VISITORS from neighbouring WIs joined members for the April meeting and were welcomed by the president, Janet Clemas. Business was kept to a minimum. Coral Male, delegate at the recent Annual Council Meeting, gave a report of an interesting and enjoyable day. Members are looking forward to the walk and supper in May and the visit to gardens at Cutnall Green in June.

Christine Seal then spoke about domestic servants in the 19th Century. Having loathed school history, Christine later became interested in social history, in particular the life below stairs in the grand houses, and has studied the subject to postgraduate level. Taking examples from National Trust properties and with the aid of slides and old photographs members learned something of the life of servants in the past. In the 17th Century most were male; then in the next Century female housekeepers appeared and during the 19th Century the majority of servants were women and girls. Numbers peaked in 1901, when the Duke of Westminster had 300 staff in the house and on the estate. There was a definite hierarchy below stairs with the male steward or butler at the top and the housemaids at the bottom. There were even staff agencies supplying domestic servants to both the big houses and to the more modest establishments of professional and trades people. Being in service was a hard life with long hours. With the First World War life for both the families and servants in the great houses changed forever.

Betty Hope-stone thanked Dr Seal very sincerely on behalf of all present. Supper then followed. The competition for one’s most hated domestic chore was won by Sylvia Poutney with a little verse regarding cleaning the outside drain. Several guests as well as members were lucky raffle winners.

At 7.30pm on May 10 in the village hall members will be discussing the future of megafarms and of public libraries; the two resolutions to be voted on at the national meeting in Liverpool in June. For more details of our activities please contact Sue Strang on 01684 592408.