Servants: A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times

Although focusing on those at the polar opposite end of the spectrum, Servants, in the style of Debs at War, is an anthropological text (for lack of a better term) that delves into the history of service, and more importantly servants, in Britain. Lucy Lethbridge makes extensive use of the many, many memoirs that have been written and interviews given by those who were in service as well as those who employed parlourmaids, charwomen, and the like. Although butlers and chauffeurs make the requisite appearance, those jobs typically done by women are the real focus of the book; Lethbridge explains more than once that although men formed the backbone of service prior to the nineteenth century, after that time, the majority of those in service were women.

The most interesting chapters are those that focus on the experiences of a specific servant (or two or three). The first-hand accounts are certainly the richest. Lethbridge also includes a couple of very readable chapters on service in the Empire, particularly India, and on the experiences of German-Jewish or Austrian-Jewish women who came to Britain on service visas to escape Nazi Germany. Lethbridge's wide use of literature as supporting material was, for me, less meaningful.

Reading this on the heels of The Assassination of the Archduke, I found myself constantly comparing Viennese and British society, the role of servants, and the like. This is an enlightening read, certainly, but a heavy one that often feels more academic in nature than leisurely. The reader with a less academic and more personal interest in service in England should consider Eric Horne's What the Butler Winked At: Being the Life and Adventures of Eric Horne, Butler to be the definitive work in this area. Horne, by the way, was a butler to gentry for 57 years. He knows of what he writes.