Part 1

Transcriber’s Note

In what follows, italic text is denoted by _underscores_ while bold text is denoted by =equal signs=. Small capitals in the original text have been transcribed as ALL CAPITALS. Superscripted characters are prefixed by the '^' symbol.

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The word “receipt” appears frequently in this book and is an archaic form of the word “recipe”.

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See the end of this document for details of corrections and other changes.

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THE COMPLETE SERVANT;

BEING A

PRACTICAL GUIDE

TO THE

PECULIAR DUTIES AND BUSINESS

OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS OF

Servants,

FROM THE HOUSEKEEPER TO THE SERVANT OF ALL-WORK, AND FROM THE LAND STEWARD TO THE FOOT-BOY;

WITH

USEFUL RECEIPTS AND TABLES,

BY SAMUEL AND SARAH ADAMS,

_Fifty years Servants in different Families_.

LONDON: PUBLISHED BY KNIGHT AND LACEY, PUBLISHERS OF BOOKS CONNECTED WITH THE USEFUL ARTS,

At the James Watt, in Paternoster-Row.

MDCCCXXV. _Price Seven Shillings and Sixpence._

D. SIDNEY & CO. Printers, Northumberland-street, Strand.

PREFACE.

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As no relations in society are so numerous and universal as those of Masters and Servants—as those of Household Duties and the performers of them—so it is proportionally important that they should be well defined and understood. It is a species of knowledge as important to the head of a family as necessary to the servant; and, if thoroughly studied, would relieve life of half its anxieties and vexations.

Yet, till the present book, no special attempt to define these relations, and illustrate these duties has ever been made. We have had Sermons on the moral obligations of masters and servants, and many books of religious advice, addressed to the latter, all good in their way; but we have had no work, which, like the present, addresses itself to the actual personal practice of their duties; which defines them as they actually belong to the various classes; and instructs servants in the way and mode of performing them with skill, advantage, and success.

The want of such a manual of duty and practice having often been noticed in servants’ halls, in families in which the authors of this book have resided, it occurred to them, many years since, to make notes, with a view to a work like the present. They hoped long ago to have been able to submit them to the public; but the constant avocations of servitude rendering it impossible to digest their materials, the task has been deferred till they have been enabled to retire on a moderate competency; the publication may therefore be regarded as the legacy of their old age to servants of the present and future generations, and as the last duty which in this world they are likely to perform.

The author, educated in a foundation school, entered service as a footboy, in 1770, and during fifty years he served successively as groom, footman, valet, butler, and house-steward. His Wife began the world as maid of all work, then served as house-maid, laundry-maid, under-cook, housekeeper and lady’s maid, and, finally, for above twenty years, as housekeeper in a very large establishment. Their experience is, therefore, such as has fallen to the lot of few, and they have freely and fully displayed it in the following pages.

They profess no skill in authorship, their sole object having been to set down every thing likely to be useful, in language that may be understood by all.

At the same time, important and necessary as the book will be to all SERVANTS who desire to perform their duty with ability, and to rise in their career to higher and more profitable situations, yet it will prove equally useful in the parlour, by assisting MASTERS and MISTRESSES of families in arranging their establishments, advising them of their own duties, and enabling them to estimate the merits of valuable servants. It may, indeed, be a question, whether the volume will not be as desirable to those who are served as to those who serve.

Conviction of its probable use to all classes, led A LADY OF HIGH RANK, in whose family Mrs. Adams resided, to honour her with advice and assistance in some articles, particularly in that of Governess, and it is to be regretted that a delicate reserve prevents the acknowledgement being made by name.

At the time the work was prepared there existed no general collection of Receipts like that published two years since by Mr. MACKENZIE, consequently, a variety of practical receipts, which the Authors had taken much pains to assemble, were rendered less necessary. Nevertheless, as many of these receipts were identified with the duties of the several servants, they have retained the most important of them, and it is believed that they will be considered as adding much to the value of the work.

