How do servants address their employers

Housekeepers, as well as other household staff, most often used the term "m'Lady", a diminutive for "my Lady. In formal settings and conversations, some would also use the full term "My Ladyship" or "Her Ladyship" for introductions. Though there were many titles held by upper class families, depending on social and political rank, servants most often used "my Lady" and "my Lord" to address their employers.

His piercing blue eyes threatened the strength in her knees. Though taller than most ladies, Alicia still had to look up to meet his gaze.

No other color existed in those eyes; no green or gray, only deep, dark blue, like the fathomless depths of the ocean. All the other men she had met lately, namely those her uncle insisted she consider for a husband, had taken careful note of her figure.

But this gentleman only looked into her eyes. Very deeply. Lord Amesbury inclined his head. Alicia met his frank gaze and a sensation she did not quite understand stirred within her until breathing became a conscious effort. Unable to pull her eyes away, Alicia sank into a curtsey.

No longer merely polite, his smile broadened, warmed, transforming an already handsome face into a perfectly stunning visage. Sensuality radiated off him, not in a manner that left her feeling threatened, but in a way that left her breathless for more. More of what, she did not know. But she wanted to find out. Alicia blinked.

She looked back at Elizabeth who smiled encouragingly. Hancock also smiled and nodded, but a touch of disappointment tainted her approval, reminding Alicia the dear lady had hoped her own daughter would attract the attention of the very eligible Lord Amesbury. She squelched all hope that she might hold his interest. Surely only politeness motivated him to dance with the plainest girl first.

As the final notes of the current dance ended and the next began, Lord Amesbury offered his arm. She took it, an unfamiliar quiver beginning in her stomach. The art of dancing, she found as the set began, had not abandoned her as completely as her wits.

The handsome viscount danced with athletic grace, his attention focused upon her. The warmth of his hand seeped through their kidskin gloves. He held her gently, firmly. A playful glint touched his sapphire eyes. She will most certainly interrogate me regarding you. She met those probing eyes and her mouth curved. Has your aunt become your self-proclaimed matchmaker? A wry smile touched his lips. Despite my efforts to delay that obligation, she persists.

Alicia nodded, her smile deepening at his indelicate statement. Alicia missed her step. Even while dancing with the very handsome Duke of Suttenberg two Seasons ago, such a keen attraction for a man had never overcome her as it did tonight. I am sure you can reason with her. She laughed and then clapped her hand over her mouth. She might hear you. He chuckled. We needle each other as frequently as possible.

I say worse things to her face. I enjoy watching her squirm and plot a counter- attack. That reminded her of the playful banter she shared with her cousin Robert. His smile turned self-deprecating. Skip to content. Search titles only. Search Advanced search….

Members Current visitors. Interface Language. Log in. Install the app. Forums English Only English Only. JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser. Thread starter creekrat Start date Sep 9, Hi, Can someone tell me how servants would address their masters in early 17th century England, if the family was of Yeoman status - fairly well off, but not gentry or nobility.

I know that the husband and wife are "Master" and "Mistress", but if the servant was addressing Master, would he call him "Sir", or "Master", or someting else?

Likewise for the Mistress. I have a hard time thinking the maid would say "Mistress woud you like some tea? Woud she say "Ma'am would you like some tea?

Or did that come later. As you might guess, I am writing a novel and need to know. Hats off to anyone who knows! However, in the virtual absence of any evidence, you should be able to get away with anything that's not an obvious anachronism. For a male servant addressing his employer, you can't go wrong with 'Sir' or 'Master' - Nicholas in A Woman Killed with KIndness uses both, though his master is maybe a bit higher-ranking.

But 'Sir' was common as a deferential mode of address, and is used though not by servants in Greene's Cony-Catching Pamphlets to the sort of comfortably-off farmer you might have in mind. I daresay female servants would address the master in the same way. But the mistress of the house? Many employers hoped for the servants they hired to have at least some elementary literacy and numeracy.

If you went to work for a middle-class family or an upper-class family, you would usually have to go to live in the house where you were working. If you were working for an upper working-class family, it was more likely that you would live at home and simply migrate over every day to do the work.

Wherever you were a servant, the hours of labor were very long. This is a transcript from the video series Victorian Britain. Watch it now, on Wondrium. The times when you would have to work hardest were often the holidays when everyone else had the day off because usually, Christmas, for example, the family for which you worked would be hosting a party or dinner and you would have to work to get everything ready. That is one reason why Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, is a traditional day for giving presents—boxes—to the servants, hence the name.

The job had many disadvantages. First, as a servant you were under constant scrutiny; at the same time, you were subject to a rigid form of apartheid.

You were living very close to the family, but you were constantly being reminded that you were not a member of it. Books of advice for middle-class wives are full of instructions about how you have to keep a very close watch on the servants to make sure that they are acting right. Up to , it was legal to beat your servants without any redress. It was legal to order them to accompany you to church; they sat in the back in a segregated section. Advertisements for servants would specify that they must be Church of England or Presbyterian.