The Lady’s Maid

Most Regency authors have, at the very least, referenced or mentioned a lady’s maid in a story, even if we haven’t made her a confidant or important servant in our heroine’s life. She is often a useful character, who can be used to impart information about the household gossip, mend gowns in a trice, and coif our heroines, so they stun our heroes with their beauty. But would a lady’s maid be as influential as we authors sometimes make her in a story and was her position a respected one within the household?

A lady’s maid is often referred to in fiction as an ‘abigail,’ which was indeed a term used during the Regency period. The term abigail is in reference to II Samuel, versus 24-28 when Abigail refers to herself as David’s handmaid on four occasions. It is unclear why one lady might prefer to use one term over another, though ‘abigail’ in research is referred to as slang.

Regardless of whether her employer referred to her as a lady’s maid or abigail, the lady’s maid reported and answered directly to her mistress. She was referred to by her last name and was, at times, called by the honorary ‘Mrs.’ much like the housekeeper. She was even considered on rank with the housekeeper, despite the fact that her wages were approximately half that of the woman who ran the household.

An abigail was to be absolutely at the mistress’ beck and call. She helped her mistress bathe, dress, styled her hair, mended and ensured the mistress’ gowns were clean and pressed. She had to be trusted not only to keep her employer’s confidences, but also to care for the mistress’ jewelry. The lady’s maid fetched and carried, particularly when out on the town shopping with her employer. She also kept the same hours as her employer since she was required to help the mistress undress and ready herself for bed. The abigail could also be the eyes and ears for the mistress in the servants’ hallways when the necessity arose. Lady’s maids could be in the service of one mistress for decades and often cared for their employers when ill, which often made the lady’s maid a friend and confidante to her mistress.

Despite her position as a servant, lady’s maids were often the most educated and refined of all the female staff as her position required a knowledge of fashion, skill at hairdressing, a steady hand with a needle and thread, and more practiced manners and speech than most servants. In the absence of the housekeeper, a lady’s maid could be called upon to prepare tea and coffee for company, so she could not embarrass her mistress! It was also very fashionable to have French servants, though if a lady’s maid was not French she was required to have a store of French phrases committed to memory.

Was the life of a lady’s maid a good one? These trusted servants often acquired their mistress’ discarded clothing and traveled with their employer; however, the answer to that question likely depended upon the personality of the abigail’s employer. A mistress with the disposition of Caroline Bingley might be a nightmare, though a reasonable mistress might render the position a good one. In some ways, it does sound a lonely life as I can’t imagine much of the household staff befriending the servant who was the eyes and ears of the mistress below stairs!

Most of us would enjoy having a lady’s maid to press our clothes and fix our hair, but would you want to be an abigail? As for myself, I probably could not keep up! 

 

Sources:
Craig, Sheryl. Contrib. to Jane Austen Regency World Magazine.
Horn, Pamela. Flunkeys and Scullions, Life Below Stairs in Georgian England. Sutton Publishing. (2004).
Laudermilk, Sharon and Hamlin, Teresa L. The Regency Companion. Garland Publishing (1989).
Martin, Joanna. Wives and Daughters. Hambledon Continuum (2004).
Shapard, David M. (editor). The Annotated Pride and Prejudice. Pheasant Books (2003).

15 comments

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  1. There are definitely worse positions than a lady’s maid but I don’t think I could keep up, either! I’d have had to make sure the ponytail and messy-bun became the in-thing, if I was responsible for anyone’s hair! It would be kinda lonely, too, if all the other servants were jealous or afraid to be around you much; never thought of that! Guess you just pray you have a great employer and maybe her husband has a handsome valet you can hang out with! 😉

    1. I was thinking the same thing about the loneliness when I was writing this! I learned a few things I was unaware of when I wrote the post about housekeepers, and I did as well here. The abigail was probably rather busy and I would imagine the other servants are wary of her–especially if she’s nasty like O’Brien in Downton Abbey! Thanks, Monica!

