Genealogy Chat

I have an ancestor in the 1891 census listed aged 14 as a general domestic servant, and was curious to know at what age girls usually started work. Was she young to be a servant, or was that normal? And how did they get a place in a household? For what reason might they move and start work for another family? What was the wage like? Any info, links to websites or anything will be appreciated.

kate ive just found my grandmother listed as a servant at the age of 7 on 1891 census she was an orphan split up from her 2 sisters and brother hard times then werent they

14 was quite normal. My father startted work at 15 (he's now 55) and all my grandparents work from 13 - 15 years of age both grandmothers were in service whilst my grandfathers and my father were apprentices. Have a look at this site for more info http://www(.)ourwardfamily(.)com/victorian_servants(.)htm [remove brackets]

I don't know about websites, but here are a couple of books on the subject: The Victorian Domestic Servant (Shire Album S.) by Trevor May The Rise and Fall of the Victorian Servant by Pamela Horn

Hi Kate, My Great Auntie told me all of her brothers and sisters left school at 14 this was the norm early 1900's. Best wishes Jenny

Hi Kate Now I feel really, really old! My mother left school at 14. That was in 1930. She went to work at a nursing home until she was 19, then went off to train properly as a nurse. It's not really so very long ago when it is still in living memory, is it. My grandmother left school at 12 and went into service. And we worry that our children are growing up too quickly. Tina

A lot of mine were Domestic servants from the age of 10 onwards. I have one family with 4 daughters. On the 1861/71 censuses only one of them was living as a dom serv in other houses! This child was born in 1851 and is not on one census with the rest of her family! I've often wondered why this poor young thing had to live out while her older sisters stayed at home?!