The bedchamber: Menial Bedchamber Servants 1660-1837

Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837. Originally published by University of London, London, 2006.

Citation:

'The bedchamber: Menial Bedchamber Servants 1660-1837', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837, ed. R O Bucholz( London, 2006), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/office-holders/vol11/pp31-35 [accessed 26 November 2024].

Menial Bedchamber Servants 1660–1837

The menial Bedchamber servants were appointed by the groom of the stole. The surveyor of the chamber and dresser made £11 8s 1 1/2d plus board wages of £27 per annum. The keeper of H.M.'s bath made £45 per annum. In 1823 three pages' men received salaries ranging from £60 to £75 per annum; later, two pages' men earned £170 7s and £160 18s, respectively, per annum. (fn. 1)

From 1660 to 1685 the seamstress received £20 in wages plus £50 in allowances for necessaries. From 1685 to 1702 and again from 1714 the positions of seamstress and starcher were combined, though held jointly by two women from 1689 to 1702. In 1689 these servants received £81 12s 1 1/2d plus one mess of mutton, one loaf of bread, one gallon of beer, and candles, faggots and (in winter) charcoal. In 1690 the seamstress and starcher were to divide £200 per annum for wages, plus £200 for the `very great Expense & charge in washing Our points and Laces'. Under Anne the seamstress fell to £150 per annum, the starcher to £100. The two positions were combined again in 1714 at £250. Under James II and William III, the laundress received £219 plus £10 6s in livery money; by 1710 this had fallen to £20 plus £119 in allowances. In 1727 Margaret Purcell, the seamstress, starcher and laundress, held by patent for life and received £400 per annum paid by the cofferer. Under George III the seamstress and starcher made £403 10s, the laundress of the body linen, £250. Under his successors a single laundress of the body linen made £170 per annum. By 1836 this had fallen to £100. (fn. 2)

The water pumper at St. James's made £46 5s. 6d. per annum. (fn. 3)

Pages' Men 1813–1837



1813	11 May	Porter, J.
1816	3 June	Bohm, J. J.
1832	28 Feb.	Dowsett, H.

Surveyor of the Chamber and Dresser 1660–1702



1660	14 Oct.	Levett, A.
1666	22 Feb.	Colinge, B.
1676	17 Oct.	Walker, T.
1683	30 July	Wellington, G.

Keeper of H.M.'s Bath occ. 1744



1744	24 Dec.	White, M.

Bather to the Prince Regent occ. 1817



1817	23 July	Williams, J.

Bather at Brighton 1836–1837



1836		Banister, J.

Seamstress and Laundress 1660–1685



1660	10 June	Chiffinch, D.
1680	1 Apr.	Wall, E.

Seamstress and Starcher 1687–1702



1687	22 Dec.	Bromley, E.
1689	27 Mar.	Colledge, E. (joint)
1689	28 Mar.	Ratcliffe, J. (joint)
1690	7 June	Ireland, J.

Seamstress 1702–1727



1702	12 Dec.	Rainsford, A.
1714	9 Nov.	Stocken, R.

Seamstress [in Extraordinary (i.e. in Ordinary w/o fee)] 1664–?1685



1664	10 Feb.	Bolton, C.
1668	24 Jan.	Lord, E.
1670	18 Nov.	Rigiomortis, M.., Lady
1671	13 Jan.	Jennyns, F.
1671	17 July	Penninge, -
1673	12 Aug.	Jennyns, F.

Starcher 1702–1727



1702	12 Dec.	Abrahall, E.
1711	8 Mar.	Felton, M.
1714	9 Nov.	Stocken, R.

Laundress, Seamstress and Starcher 1727–1760



1727	7 Nov.	Purcell, M.
1755	5 Dec.	Chetwynd, D.

Seamstress and Starcher 1761–c. 1819



1761	15 Jan.	Goodricke, A.
1779	10 July	Gregory, J. M.
1795	24 June	Feilding, I.
1812	15 Mar.	Erskine, S.

Seamstress to the Prince Regent 1819–1820



By 1819		Scott, -
1819	5 Jan.	Du Pasquier, C.

Laundress 1685–1755



1685	12 June	Dupuy, E.
1689	13 Apr.	Dove, A.
1693	6 July	Forrester, R.
1697	5 Aug.	Lowman, M.
1702	24 June	Atkinson, E.
1714	4 Oct.	Lowman, M.
1755		Office vacant
1761	15 Jan.	Smith, M.
1773	15 July	Hicks, A.
1812	15 Mar.	Andrews, F.

Under Laundresses 1672–?1685



1672	25 June	Axtell, G.
1672	17 July	Wansburgh, M.
1672	2 Aug.	Wichells, J.

Laundress in Ordinary [?w/o fee] 1672



1672	25 June	Axtell, G.
1672	17 July	Wansbrugh, M. (Under Laundress)
1672	29 July	Collett, D.
1672	2 Aug.	Nicholls, J. (Under Laundress)
1672	23 Sept.	Cole, S.
1673	3 Mar.	Elliott, S.

Under Starcher and Washer of HM's Linen 1671–?1685



1671	7 Nov.	May, A.

Laundress of the Body Linen 1812–1837



1812	10 July	Mills, S.
1830	11 Oct.	Burrell, F.

Laundress at Brighton 1832–1837



1832	27 Mar.	Best, M.

Water Pumper at St. James c. 1777–?



By 1777		Sopley, J.
1777	16 Apr.	Everard, W.
1777	25 Nov.	Good, T.