Ring for Service – The Servants Rules & Pay

The Servants Rules

• Never let your voice be heard by the ladies and gentlemen of the house.
• Always ‘give room’ if you meet one of your employers or betters on the stairs.
• Always stand still when being spoken to by a member of the family and look at the person speaking to you.
• Never begin to talk to any ladies and gentlemen unless spoken to first.
• Servants should never offer any opinion to their employers, not even to say “good night.”
• Never talk to another servant in the presence of your mistress.
• Never call from one room to another.
• Always keep outer doors fastened.
• Only the Butler may answer the bell.
• Every servant must be punctual at meal times.
• The female staff is forbidden to smoke.
• No servant is to receive any visitor, friend, or relatives in the house.
• Any maids found fraternizing with a member of the opposite sex will be dismissed without hearing. 

-Taken from The History of the Hinchingbrooke House

Typical Monthly Wages of Kean Family Servants

• Butler – $45
• Valet – $30
• Coachman – $30
• Gardener – $36
• Footman – $25
• Groom – $15
• Cook – $30
• Parlor Maid – $16
• House Maid – $14
• Assistant Kitchen Maid – $12
• Laundress – $16
• Nanny – $20