Servants Wages in 1800's England

Have you tried looking for estate account books on the internet?

This may be useful but you will need to contact them for more details:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/c/Family/A

This looks like it could be good for all kinds of research:

http://www.englishheritagearchives.org.uk/

I saw this link, but it refers to wages in 1890.

And this is a huge database about England:


http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/

For a stable boy, I think a lot could depend on the status and size of the house, the location, and the local custom. I wouldn't think it is unheard of for the boy to be paid in room, board, a new outfit a year, and perhaps a bonus at Christmas. I wouldn't boggle at anything between one and twenty pounds a year, if I were reading it. More than that I might question in my mind.

mid 1860s
http://www.victorianweb.org/economics/wages2.html

Okay - this is from 'The Dairy of a Country Parson' - James Woodforde. (Lived in Norfolk).

In 1798, Woodforde paid his staff the following (for the year)...

Farmer to tend his land - £10-0-0
Footman - £8-0-0
House-Maid - £5-5-0
Cook - £5-5-0
Yard-Boy £2-2-0

In 1799, Woodforde paid his curate £30-12-0.

In 1800, Woodforde paid his servant-boy £2-2-0.

In 1799, Woodforde earned £200. According to his Income Tax paid, that is.

- Though we have to remember that with the possible exception of the farmer, they also got bed & board.

- Woodforde also got free rent (the Rectory) as well as food from his land.

- I can't remember what it was, but I remember Woodforde letting his servant-boy leave, for he'd reached the age of 14 (I'm assuming that meant he'd become too old to the chores, and he didn't have enough 'adult' work to keep him on.)

I'm a little confused... your first post talks about 1800, then I see mention of the 1860's...

EDIT: Woodforde's income in 1800 was estimated to be around £400. It looks like he was doing the old game of fudging his tax-returns...

Neegh said:

mid 1860s
http://www.victorianweb.org/economics/wages2.html

Click to expand...

Between 1800 and 1860 there was a mass migration into the cities. So any rural workers would be paid more in 1860 just to keep them.

It would also depend on the number of horses, I would think. A team of two for a small surrey would only require part-time help as the house members could care for a pair, versus having a team of four or eight, plus plow horses and other sundry animals that would require daily care. Generally speaking, the stable boy also cared for other animals as well as just the horses. Pretty much anything that lived in the stables--donkeys, dairy cow, guard dogs (unless they lived with the weapons master), etc.