Being desirous of rendering the volume as perfect as possible, they will thankfully receive, and incorporate in new editions, any suggestions with which intelligent servants may favour them, if addressed to them at their publishers.

EDGEWARE ROAD, _June, 1825_.

DEDICATION;

_Respectfully addressed to the Heads of Families_

OF THE

UNITED KINGDOM.

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We feel persuaded that the following work, professedly written for the use and instruction of Domestic Servants, may, with great propriety, be dedicated to the Illustrious Heads of Families in the United Kingdom;—to you, who are the immediate _Patrons_ of that numerous Class of the Community. We are aware too, that, by endeavouring to instruct and improve those around you in the moral and practical Duties of their respective Stations, we best evince our attention to your particular Interests, and indirectly promote your Domestic Comforts:—and we feel further assured, that the same precepts that are calculated to teach servants the duties of their several occupations, will serve to remind their masters and mistresses of what they have to expect from them. Under these impressions we presume, with the greatest deference and respect, to claim your patronage and protection.

And, though Domestic Servants are the principal Agents by means of whom the greater part of all Household Concerns are transacted, yet, there are many important branches of family arrangement, the direction and controul of which, either directly or indirectly, fall within the sphere of the Heads of Families, some of which are exclusively their own Concerns, and others necessarily and unavoidably connected with the business of Servants, but respecting which no instruction can be given to _them_. On these points, therefore, we shall, in this place, take the liberty, respectfully, to offer a few observations previous to entering on a subject of so comprehensive and complicated a nature as that of _A General Directory for Servants_.

DR. JOHNSON held as a _maxim_, that “_Every man’s first care is necessarily Domestic_.” Independent, therefore, of public Engagements,—of Politics, the Arts, Sciences, and Literature;—of attention to Horses, Hounds, &c. it is considered that the first care, and the peculiar province of the Master of a Family, is his _Revenue_; and that attention to his Land-Stewards, Agents, and Tenants, and to his _Expenditure_, are the principal objects that most immediately solicit his regard; and when a gentleman has satisfied himself that his real or _net_ Income exceeds his Expenditure, then, and _not till then_, may he consider himself as an Independent Man—for, “it is not abundance that maketh rich, but Economy;” and Lord Chesterfield has truly remarked, that “great Fortunes frequently seduce their possessors to ruinous profusion.” The great _Bacon_ has also observed, “that he would live _even_ with the world should calculate his Expenses at _half_ his Income, and he who would grow Rich; at _one-third_.” A few Minutes in every Day, spent in keeping a regular Account of all Monies _received_ and _spent_, _Dr._ and _Cr._ will afford any gentleman the satisfaction of knowing the true state of his affairs,—will operate actively against excess of Expenditure,—will imperceptibly teach him the art of _practical Economy_, and will enable him to appropriate due portions of his Income to the support of his different Establishments.

With a view to this latter point, the following _Rule_, though given in round numbers, may be considered as affording Gentlemen a brief, but tolerably correct, idea of the most eligible and practical mode of appropriating a large Income.—

Viz. 33 per Cent. or One-third, for Household Expenses, including Provisions and all other Articles of Household Consumption.

25 per Cent. or One-fourth, for Servants and Equipage including Horses, Carriages, and Liveries.

25 per Cent. or One-fourth, for Clothes, Education of Children, Medical Assistance, Pocket, Private, and Extra Expenses; including Entertainments, &c.

12½ per Cent. or One-eighth, for Rent, Taxes, and Repairs of House and Furniture.

4½ per Cent. as a Reserve for Contingencies.

