Pregnant servants and a question
Posted by Constanza on March 19, 1998 at 16:49:10:
In response to marriage, written by JW on March 18, 1998 at 23:32:26
I read somewhere (actually I believe it was in an autobiographical book called "Below the stairs", written by a female cook during the beginning of the century) that pregnant single servants, if discovered, were dismissed without either wages or references; moreover, the authoress mentioned a fellowed servant (one of the floor maids, I think) who became pregnant by the Master or his son or his nephew, and she was turned out without a penny when the lady of the house discovered it. Of course, this would have been during the Victorian Times, by I've always thought that it was still applicable to earlier periods.
However, if lower classes didn't marry frequently, single mothers must have been a commonplace. And perhaps that case which I took as the rule, was the exception.
- house servants and marriage P. Bingham 18:31:18 3/19/98
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- Laurence Stone's other book P. Bingham 13:50:16 3/20/98
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- Very informative! Lesley 00:18:26 3/21/98
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- Don't appologise, Patricia; that was very interesting... Marie Bernadette 00:10:07 3/21/98
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- Lords & unexpected babies P. Bingham 18:52:35 3/21/98
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- Out of the running... Marie Bernadette 13:29:53 3/23/98
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- bastards P. Bingham 22:12:58 3/25/98
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- It still amazes me the amount of inform. U can provide :-) nfm Constanza 11:03:49 3/26/98
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- It still amazes me the amount of inform. U can provide :-) nfm Constanza 11:03:49 3/26/98
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- bastards P. Bingham 22:12:58 3/25/98
(1)
- Out of the running... Marie Bernadette 13:29:53 3/23/98
(2)
- Lords & unexpected babies P. Bingham 18:52:35 3/21/98
(3)
- Very informative! Lesley 00:18:26 3/21/98
(0)
- Laurence Stone's other book P. Bingham 13:50:16 3/20/98
(6)
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