The article "The Past and Present of British Servants" was published on March 7, 2013.

There are many British TV series that reflect domestic service. Here are stills from some of them.

The word housekeeping service reveals a strong sense of nostalgia. The popular British TV series "Downton Abbey" on ITV brought more attention to the lives of the servants downstairs and became a hot topic of discussion.

But the current situation is slightly different from what is depicted in the TV series.

?It's very similar to marriage in that you pretty much sign a life-long contract with that family,? said 78-year-old Rick Fink.

British Butler

Fink has been a butler for 55 years. His career began in 1953 as a commissioned officer in the Royal Navy. Among the first guests he served was Prince Philip.

?I was frightened, this is the queen's husband. He came to the warship, blond and full of energy. I asked him what he wanted to drink. ?

Now Fink is the principal of a butler school, mainly responsible for training various types of butlers who serve high-end private residences. Fink knows all the unwritten rules and regulations in the industry.

?To be a qualified housekeeper, you must be practical, honest, cautious in words and deeds, and always considerate of your employer,? Fink said.

?I never stay in the dressing room, nor do I eat in the living room. I always wait for orders outside the door. ?

Modern Servants

By economizing on manual systems, only a few people are now needed to manage a large household. Employers can use cell phones to contact workers instead of sending messages through traditional ring bells.

All inventory is managed by a computer database, so tableware and other items no longer need to be counted piece by piece. Of course, expensive crystal objects are excluded.

According to the latest labor statistics from the National Database, there are now around 65,000 domestic workers in the UK serving families in need.

This includes maids, cooks, waiters, housekeepers, laundresses, gardeners, doormen, bookbinders, personal drivers, child caretakers, private teachers and secretaries, among others.

Statistics include employees serving multiple homes. Fink said this type of working model, which does not live in the employer's home, is something that has never been seen before.

This situation is indeed very different from that of 1901. At that time, there were nearly 1.5 million domestic workers in the UK, and most of them lived in their employers' homes.

Past Glory

The nobles in ancient times were able to afford a large team of servants. They usually lived with the servants in their own houses, which was just the activity area of ??the servants. Assigned by employer.

Lucy Delap, a doctor of history at Cambridge University, said that the status of a servant is most easily reflected during meals.

?Back then, the rules for servants eating were very strict, and the servants’ seats at the table were also divided according to their status. Sometimes there is even a rule not to speak unless given permission by the superior servant. ?

?Senior servants naturally have greater power. For example, if the butler puts down his knife and fork after finishing his meal, all other servants must do the same, whether they have finished eating or not. Therefore, speeding up eating was also a compulsory course for servants in ancient times. ?

According to Delap, the chefs and their servants are allowed to eat directly in the kitchen, which of course arouses the suspicion of many other servants.

Uniforms are another way to distinguish class status. Servants in the 18th century dressed more individually. The black skirt, white apron and white hat worn by maids in the 19th century was a product of the Victorian era and was a way to conceal one's identity.

Strict hierarchy

In the Victorian era, not only the aristocracy could afford to hire servants.

The urban nouveau riche and the prosperous middle class will also hire a small number of servants to show their social status. But for the petty bourgeoisie, the cost of living is not that generous. What they usually do is hire a single servant to take care of all the chores of life.

Mrs. Beeton once said that the servants who undertake all the chores of life are the most pitiable.

?The all-inclusive maid is the most sympathetic. They have so much to do that it seems they can never get it done. ?

?The confidence of servants was shaken by workers in factories and shops because evenings and weekends were unheard of. ?

?If we pay attention to the data between 1891 and 1911, it is not difficult to find that 1.38 million servants is an astonishing number,? said Dr. Pamela Cox from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.

?But by 1911, this number became 1.27 million. The population was growing, the middle class was growing, and the need for servants was increasing, but the number of servants was shrinking. ?

This resulted in the phenomenon of child labor.

?Although they are legally contracted employees, they are not legal,? Cox said.

Freelancing

The number of domestic servants experienced an unprecedented collapse between the two world wars.

At that time, men went to the battlefield to fight, while women worked in factories to make military uniforms and aircraft. After the war, many women did not return to their original jobs as servants.

Subsequently, the rapid advancement of science and technology allowed flush toilets, dishwashers and microwave ovens to replace servants, contributing to the birth of the "modern family".

Servants in the 21st century are now more like freelance businessmen, providing cleaning services door to door.

The once-popular concept of master and servant has gradually faded. I wonder what Mrs. Beeton would say when she saw such a phenomenon?

Thank you for reading "The Past and Present of British Servants". The article comes from the BBC and is collected, organized and reprinted. For more information, please visit:/k_bbc/