Hence may be deduced the following general Table of Expenses according to Income, viz.—

+--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+ |Net Ann.|Househ^d. |Servants &|Clothes & | Rent and | | |Income. |Expenses. |Equipage. | Extras. | Repairs. |Reserve.| +--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+ | |33 pr. Ct.|25 pr. Ct.|25 pr. Ct.|12½ pr. Ct.| 4½ per | | |or 1-3rd. |or 1-4th. |or 1-4th. |or 1-8th. | Cent. | +--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+ | £. | £. | £. | £. | £. | £. | | 1000 | 333 | 250 | 250 | 125 | 42 | | 2000 | 666 | 500 | 500 | 250 | 84 | | 3000 | 1000 | 750 | 750 | 375 | 126 | | 4000 | 1333 | 1000 | 1000 | 500 | 168 | | 5000 | 1666 | 1250 | 1250 | 625 | 210 | | 6000 | 2000 | 1500 | 1500 | 750 | 252 | | 7500 | 2500 | 1875 | 1875 | 937 | 315 | | 10,000 | 3333 | 2500 | 2500 | 1250 | 420 | +--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+

Thus may any Gentleman, with very little trouble, apportion his Income:—and as no two Gentlemen live _exactly_ alike, this Table will shew, by inspection only, what branch of Expense may best be curtailed, so as to afford an addition to any other branch, and still keep his whole Expenses short of his actual Revenue. It will also point out, to those who are economically disposed, in what departments _saving_ may best be effected, as an addition to the fund of reserve, for the augmentation of the fortunes of Children, or for unforeseen Contingencies.

Smaller Incomes must be appropriated in a different manner; and according to the number of Children in the family: thus the Expense of a family with Children will be from 1-4th to 1-3rd for each of the Principals, and about 1-10th or 1-12th for each Child.

As Hints to the _Formation_ of a Household, or the _Reformation_ of an Establishment, we insert the following list of the number and description of Servants that are usually employed, according to Income; viz.—

Income per Annum.

£100 or guineas. _A Widow_ or other _unmarried Lady_, may keep a _Young Maid Servant_, at a low salary; say from 5 to 10 Guineas a year.

£150 to £180. _A Gentleman and Lady without Children_, may afford to keep a better _Servant-Maid_, at about 10 or 12 Guineas.

About £200. _Ditto. A professed Servant-Maid of All-Work_, at from 12 to 14 Guineas.

£300. _Ditto, with one, two, or three Children._ Two Maid-Servants.

£400. _Ditto, Ditto._ Three female Servants, or two and a Boy; viz.—A Cook, House-Maid, and Nursery-Maid, or else, instead of the latter, a Boy,—with a Gardener occasionally.

£500. _Ditto, Ditto._ Three females and a Boy; viz.—A Cook, House-Maid, and Nursery-Maid, with a Boy as Groom, and to assist in the House and Garden. A Gardener occasionally.

£500 to £600. _A Gentleman and Lady with Children._ Three Females and one Man; viz.—A Cook, House-Maid, and a Nursery-Maid, or other Female-Servant; with a Livery-Servant, as Groom and Footman. A Gardener occasionally.

£600 to £750. _Ditto, Ditto._ Three Females and two Men; viz.—A Cook, House-Maid, and another Female servant; a Footman, and a Groom, who may assist in the Garden, and a Gardener occasionally.

£1000 to £1500. _Ditto, Ditto._ Four Females and three Men; viz.—A Cook, two House-Maids, a Nursery-Maid, or other Female Servant; a Coachman, Footman, and a Man to assist in the Stable and Garden.

£1500 to £2000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Six Female and five Men-Servants; viz.—A Cook, Housekeeper, two House-Maids, Kitchen-Maid, and Nursery-Maid, or other Female Servant; with a Coachman, Groom, Footman, Gardener, and an assistant in the Garden and Stable.

£2000 to £3000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Eight Female and eight Men-Servants; viz.—A Cook, Lady’s-Maid, two House-Maids, Nurse, Nursery-Maid, Kitchen-Maid, and Laundry-Maid; with a Butler, Valet, Coachman, two Grooms, a Footman, and two Gardeners.

£3000 to £4000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Nine Female and eleven Male Servants; viz.—A Housekeeper, Cook, Lady’s-Maid, Nurse, two House-Maids, a Laundry-Maid, Kitchen-Maid, and a Nursery-Maid; with a Butler, Coachman, two Grooms, Valet, two Footmen two Gardeners, and a Labourer.

