Social Life in the Reign of Queen Anne, Taken from Original Sources

Chapter VI · SERVANTS.

Reading edition

Number of servants — Footmen — Wages — Liveries — 'How d'ye' — The Upper Gallery — Footmen's Parliament — Accomplishments — White slaves from Barbary — Negro slaves — Runaways — Apprentices.

The upper gallery at the play was theirs by prescriptive right; their verdict greatly influenced the success or failure of a play, and they were worth conciliating. Pinkethman, who played to the gallery, knew this, and in Mrs. Centlivre's comedy of 'The Basset Table,' where he took a footman's part, spoke the prologue, in which he not only addressed them in preference to the other portion of the audience, but showed his power over them by making them rattle their sticks and clap their hands at his command.

Therefore dear Brethren (since I am one of you)

Whether adorn'd in Grey, Green, Brown or Blue,

This day stand all by me, as I will fall by you;

And now to let—

The poor Pit see how Pinky's Voice Commands,

Silence—Now rattle all your Sticks and clap your grimy Hands.

I greet your Love, and let the vainest Author show,

Half this command on cleaner hands below,

Nay, more to prove your Interest, let this Play live by you.

So may you share good Claret with your Masters,

Still free in your Amours from their Disasters;

Free from poor Housekeeping, where Peck is under Locks.

Free from Cold Kitchings, and no Christmas Box:

So may no long Debates i' th' House of Commons,

Make you in the Lobby starve, when hunger summons;

But may your plenteous Vails come flowing in,

Give you a lucky Hit, and make you Gentlemen;

And thus preferr'd, ne'er fear the World's Reproaches,

But shake your Elbows with my Lord, and keep your Coaches.

There was, however, another class of servants—black slaves; for the children of Ham were still in their cruel bondage here—and many are the advertisements respecting them, from 'a parcel of beads for the Guinea trade' to a 'Mulatto Maid missing.' It seems curious to us, now, to think of the somewhat inconsequent behaviour of those times, keeping black slaves with one hand, and redeeming white ones from Barbary with the other. One thing is, the poor whites only changed their method of slavery, for they were draughted into the navy, and in the long war that followed, there was very little hope of their release. The papers of March 10, 1702, tell of 143 out of 190 of these poor wretches going to St. Paul's, where the Bishop of London gave them 70l. between them, and the dean, Dr. Sherlock, 'admonished them to return thanks to the Government for their Deliverance, and to the People for their Charity, and that they should not pursue the Practices to which Sailers, &c., are too much addicted, viz. Swearing and Cursing. There are about 42 left behind, as 'tis said because some of the Powder, which was carried thither, happened not to be Proof.' And the London Post, March 11/13, tells a touching little romance of this event: 'This day the Slaves lately arrived from Barbary, went in a Body to the Admiralty Office, in order to enter themselves on Board the Queen's Ships; And 'twas observable, that when they came Yesterday out of Paul's, one of them was spy'd out by 2 of his Daughters who came thither only out of Curiosity, and so soon as they saw their Father, run with open Arms, imbraced and kissed him.'

They were rarely advertised to be sold—indeed, I have only found one instance in all the newspapers of the twelve years of Anne's reign, and that is very simple. 'A Negro boy about 12 years of age, that speaks English, is to be sold. Enquire of Mr. Step Rayner, a Watchmaker, at the sign of the Dial, without Bishopsgate.'

Another kind of servant must not be forgotten, although his servitude was but a limited one—and that is the apprentice, of whom Misson says: 'An Apprentice is a sort of a Slave; he wears neither Hat nor Cap in his Master's presence: he can't marry, nor have any Dealings on his own Account. All he earns is his Masters.' Misson is slightly in error in one part of this description, but it is a piece of delicate etiquette, which probably escaped a foreigner's eye: the apprentice might wear his cap in his master's presence during the last year of his time. A branch of industry then existed—although probably it was practised by very few:—'Attendance will be given at the Sun Coffee House in Queen Street, very near Cheapside, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, where Youth may be furnished with Masters to go Apprentices to Merchants, Wholesale or Retale Trades, or Handicraft Trades.'

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · The quantity of servants in vogue at that time, especially of male servants, seems to us to be excessive, but when we look how useful they w Note 2 · But it was the footman of that age, and indeed of the whole of the early Georgian era, who was the perpetual butt of the satirist—probably n Note 3 · Indeed, the footmen of that age must have had a good time of it, for the custom of feeing them, or, as it was called, of giving them 'vails,Note 4 · Their liveries were, perhaps, not so gorgeous as in the later Georgian time, but they liked fine clothes. 'Her footmen, as I told you before Note 5 · One part of their duty was to call on their master's or mistress's acquaintances, and ask, with their compliments, 'How do ye?'—equivalent t Note 6 · Whilst waiting in the House of Commons, as alluded to in the foregoing, the footmen used to form a parliament of their own, and discussed po Note 7 · 'Give you a lucky Hit' shows that the spirit of Chawles Jeames Yellow Plush was then in existence, and that he sometimes speculated; and, if Note 8 · The accomplishments of male servants seem to have been varied. Addison says,[102] 'I remember the time when some of our well-bred Country Wo Note 9 · But (and it is a curious little revelation of social life) men did not monopolise the position of body servants to their masters. Steele, wr Note 10 · It is needless to say that the negro slaves were always running away, and being advertised for; but, as the rewards given were not high, it