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Young girls who set out for Australia to earn a living as a domestic servant, opportunities to marry were not out of the question. In England, seduction ruled, but these young girls entered a different world, where they could consider … Continue reading →
Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Living in the UK, real life tales, servant life | Tagged British history, emigration, servants, Victorian era | 2 Comments
Tax Day During the late Georgian and Regency Periods
Today is tax day in the U.S. I paid mine in March. My tax receipts are sometimes 5 inches deep in paper. As a self-employed author and retired teacher, I save receipts for lodging, mileage, advertising, home office, technology, insurance … Continue reading →
Posted in British currency, British history, buildings and structures, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Inheritance, Living in the Regency | Tagged British histotry, glass tax, quarter days, servants, taxes, window tax | 10 Comments
Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, Part I
In the mid to late 1840s, many girls in service decided to make the arduous journey from England to Australian ports. One must remember that the journey took three to four months to complete, depending upon the weather and the … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, business, commerce, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged Australia, British history, emigrants, servant life, servants, Victorian era | 2 Comments
Life Below Stairs – The Expense of Keeping Servants
Posted on March 13, 2020 by reginajeffers
The landed aristocrats were VERY slow to give up the expenses of an extensive household staff. We saw that “plot” being used in the final season of Downton Abbey. It is said that the sixth Duke of Portland employed some … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Napoleonic Wars, Regency era, servant life, Uncategorized, Victorian era | Tagged British history, business expense, Georgian Era, Regency Era, servants, taxes, Victorian era | 1 Comment
The Role of Servants in Jane Austen’s Novels, a Guest Post from Eliza Shearer
Posted on February 26, 2020 by reginajeffers
To complement my series on Life Below Stairs, I thought you might enjoy this piece from Eliza Shearer which first appeared on Austen Authors on 7 January 2020.  One of the things I love about Jane Austen is that nothing … Continue reading →
Posted in Austen Authors, book excerpts, Emma, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, reading habits, Regency era, servant life, writing | Tagged Domestic Servants, Eliza Shearer, Emma, Georgian Era, guest post, Jane Austen, life below stairs, Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, Regency Era, Sense and Sensibility, servants | 2 Comments
Life Below Stairs: Rising with the Sun in Victorian England ~ Part I
Posted on February 21, 2020 by reginajeffers
Servants needed to be up and about their business long before the Master and the Mistress. For example, lower servants were up at 5 A.M. and at work minutes later. Most did not waste time in their rooms for they … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, history, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged British history, servant life, servants, Victorian era | 1 Comment
Life Below Stairs: Compensation Beyond Salary for Work Done
Posted on February 12, 2020 by reginajeffers
Despite the sometimes less than desirable conditions under which many of those below stairs endured in service, there were other compensations. Servants learned their deference. They were “invisible,” while remaining upon display throughout most of their work days. As such, … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian Era, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged compensation, Georgian Era, Regency Era, servant life, servants, upper servants, Victorian era | 4 Comments
Life Below Stairs ~ Part Three – The Role of the Male Servant
Posted on January 17, 2020 by reginajeffers
The English aristocrat often lived beyond his means. Maintaining country houses (often several of them) and a large Georgian town house in Mayfair took its toll on his purse strings. In addition to owning the property, Society forced him to … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged British history, butler, Edwardian era, footmen, Georgian Era, groomsmen, male servants, Regency Era, servants, tiger, traditions and customs, Victorian era | 4 Comments
Life Below Stairs – Part Two – Snobbery and Rules of Engagement
Posted on January 10, 2020 by reginajeffers
Last Friday, we looked at what a servant in an upper house, or even in a second-class household, of the late Regency Period or early Victorian times, might encounter. We spoke of wages, delineation of duties, and additional compensation. Today, … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, food and drink, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the UK, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged British history, Downtown Abbey, Edwardian era, Georgian England, Georgian Era, real-life tales, servants, Upstairs Downstairs, Victorian era | 4 Comments
Life Below Stairs: Benevolent Groups Come to the Aid of Domestic Servants
Posted on September 21, 2016 by reginajeffers
There were groups operating in London and throughout England to aid domestic servants. The most important of those were… Established in May 1846, The General Domestic Servants’ Benevolent Institution was located at 32 Sackville Street, Piccadilly. It was under the … Continue reading →
Posted in British history, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged benevolent societies, London, servant life, servants, Victorian era | 1 Comment
Marriage A-la-Mode and the Upcoming Release of “Elizabeth Bennet’s Gallant Suitor” + a Giveaway
Annuities in the Regency as Basis for “Mr. Darcy’s Bargain”
Recording of Births in the Church of England During the Regency
Billiards in the Regency Era
September 17, 1787, the U. S. Constitution Was Signed ~ 235 Years Ago
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reginajeffers on Marriage A-la-Mode and the Upc…
Glenda M on Marriage A-la-Mode and the Upc…
Living in the Regency
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