£4000 to £5000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Eleven Female and thirteen Male Servants; viz.—A Housekeeper, Cook, Lady’s-Maid, Nurse, two House-Maids, Laundry-Maid, Still-Room Maid, Nursery-Maid, Kitchen-Maid, and Scullion, with Butler, Valet, House-Steward, Coachman, two Grooms, one Assistant Ditto, two Footmen, three Gardeners, and a Labourer.

We have been favoured with the following as the present Household Establishment of a respectable Country Gentleman, with a young family, whose Net Income is from 16,000l. to 18,000l. a Year, and whose expenses do not exceed 7000l.; viz.—

_Guineas._ House-Keeper 24 Female Teacher 30 Lady’s-Maid 20 Head Nurse 20 Second Ditto 10 Nursery-Maid 7 Upper House-Maid 15 Under House-Maid 14 Kitchen-Maid 14 Upper Laundry-Maid 14 Under Ditto 10 Dairy-Maid 8 Second Ditto 7 Still-Room Maid 9 Scullion 9 A French Man-Cook 80 Butler 50 Coachman 28 Footman 24 Under Ditto 20 Groom.—His Liveries and a Gratuity. Lady’s Groom 12 Nursery-Room Boy, Clothes and a gratuity. Head Game-Keeper 70 Guineas a year, and 13s. per Week for Board-Wages;—a Cottage and Firing. Under Ditto, one Guinea per Week. Gardener 40 Guineas a year, and 13s. per Week for Board-Wages;—a House and Firing. Assistant Ditto, 12s. per Week.

The Board Wages of Servants in general, when the family is absent, is 10s. per Week, for the females, and 12s. per Week for males.—Perhaps all the servants on a large establishment may be reckoned at an average of 10s. per head, per Week, expense, for Board. The Men are allowed a Pot of Ale per day, and the Women a Pint, besides table-beer.

Besides the ordinary Establishment of Servants, Noblemen and Gentlemen of superior fortune employ Land-Stewards, Bailiffs, Wood-Wards, Game-Keepers, Park-Keepers, Hunts-Men, Whippers-in, Racing-Grooms, Jockies, and others of inferior capacities: also Men-Cooks, Groom of the Chambers, Page, Lady’s-Coachman, Postillion and Footman, Seamstress, Second Lady’s-Maid, Chamber-Maids, Boy for the Steward’s Room, another for the Hall, and various other Servants.

Having premised thus much as to income, and its proportionate appropriation, we next proceed to offer a few hints on such parts of interior management, as in most families are considered as belonging to the lady, or mistress of the house.

The first is, naturally, the attention due to her husband and children—to make home, “_sweet home_,” the pleasing refuge of a husband, fatigued, perhaps, by his intercourse with a jarring world,—to be his enlightened companion, and the chosen friend of his bosom.

“Oh, speak the joy, ye, whom the tender tear Surprizes often, when ye look around, And nothing strikes your eyes but sights of bliss.”

The attention of an amiable woman, will next be directed to the care of her offspring,—to raise them up in the ways of virtue and usefulness,—

“——To rear the tender thought, To teach the young idea how to shoot,— To pour the fresh instruction o’er the mind,— To breathe the enlivening spirit,—and to fix The gen’rous purpose in the glowing breast;”

“these, these are woman’s duties, and delightful ones they are! Happy the man who can call her his wife; blessed are the children who call her mother!” For the foregoing sentiments we are indebted to an amiable and celebrated authoress of the present day, and to the no less celebrated and amiable _Thomson_; and we feel impelled to quote the concluding sentence of the above-mentioned lady, on this interesting subject.

“When we thus observe the mistress of a family exercising her activity and best abilities in appropriate cares and increasing excellence, are we not ready to say she is the agent for good, of that benevolent being who placed her on earth to fulfil such sacred obligations, and not to waste the talents committed to her charge.”

