How were servants treated in medieval times?

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Servants were fed and clothed and housed by their lords. Important ones who had proved their skill and loyalty were treated as if they were (inferior) family members. Since they were born into their jobs they had a certain amount of security as well in a world where being a stranger was a death sentence.



Keeping this in consideration, how were servants treated in Victorian times?

Victorian servant's duties The servants did jobs like washing clothes, washing the dishes and preparing meals and at times even took care of the children. During the Victorian times, there were servants who lived with the family they worked for and were provided with food and a place to live.

Likewise, what is a king's servant called? To protect his land from invasion, the king gave parts of it to local lords, who were called vassals. Within a fiefs, a vassal acted as a local lord and could give portions of it to vassals of his own. Someone might be the vassal of one person, but the lord of another.

In this regard, what jobs were there in medieval times?

  • Acrobat, Apothecarist, Architect.
  • Armorer, Artist, Astrologer.
  • Baker, Barrister, Bookbinder.
  • Bowyer, Brewer, Bricklayer.
  • Candlemaker, Carpenter, Cartographer.
  • Clothier, Cook, Diplomat.
  • Dyer, Engineer, Engraver.
  • Farmer, Fisherman, Forester.

What was the role of a page in medieval times?

In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a nobleman, a knight, a Governor or a Castellan. A young boy served as a page for about seven years, running messages, serving, cleaning clothing and weapons, and learning the basics of combat.

39 Related Question Answers Found

Are there still butlers and valets?

The jobs of many of the 1920s staff at Highclere castle, which serves as Downton Abbey in the show and film, still exist today, albeit in more modern forms. And his schedule was packed. Smaller staff is just one of the ways Highclere head butler Luis Coelho's job is different from the butlers of Downton Abbey.

How many servants did rich Victorians have?

From butlers to scullery maids. The Victorian period in Britain saw a peak in the numbers of servants employed in households. All upper class houses had several servants, and most middle class households aspired to have at least one or two servants.

What are good maid names?

Here are some of our favorite housekeepers and lessons we can learn from them.
  • Alice, "The Brady Bunch" Alice was dependable and down to earth.
  • Geoffrey, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"
  • Mrs.
  • Niles, "The Nanny"
  • Dorota, "Gossip Girl"
  • Tony Micelli, "Who's the Boss"
  • Magda, "Sex and the City"
  • Rosario, "Will and Grace"

What did Victorian maids wear?

As a housemaid, her morning attire should be a print gown and simple white cap, but she will not need the rough apron worn by the former, and can wear a white one, so that she is always ready to answer bells.

Where did scullery maids sleep?


Housemaids, scullery maids and kitchen maids slept on the attic floor of the house. Two to a room, in some houses they even shared beds.

How much is a servant?

These servants may sometime be live-ins, but in the US most people prefer that the help return to their own homes. To hire a servant legally and officially for a similar forty-eight hour, six day week would be closer to $2300 to $3500 per month including benefits and insurance.

When did people stop having butlers?

The modern butler
Even so, there were still around 30,000 butlers employed in Britain by World War II. As few as one hundred were estimated to remain by the mid-1980s.

Were Butlers allowed to marry?

The butler's life is a solitary one
Employers generally prefer their butlers to be single. It is felt that butlers with wives can be torn between their loyalties towards their families and their master. If a butler lies about being married he can be dismissed without notice.

What did a clerk do in medieval times?

In general, clerk referred to anyone who had a job that incorporated writing and keeping accounts. And there were a lot of clerks. They were in every part of religious and secular society keeping records of everything that needed keeping record of.

What are 5 medieval jobs?


Some of the well known Medieval Jobs
  • Miller.
  • StoneMason.
  • BlackSmith.
  • Armorer.
  • Falconer.
  • Tailor.
  • Carpenter.
  • Plowman.

What was the worst job in medieval times?

I put serf as the eight worst medieval job because of all the work they did to not even be fully free people. They worked three long, hard days on the lord's fields and then paid him with produce and other goods just to be able to work on their fields for the rest of the week.

What jobs did peasants do in the medieval times?

Answer and Explanation: Most medieval peasants worked in the fields. They did farm-related jobs, such as plowing, sowing, reaping, or threshing.

What are some medieval names?

Interesting Medieval Names
  • Merek.
  • Carac.
  • Ulric.
  • Tybalt.
  • Borin.
  • Sadon.
  • Terrowin.
  • Rowan.

What did a Pardoner do in medieval times?

1. One that pardons: a pardoner of the sins of others. 2. A medieval ecclesiastic or layman authorized to raise money for religious works by granting papal indulgences to contributors.

What did people eat in the Middle Ages?


Medieval Food and Drink
  • Cereals were consumed in the form of bread, oatmeal, polenta, and pasta by virtually all members of society.
  • Vegetables represented an important supplement to the cereal-based diet.
  • The most common types of meat were pork and chicken, whereas beef was less common.

What did male peasants?

Most of the peasants were farmers, but some were tradesmen, such as millers or tavern owners. The farmers leased their land and also paid taxes to the lord and to the king. Peasants generally had only one set of clothing and it almost never was washed. Men wore tunics and long stockings.

What did a steward do in medieval times?

In medieval times, the steward was initially a servant who supervised both the lord's estate and his household. However over the course of the next century, other household posts arose and involved more responsibilities.