Posted by Peter Ceresole on September 04, 2006 at 12:20:32 from 80.177.22.49 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: Amazons' class (Was The S&A Films posted by PeterH on September 04, 2006 at 10:58:15:
one does wonder why, in Mrs Blackett's case, she continued to employ a cook while her daughters had gone off to school and her brother was away a great deal. Cook must have spent a lot of the time cooking meals solely for Mrs B.
It sounds as though Cook was more a general help and companion of sorts; she was probably employed for many years previously and when the girls left for school it would have been perfectly within the habits of the time and class to keep her on. There was still a tradition according to which you didn't hire and fire family retainers.
Of course we shouldn't romanticise this too much; there were plenty of people who behaved appallingly and opportunistically towards their servants. But Molly Blackett's relationships with her neighbours and workers were certainly not painted that way by AR.