A Typical Day

A Typical day at Cockshoots Hall

7.00 a.m. Scullery Maid, Between Maid and Dogsbody clean up and get fires going.

7.30 Kitchen Maid makes tea and toast for senior staff.

7.45 Senior staff inspect house.

8.00 Servant’s breakfast, made by the Kitchen Maid, is served.

8.30 Lady's Maid and Valet bathe and dress their charges. Parlour maids do any immediate tidying up.

9.30 Breakfast, made by the Chef, is served by Butler and Footmen

10.00 Senior staff discuss the day with the Earl and Countess. Chambermaids clean the upstairs and collect the laundry. Parlour Maids complete their cleaning. One Footman is on call, the other aids the Estate Manager.

11.15 (11.00 on Sunday) Servants have elevenses.

11.30 (11.15 on Sunday) Maids continue their cleaning.

12.30 p.m. (12.00 on Sunday) Servants’ dinner, made by the Head Kitchen Maid, is served.

1.30 Dinner, made by Chef, is served by the Butler and Footmen and cleared by Parlour Maids. Chambermaids help with laundry.

2.15 (2.45 on Sunday) A Parlour Maid and a Footman are on call.

5.00 Afternoon Tea, made by the Still Room Maid, is served.

6.00 Servants’ supper, made by the Head Kitchen Maid, is served

7.00 Family retire to their own rooms. Parlour maids clean. Outdoor staff’s supper usually heated up and served by whichever of the kitchen staff is available. However the intention is that the new Kitchen Maid will now cook a fresh meal.

8.00 Family supper, made by Chef, is served by Butler, Footmen and Parlour Maids. Chambermaids clean the upstairs

9.00 A Parlour Maid cleans the dining room while a Footman polishes the silver.

11.00 Lady's Maid and Valet undress their charges. Butler closes up. If there are late arrivals, the Gatekeeper will hand over keys if needed.

N.B. Obviously if a staff member is indisposed another will step in

One day a week, the Chef, and anybody who requires a lift, will set off with the Chauffer at 5.30 a.m. to London, returning before 12.30 ensuring the quality of delivered products.

On Tuesday and Friday, the Head Kitchen Maid and the Still Room Maid will leave the Hall in a carriage at 10 a.m. to shop for and order food in High Wycombe returning at 12.00 p.m.

On Saturday, the Head Kitchen Maid, who may be accompanied by one other person, will take a carriage to visit the butchers for the meat portion of the Sunday dinners.

On Sunday anyone who wants to can attend a service in the Chapel from 10.05 to 10.25 followed by confession by appointment throughout the morning.

The Earl and Countess would prefer this schedule to be a lot more flexible but with so many children still at home and the Estate Manager and the Companion, the routine makes sense. However for various reasons, schedule slippage is common.

One final note: you may have noticed but one the duties of Flora, the Still Room Maid, is to provide the afternoon tea. It consists of tea and cakes. Being Flora, these are likely to have some special ingredients much to the delight of the Earl and Countess. No wonder someone has to help them dress later.