loyalty and long-standing employment between a lady’s maid and the lady of the house was common. The early 20th century started to see a decline in the use of a lady’s maid though the contrast of the lives of the staff and family on these estates still intrigues.
Did Victorian middle class have servants?
Middle-class homes in Victorian Britain would not have survived without servants to do the work. Some homes only had a single, over-worked maidservant, while others employed a whole army, from housekeeper and butler to lowest-paid kitchen maid.
What were female servants called?
A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker.
How did the rich treat the poor in Victorian times?
Rich people could afford lots of treats like holidays, fancy clothes, and even telephones when they were invented. Poor people – even children – had to work hard in factories, mines or workhouses. They didn’t get paid very much money.
What time did Victorian children wake up?
Did you know… Morning lessons began at 9:00am until 12:00. Children often went home for their lunchtime meal and then returned for afternoon classes from 2pm-5pm. If pupils were unable to answer a question, they were made to sit in the corner and wear a dunces’ hat.
Did children from poor families go to school in the Victorian times?
Victorian children lived very different lives to children today. Poor children often had to work to earn money for their family. As a result, many could not go to school.
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.
How many servants would a house like Downton Abbey have?
The hierarchy among the servants was strictly defined. At the top stood the butler and housekeeper. Dowton Abbey, the series, highlights eleven servants who ran the household, but in 1912, Highclere Castle, where the exterior and interior shots were filmed, used the services of 25 maids, 14 footmen, and three chefs.
Did aristocrats have mistresses?
Wealthier gentlemen and those of the aristocracy openly employed their mistresses. An aristocratic man’s ideal of “love and lust”, a mistress allowed him to have an intimate relationship, one where he could choose a woman to pleasure him without duty to his station in life being a deciding factor.
At what age was a woman considered an old maid?
What age is an old maid? In the 17th century, a woman was considered an old maid if she remained unmarried and childless by the time she reached her mid-20s. However, today the word ‘spinster’ is more commonplace, and it is used to refer to women between the ages of 23 and 26.
At what age did girls become maids?
Girls, often aged 13-14 years old, sometimes as young as eleven, were employed as the lowest order of servants: maids.