Terms used to describe the work people did.

[ThrelfallYorky]

On a line I'm researching at present there's a chap who was a warp dresser in a Lancashire Mill, but at about the same time his son, marrying a long long way away in London, describes him as a "gentleman" From wife-to-be's name and family, yes, he was marrying well above his station! Wonder what happened if the in-laws ever met?
A "Servant" could be very humble status, or at a bit higher level or rather prone to ape the gentry he / she served, in some cases - one woman I knew who had been lowly in service became in later years all fish-knives-and-napkins, and more obsessed with "correct" ways than Hyacinth Bucket! (Not implying your chap was at all like that, but if via marriage he'd come to a level where he didn't need to work, then he could describe himself rightly as being a gentleman [of leisure], then, couldn't he?).

[KGarrad]

I was looking up the roles males could have inside a household and apart from a butler which one would think would be identified, there was 'footman'. Their job description called for them to be tall, young and good looking and leads me to think that maybe Thomas, who was ageing, was looking for an easy target to marry. I don't want to unnecessarily malign him however, hence the question.
N.

A servant could also be:
groom, gardener, valet, steward, coachman etc.

And the definitions of footman I looked up made no mention of height or looks?
footman -
a man employed as a servant in a large establishment (as a palace) to run errands and do chores
a male servant, especially in the past, who wore a uniform and opened doors for people

See: http://www.literary-liaisons.com/article046.htm

[neverendingstory]

There are a number of sites about the roles of servants, and if reasonably detailed, mention height, good legs and the livery the footmen wore.The better presented and matched they were, the higher the household status - hence the caricatured images of women fluttering their eyelashes at the footmen assisting them in some way, and, that's possibly why the young footmen portrayed in shows such as 'Downtown Abbey' are always shown as good looking.
As far as 'male' servants go, I was looking for an 'inside' servant. Valets certainly were but they had a crucial role for the master and usually travelled with them everywhere. I'm not sure they would be able to marry [twice], be able to support a family at the same time and acquire property. 'Outside' servants had even less status than the 'inner' ones. Steward is a high status role; he usually would be called that and not often be represented as 'servant', particularly by the person themselves, as has happened here.

Threlfallyorky, I think it's very likely Thomas was doing what he could to improve his circumstances and his Will certainly suggests enough to call himself a gentleman [although his actions may suggest something else]. 
Thanks to all respondents.

N