Farm Servant

[cooperman]

A number of relatives had the occupation of Farm Servant,does anybody know what tasks they would be required to perform?

Thanks

Graham

[suttontrust]

I think it covered just about everything.  By and large, an agricultural labourer lived in his own home and was hired and fired as the farmer needed labour.  A farm servant lived in and did whatever indoor or outdoor tasks were given to him.

[cooperman]

OK thanks for the reply I do have a relative who lived at home with his mum but was shown on the 1851 census as a Farm Servant.But in the main they all lived in 'The Big House'

Graham

[scrumsrus]

Quite often the Farm Servant would be female, where as an Agricultural Labourer.  This would suggest that a farm servant had relatively light duties, milking, feeding the orphaned young animals, feeding the pig, harvesting fruit / vegtables from the garden, collecting eggs, feeding the hen, ducks, etc....  As well as some domestic work as require in the big house.  In short it would vary from farm to farm.

Also worth considering is that some of these farmers, who were the people filling out the census form in the first instance, could possibly like the idea of having servants rather than employees.  (Just a thought that came to me one day were I was wading through a large number of Rural Census Documents.

Regards
Andy Stuart
(Scrumsrus)

[cooperman]

Andy,

Many thanks for your input.I guess being a Farm Servant was a hard life.


Graham

[goggy]

recently,Ihad a book from the Library about the Irish farm worker's.
Written first hand/person,you would not believe the life they led,the Farmers tightness of purse,and the method whereby it was made known that you were hired.
A coin of not much worth was thrown on the floor of,generally a 'pot house,if you picked it up and followed said Farmer you were in.
Despite this sort of 'respect' happiness seemed to be ever present.
A box of matches,five smoke's and a man was a King!!
Sorry to burble.
                 Goggy.

[cooperman]

Goggy,

Burble all you like as it made very interesting reading and many thanks

Graham

[Shropshire Lass]

Hi Graham

I think it could depend on the traditions of the area.  In the part of Wales that Dad comes from, live-in workers were always known as "servants".  They were called "farm servants" if they did general ag lab work and "indoor servants" if they were involved in household duties which could include anything the farmer's wife would do from dairy work to housework.   

It always sounded very weird to me as a visitor in the 1950s and 60s but no-one local seemed to think it was a demeaning term.  It also seemed odd to hear people who were only scraping a living themselves talking about having servants!

Thinking more about it, I'm sure the farm servants were all single, although they ranged widely in ages.   

Monica

[cooperman]

Monica,

Many thanks for your input and it was a very interesting comment. Mine all came from Kent and yes they were all single.

Graham