“Next to the care and attention due to your husband and children,” says another female writer, “your servants claim, as your nearest dependents; and to promote their good, both spiritual and temporal, is your indispensable duty.—Let them join your family devotions, and endeavour to make them spend their Sabbath properly.” She further adds, “It was the remark of an old domestic, that the worst mistresses a servant can live with are young married women—They are unreasonable,” said she, “in their commands; they expect too much; nor do they rightly know when to commend, or when to blame.”

In your manner to your servants, be firm, without being severe, and kind, without being familiar. Never converse familiarly with them, unless on business, or on some point connected with their improvement; but with this reserve, and distance of manner, be particularly careful to maintain kindness, gentleness, and respect for their feelings. Their patience is often unnecessarily exercised, and their tempers wantonly irritated. “I have been sometimes shocked,” says the same amiable writer, “with the want of politeness, by which masters and mistresses provoke impertinence from their servants.”—A lady, who filled every station of life with honour, both to her head and heart, attending the death-bed of an old domestic, who had been thirty years in her service—“How do you find yourself, to-day, Mary?” said the mistress, taking hold of her withered hand. “Is that you, my _darling mistress_!” and a beam of joy overspread the old woman’s face; “O, yes,” she added, looking up, “it is you, my kind, my _mannerly_ mistress!” The poor old creature said no more; but she had, by that last simple sentence, expressed volumes of panegyric on her amiable mistress. Human nature is the same in all stations; and if you strive to convince your servants that you have a generous and compassionate regard for their comfort, they will, in return, evince their gratitude. If to protect and encourage virtue be the best preventive from vice, then will your deserving female servants be liberally encouraged.

Let your commands to your servants be consistent and reasonable; and then mildly, but firmly, insist on obedience to them.—“My servants never remember what I tell them to do,” is a complaint but too common, but that might, in some degree, be obviated. Let them see that you will not pass over any neglect of orders; and when they find that this decisive measure is accompanied with kindness and consideration, and that you are not to be disobeyed with impunity, they will soon learn to remember what you command them to do. A little effort very easily overcomes a bad memory.

It is very disheartening to a poor servant to be continually found fault with. Praise and reward them when you can;—human nature will not bear constant chiding.

Never keep servants, however excellent they may be in their stations, whom you know to be guilty of immorality.

When servants are ill, their mistress will, doubtless, recollect that she is their _patroness_ as well as their employer, and will not only remit their labour, but render them all the assistance of proper medicine, food, and comfort, in their power.—_Tender assiduity is half a cure_; it is a balsam to the mind, which has a powerful effect on the body—soothes the severest pains, and strengthens beyond the richest cordial. The poor _dependent_ creatures may have no where to go to—no one else to turn to; and their pale and impaired looks will always have a claim on your sympathy.

As we shall have occasion to make further remarks on the management of servants, when treating of the business of the _Housekeeper_, we beg leave, in order to avoid repetition, to refer to that subject, under the head—HOUSEKEEPER.

“Economy,” says Mr. Cobbett, “is management.”—The fact is, that _management and regularity, is Economy verified by practice_; and all persons ought to regulate their conduct by circumstances. A moderate income, appropriated to the expenses of housekeeping with prudence and economy, without _parsimony_, but banishing _superfluities_ and _preventing waste_, may be made sufficient to furnish every comfort in life; and, strange as it may appear to those in affluence, an income of from 150l. to 200l. a year, will be enough to maintain a man and wife, with two or three children, and a servant girl; _nor “beyond that amount, need they spend one shilling per week_, whatsoever may be their income.”

It is an excellent plan to have a set of rules for regulating the ordinary expenses of a family, (such as are given in the Appendix to the PRACTICAL ECONOMY,) in order to check any innovation or excess, which otherwise might, unawares, have occurred to derange the proposed distribution of the annual income.

The mistress of a family will always recollect that, _in all cases_, the welfare and good character of her household depends on her own active superintendance.