While there are popular and academic books on servants and domestic service, as well as television dramas and documentaries, little attention has been paid to the sources family historians can use to explore the lives and careers of their servant ancestors. Michelle Higgss accessible and authoritative handbook has been written to serve just this purpose.Covering the period from the eighteenth century through to the Second World War, her survey gives a fascinating insight into the conditions of domestic service and the experience of those who worked within it. She quotes examples from the sources to show exactly how they can be used to trace individuals. Chapters cover the historical background of domestic service; the employers; the social hierarchy within the servant class; and the recruitment and responsibilities of servants.A comprehensive account of the available sources the census, wills, directories, household accounts, tax and union records, diaries and online sources - provides readers with all the information they need to do their own research. This short, vivid overview will be invaluable to anyone keen to gain a practical understanding of the realities of servants lives.

“Wilkes makes the world of Jane Austen come to life . . . from travel to fashion, shopping, leisure, and, of course, finding a mate” (Britain Express). Immerse yourself in the vanished world inhabited by Austen’s contemporaries. Packed with detail and anecdotes, this is an intimate exploration of how the middle and upper classes lived from 1775, the year of Austen’s birth, to the coronation of George IV in 1820. Sue Wilkes skillfully conjures up all aspects of daily life within the period, drawing on contemporary diaries, illustrations, letters, novels, travel literature, and archives. Were all unmarried affluent men really “in want of a wife”? Where would a young lady seek adventure? Would “taking the waters” at Bath and other spas kill or cure you? Was Lizzy Bennet bitten by bed-bugs while traveling? What would you wear to a country ball or a dance at Almack’s? Would Mr. Darcy have worn a corset? What hidden horrors lurked in elegant Regency houses? “A delight. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that paints such a vivid picture of daily life in late 18th and early 19th century England. It makes a perfect companion for Austen’s beloved novels.” —The Heritage Traveller “A thoroughly engaging—and very informative—‘eyewitness’ guide to everything from medical matters to modes of travel.” —Joceline Bury, Jane Austen’s Regency World “Written as if to a first-time traveler in the Regency . . . an inviting read . . . a perfect gift for every Janeite friend and family member.” —Austenprose “A worthy contribution to the field of Austen social history and uses the mundane realities of life to illuminate the reader’s experience.” —Sensibilities

This almost forgotten classic text of Victorian middle-class identity offers advice on fashion, child-care, animal husbandry, poisons, and the management of servants. Alternatively frugal and fashionable, this book highlights the concerns of the growing Victorian middle-class at a key moment in its history. Illustrations.

Suitable for professional and student actors, and for acting teachers, this book explains how to create a character in plays of various period, using the Stanislavsky system. It also covers the way men and women moved, stood, and sat in the clothing they wore; and, the use of accessories such as fans, swords, snuffboxes, gloves, and hats.

'Hugely enjoyable' - Kathryn Hughes, Guardian Glorious ... Full of eyebrow-raising and laughter-inducing vignettes' - Daily Telegraph Servants is the social history of the last century through the eyes of those who served. From the butler, the footman, the maid and the cook of 1900 to the au pairs, cleaners and childminders who took their place seventy years later, a previously unheard class offers a fresh perspective on a dramatic century. Here, the voices of servants and domestic staff are at last brought to life: their daily household routines, attitudes towards their employers, and to each other, throw into sharp and intimate relief the period of feverish social change through which they lived. Sweeping in its scope, extensively researched and brilliantly observed, Servants is an original and fascinating portrait of twentieth-century Britain; an authoritative history that will change and challenge the way we look at society.