The Servants' Ball

Every year after Christmas there would be a Servants Ball. This was one of the highlights of the year. Each member of staff was allowed to bring one guest and everyone had to dress up. There were hundreds of people at this ball. Apart from the already huge indoor staff there were also to be included all the families that lived on the estate.

The day of my first Servants Ball arrived and the idea had always been for staff to go in fancy dress and then change, half way through the evening. I had decided to go as Peter Pan, my nickname from the first day I arrived. My sister (Jennie) who was to be my guest was little Lord Fauntleroy.

I had no dance frock to wear but the day before the Ball one of the maids who had left us, kept in touch and knew how things were so she sent me her frock to wear just for the Ball, I really felt good.

It was so pretty, pink and the skirt made up like handkerchiefs but when my sister and I walked into the ballroom after we had changed I heard one of the housemaids say in a load voice "look at Mabel in her borrowed plumes". It didn’t do much for my ego I must admit, but when the valet who was standing by heard the remark asked me for the first dance it made up for everything because there was great rivalry amongst the older ladies off the staff for his affections but he was old enough to be my father.

We had a gamekeeper on the estate called McLean a great big Scot who used to start the ball off with marching around the ballroom playing the bagpipes and never did they sound so lovely I thought. We all had a wonderful time. It was nice to be waited on for a change.

A firm of caterers from London had been hired to deal with all the food, waiting etc. We all had a good rest and saw how the other half lived. However, the next morning we would be up at the crack of dawn.

We worked long and hard hours but we had our fun and enjoyed ourselves and we had times when things were a lot easier for us.