Prompt Cast
The Rise and Decline of the Servant Class in Edwardian Britain
TLDR The rise of the servant class in Edwardian Britain was a response to social anxiety and industrialization, serving as a visible fix to the hierarchy and a way to maintain tradition. However, the decline of the servant class began with the First World War and was further accelerated by the economic depression and the rise of middle-class women in the 1920s.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
"Downton Abbey" was a popular TV drama that portrayed the world of an Edwardian stately home, but it was not an accurate portrayal of life in such households, according to historian Lucy Lethbridge.
04:55
The rise of the servant class in Edwardian Britain was a response to social anxiety and industrialization, with the ostentatious display of servants serving as a visible fix to the hierarchy and a way to maintain the illusion of deep-rooted tradition and chivalric ideals in the face of changing social dynamics and the influx of new rich and middle classes.
09:13
The rise of the servant class in Edwardian Britain led to a lack of practical skills among the upper class, with servants being responsible for tasks such as dressing and opening windows, and the complexity of dinner parties and the desire for labor-intensive tasks became a symbol of wealth and status.
13:44
Servants in Edwardian Britain, particularly butlers, occupied a unique position in the social hierarchy, being almost gentlemen but not quite, and their mode of speaking and dress were carefully calibrated to reflect their status.
18:09
Servants in Edwardian Britain had long and unpredictable work hours, starting from early in the morning and often working late into the night, with no set breaks or end time, and in some cases, they were expected to turn their faces to the wall when encountering the master and mistress of the house.
22:44
The decline of the servant class began with the First World War, as men were called away to the front and women were called to work in other industries, but it wasn't until the economic depression and high unemployment after the war that people were forced back into service with a sense of resentment and no longer felt that their place in life was divinely ordained.
27:28
The rise of middle-class women in the 1920s led to the creation of niche jobs, such as universal aunts, who filled the gaps left by working-class women and helped with tasks like dog walking and dinner parties.
32:16
Jeeves, the iconic fictional butler, is a throwback to the 16th and 17th centuries and represents the clever servant of the idle master, while also being politically conservative, which reflects the reality of butlers being positively reactionary and the difficulty of being a non-conservative in service.
37:14
The relationship between employers and servants in the early 20th century was marked by guilt, awkwardness, and embarrassment, which intensified after the Second World War and the rise of the Labour government, leading to the end of the assumed relationship of birth and the need to recruit servants from abroad; this was later replaced by the cult of the housewife and the feminization of domestic labor.
41:40
The romanticization and sentimentalization of the upstairs downstairs dynamic in British society is deeply rooted and speaks to a long-standing obsession with hierarchy and order, as seen in popular TV shows like "Upstairs Downstairs," "The Remains of the Day," "Brideshead Revisited," and "Downton Abbey."
46:27
Being a servant in British society demanded complete sacrifice and marriage was often the only escape, as depicted in "Downton Abbey," but the show fails to capture the true depth of the servant's role and their affection for objects like furniture, as detailed in a manual for housemaids.
Categories:
History
