The Hallboy: Daily Duties

Morning Duties

• You must rise at six o'clock and wash and dress.

   

• Your bed must be made and you must make your way over to the house and be ready to work within half an hour of waking.

   

• Your first task of the day is to clean the boots of the Upper Servants and Family members. You should collect them last thing the night before. The Butler, Chef and Housekeeper are all to rise at seven o'clock so their boots need to be returned to their rooms by this time. Family members will be rising from eight o'clock.

   

• You must then empty the chamber pots of all the male Servants, and wash them around with a soaked rag kept for that purpose.

   

• At a quarter-to eight you should lay the table in the Servants' Hall for Breakfast.

   

• Breakfast is served in the Servants' Hall at a quarter-past eight.

   

• It is compulsory for all members of Staff to attend Family prayers in the Main Hall at a quarter-past nine.

   

• Your duties resume at half-past nine when you should take the young Master of the house and his Tutor Breakfast in the School Room.

   

• On going tasks throughout the day: You should run any errands for other Servants, assist the Scullery Maid and Second Housemaid with their cleaning duties in the Servants' Quarters, and lend assistance to the Groom and the Footmen should they require it.

   

• At half-past ten you should lay the table in the Servants' Hall for tea.

   

• At eleven o'clock the young Master of the house needs to be brought milk and biscuits in the School Room. Tea is also served in the Servants' Hall. The Butler will have just had his daily meeting with the Master of the house, so you should await any specific orders from him.

   

• At a quarter-past eleven you must resume your duties. You should lay the table in the Servants' Hall and Pugs' Parlour for the Servants' Dinner at Midday.

   

• At Midday Dinner is served in the Servants' Hall. You are responsible for ringing the bell to signal the beginning of Dinner, and should wait at table, bringing the food to the table, and clearing away the dishes after each course.

Afternoon Duties

• At one o'clock you should resume your ongoing duties.

   

• Providing you have no outstanding urgent duties to attend to, between half-past two and half-past three is available for your leisure.

   

• At half-past three you should lay the table in the Servants' Hall for Tea.

   

• At four o'clock the youngest son needs to be brought his Afternoon Tea in the School Room. Tea is also served in the Servants' Hall at four o'clock. You should clear the table afterwards.

   

• At seven o'clock you should take the young Master of the house and the Tutor their Dinner in the School Room, unless they are dining with the Family.

   

• At eight o'clock depending on how many people are dining, the Butler and Footman may require your assistance with taking food up from the Kitchen to the Dining Room.

   

• At nine o'clock you should lay the table for the Servants' Supper. Supper is served in the Servants' Hall at half-past nine. As was the case at Dinnertime you must wait table and clear the dishes away between courses.

   

• The remaining part of the evening can be spent at your leisure, until just before you retire to bed. You final duty of the day is to collect the boots of the Family and Upper Staff so that you can clean them again first thing in the morning.

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 lady and look at the person speaking to you.
• Never begin to talk to ladies and gentlemen
• Servants should never offer any opinion to their employers, nor even to say good night.
• Never talk to another servant in the presence of your mistress.
• Never call from one room to another.
• Always answer when you have received an order.
• Always keep outer doors fastened. Only the Butler may answer the bell.
• Every servant must be punctual at meal times.
• No servant is to take any knives or forks or other article, nor on any account to remove any provisions, nor ale or beer out of the Hall.
• No Gambling, or Oaths, or abusive language are allowed.
• The female staff are forbidden from smoking.
• No servant is to receive any Visitor, Friend or Relative into the house.
• Any maid found fraternizing with a member of the opposite sex will be dismissed without a hearing.
• The Hall door is to be finally closed at Half-past Ten o'clock every night.
• The servants' hall is to be cleared and closed at Half-past Ten o'clock.
• Any breakages or damage to the house will be deducted from wages.

How to Treat Your Servants

Master and Servant Relationship
All Family members should maintain appropriate relationships with the Staff. As Upper Servants will work directly to the Family, a trusting and respectful relationship should be established.

Your Footmen are a proclamation of your wealth and prestige. They are representatives of your Household and Family and as such it is advantageous that you develop a good relationship. However, as Lower Servants, they do not expect to be addressed outside the receipt of instructions.

While the Housemaids will clean the House during the day, they should make every care and attention never to be observed by you doing their duties. If by chance you do meet, you should expect them to "give way" to you by standing still and averting their gaze, whilst you walk past, leaving them un-noticed. By not acknowledging them, you will spare them the shame of explaining their presence.

How to Address your Servants
 

• The Butler should be addressed courteously by his Surname.
• The Housekeeper should be given the title of "Missus ~".
• The Chef de Cuisine should be addressed as such, or by the title "Monsieur ~".
• It is customary for your Lady's Maid to be given the title of "Miss ~", regardless of whether she is single or married. It is however acceptable for the Mistress to address her by her Christian name.
• A Tutor should be addressed by the title of "Mister ~".
• It is very much the custom in the old houses that, when entering into new Service, Lower Servants adopt new names given to them by their Masters. You may follow this tradition and rename certain members of your Staff. Common names for matching Footmen are James and John. Emma is popular for Housemaids.
• It is not expected that you take the trouble to remember the names of all your Staff. Indeed, in order to avoid obliging you to converse with them, Lower Servants will endeavor to make themselves invisible to you. As such they should not be acknowledged.