Genealogy Chat

Kate:

Have you looked on Old Bailey?
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
Perhaps there might be something regarding the shot poacher. (I think it only covers the London area, however.)

I have had a bit of mixed success with googling for my ancestors, Lisa - came up with an intriguing mention in an old newspaper article about my 3xgreat grandad dying after being accidentally poisoned. And I think I found a mention of my 4xgreat grandad on another side (with one of his sons) in a newspaper article about a poacher being shot! (It was one of my gamekeepers, actually - sometimes if I can't find a direct link to possible employers I google the address and sometimes I have found out that the employers were well-off aristocrats.)

On the other hand, there are other ancestors that I haven't found a thing about online. I suppose it's a bit of a lottery, really.

But a lot of what I do find isn't on Ancestry - it's on people's personal websites. Things like transcribed newspaper reports etc.

I can only assume, with the low wages, that household goods were cheaper back then. We've got a 1913 edition of Mrs. Beeton's cookery book that mentions items like potato mashers costing 8d!

Kate, living in the states, being Canadian, with Canadian, Irish and English ancestors, makes one rely on google searches. ;) So, I've found bits and pieces of information over the years, just by googling odd assortments of words. Have you tried googling your ancestors (providing they have semi-uncommon names)?

I've tried googling the surnames, occupations, towns, spouses surnames, years of birth, etc.

One time I found confirmation of the fact that an ancestor donated a bell to the local church in the mid-1700's!

Keeping my fingers crossed that googling (or trying similar searches) brings you luck as well.

PS Rarely are there television shows here about the UK or her people, so it's exciting to find what I can on the internet. It would be fun to be able to see any costume drama! ;)

It's difficult to imagine what our ancestor's went through with low wages, isn't it!

You're welcome, Lisa. In fact, I've just been doing a bit of digging myself about my gamekeeping lot - it is frustrating because they never seemed to be "live in" servants and I can never find any big houses close by on the census where the employer might have been. (Obviously very wealthy employers with more than one house, I think!)

But I agree with you, it is nice when you get an idea of what the job actually required (even if it's just something like a kitchen maid) - on costume dramas they never show things like that, all the servants do is open doors, serve tea etc and I never knew what each job title involved till tonight when I found that.

In fact, there's a site called Measuring Worth which tells you how much money from the past is worth today - using the site with the wages on, I found out that my great-great grandad, his wife and 13 (!) children must have had an income of around £112 a year in 1901, which is £8,400 today. (Two of the girls were in service away from home but it seems like a very limited budget for a family that size.)

Kate, thank you! Most of my ancestors were in Canada prior to 1860, so I've only been able to find mostly farmers in England. (Fairly boring when they are all the same occupation.) :)

Of course I am thrilled to find information about my ancestors, but also fascinating is finding out about their lives. The servant wages site is very interesting, thank you!

Just found this as well - makes interesting reading, a lot of my family on one side were gamekeepers and I always wondered what they got paid.

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/servantwages.htm

Sorry, I was off cleaning.

A kind GR member found my ancestor's nephew there in 1901.

How funny, small world my nan was a cook there !

Thank you both. Kate, thank you for the site; I've been having problems finding something that makes sense.
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Update: just read it. Thank you again, Kate. :)

Lindsey, I've read a few definitions of under butler. Kate's seems to make more sense than the definitions I've come across, as the person worked at Eaton Hall. Thank you as well for your help, Lindsey.

Try this:

http://a-day-in-the-life.powys.org.uk/eng/work/ew_dome.php

It's taken from the 1891 census for Glanusk Park in Powys, seems they didn't have a butler at the time.

Well no doubt there would be a head butler to train the juniors !{unders}
I guess our social system is a bit strange,

Head gardener /under gardener
House maid/under housemaid, everyone knew their position in the pecking order!

Having trouble finding what the definition of under butler is for someone in 1901. Thank you.