    • Carole in Canada on November 18, 2015 at 10:11 am
    • Reply

    No, I would rather be the lady! Is it true that the lady’s maid or even the valet didn’t marry while in those positions? It would be a position to aspire to if you were a parlour maid though! Then again, maybe housekeeper would be even better as the pay evidently was.

    1. I’m not positive on the question about marriage as there was nothing mentioned in the sources I used. I would imagine marriage while still in service was rare unless you were a man and had a very good position (In order to afford some sort of home unless the master offered a cottage or such on their property). A lady’s maid had the potential to be at work from early in the morning until late at night, depending upon the day–not much time to spend with a spouse. If they did marry, I bet they were forced to quit when they presented with child. There would be no time to care for a child and your mistress.

      I’m not sure which position I would prefer. The housekeeper has a lot more responsibility for those wages! Thanks, Carole!

    • Dorothee on November 18, 2015 at 12:14 pm
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    Thank you for this post. I love zu learn about daily life in former times, particularly when it is that entertaining to read.

    1. I enjoyed the housekeeper post I wrote so much, I decided to write another! It certainly gives me a better perspective of their life when I write one into the story! Thanks, Dorothee!

  2. Thanks for these insights into the life of a ladies’ maid! We definitely get a peek at that life through Downtown Abbey although it’s set more than a century after Austen. We see how one can abuse the position as Miss O’Brien did with the Countess, and we can also see how helpful the relationship can be between Mary and Anna Bates…who isn’t called by her last name since her husband, the Earl’s valet, is known by “Bates” as well. So “Anna” the housemaid isn’t promoted to using her last name when she becomes a ladies’ maid. 😉 But we also see the lengths a good family will go to care for their ladies’ maids and valets when first Bates, then Anna, are accused of murder.

    A little off-topic, but the lives of ladies’ maids is so intriguing! Have any of you read “Longbourn” by Jo Baker? It shows P&P from the POV of one maid-of-all-work who doubles as a ladies’ maid to the five Bennet sisters at Longbourn while Mrs. Hill “triples” as ladies’ maid to Mrs. Bennet, housekeeper, and cook!! Yikes…talk about being worked to the bone! This novel shows the nitty-gritty of being a servant in this time period with such realism. It’s an amazing novel. 🙂

    Thank you for this peek into the life of a ladies’ maid, Leslie!

    Warmly,
    Susanne 🙂

    1. I completely flubbed the names in Downton earlier, didn’t I? LOL! I’m terrible with names. I usually have a list of every character in my books as I write so I don’t forget their names or repeat a name somewhere!

      I have not read Longbourn, but maybe I will at some point. So many books, so little time! Lately, I’ve had to force myself to put my reading aside so I have time to write we’re so busy. I’ve kept one story that posts online once a week, and at the moment I’m a post behind on that one!

      I’d be a terrible servant with my memory! Thanks, Suzanne!

    • Jennifer Redlarczyk on November 19, 2015 at 4:27 pm
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    I love reading about “Below Stairs.” Though I would dearly love to be a “lady,” with luck I may have only been a servant. Most likely a tenants wife. Thanks for your post. Jen

  3. They kept long hours, worked hard, kept secrets, but were hand picked and devoted to whoever they worked for and showed respect. They probably didn’t get paid much but had the one of the better jobs in the household instead of being the scullery maid.
    Authors of P & P variations have done a wonderful job of putting bits and pieces of these jobs in their novels and makes it knowledgeable to us readers. I thank you for the lovely article and your hard work doing the research.

    1. The research can be a never ending rabbit hole, but I do enjoy it! Thanks, MaryAnn!

  4. Below the stairs could certainly be interesting! Thanks, Jen!

    • Glynis on November 20, 2015 at 3:27 am
    • Reply

    Hmm I think I would definitely have to be a lady because I detest ironing and have absolutely no talent with hair therefore I would have a remarkably short career as a ladies maid 😨

    1. You wouldn’t be alone! I’d be sacked right along with you. LOL! Thanks, Glynis!

    • Deborah on November 24, 2015 at 6:29 am
    • Reply

    I am sorry. I find I fell very far behind. If I had to choose a position in service, a lad’s maid would be better than most. I think. Although, I’d rather not be a servant at all.

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