Mean bosses

[dobfarm]

I'm trying to bed in my new partial false teeth in at the moment but it got me thinking about my mother who was a cook, cleaner and nanny as their only maid to a small mill owner's wife in Huddersfield Yorkshire about 1930 ish. What I remember her telling me about when she had toothache bad once but the rest of her teeth were fairly OK. The mill owner boss said if she did not have her teeth removed and have false ones fitted which they paid for but took a small amount out of he pay each week till they were paid for (No NHS them days) or she would get the sack and she had worked for them on her own for 14 years. One year mum had saved her days off so she could have few days at her parents house in Derbyshire (or home) one weekend but the millowners wife sent her a telegram to come back as they needed her to fetch the shopping as the wife was a lazy sod to do it herself. In someways I think these superrich people want them days back.

Comments/family tales or story's on them times welcome

[bearkat]

I think it was a fairly common practice years ago for a woman to have all her teeth removed when she got married.  This saved her husband from any future expense on dental treatment.
 

[Gillg]

Yes, we've had a lot of messages on the topic of false teeth elsewhere.  It was quite common for youngish people to have their teeth extracted and to wear false teeth.  As mentioned, it saved on dentist's bills later.

[rosie17]

I think it was a fairly common practice years ago for a woman to have all her teeth removed when she got married.  This saved her husband from any future expense on dental treatment.
 

Think I would have got rid of the husband 

Rosie

[Top-of-the-hill]

  My mother, as a housemaid in the early 30s, had bitter memories of an entrance hall in the family's London house. It was black and white tiles, which had to be treated separately when the floor was cleaned. I am not sure how often, or exactly what the treatments were.
    She started off as 4th housemaid in their country house, and after a couple of years, took advantage of the London visits to go to an agency and get a better job in London. She was following in the footsteps of her older sister; they both got work with wealthy Jewish families, who were somewhat better employers, especially her first one. She moved on to a related Jewish family, because she didn't like being a parlourmaid - parlourmaids are invisible while serving, and that didn't suit her!

[dobfarm]

This millowners wife had not finish her old ways, Mum married dad in 1939 just before WW2, had left the employment as a maid by 1941 when carrying my brother. (He died aged 6 of drowning 1947  by falling in a canal lock at the back of the one up and one down little house mum rented for 7 bob a week or 35p now, but dads pre war employer paid the rent while dad was at war.).

Well this mill owners wife came up with a plan as part of war effort to offer mum her job back on same low pay  to live at her house and the millowner wife would look after my baby brother (died before I was born) with her children and (The best bit) she wanted mums ration books including mums cloths ration books.

I think you can guess mums reply! ///****///