Erddig's servants were up at the crack of dawn, with little time for rest in between, before heading to bed at 10pm at night.
Imagine life as a servant at Erddig with a house full of guests.
Three Housemaids would have:
12 beds to make a day
12 cans of hot water to carry up 2 floors twice a day
12 chamber pots to carry downstairs many times day
7 living rooms and a chapel to clean every day
7 staircases to brush
Two laundry maids would have:
up to 50 sheets to wash and iron
50 pillow cases
50 towels
7 huge table cloths
270 napkins
28 tea towels
35 plus servants’ aprons
all the shirts, blouses and underwear for family and servants
Did you know?
It was general practice for servants to be charged by their master doing their personal washing at work. In Erddig’s archives is Harriet Rogers’ list of prices for servants washing.
It was common practice for houses to charge servants for washing their personal laundry, even handkerchiefs
National Trust/Jill Burton
It was common practice for houses to charge servants for washing their personal laundry, even handkerchiefs