Ladies' maids

Perhaps because we had recently reviewed the Marple yarn 'A pocket full of rye', noticed at reference 1, BH thought today to liven up the Monday cottage pie with a black bird pie funnel and to entertain her granddaughter with a rousing rendering of  'Sing a song of sixpence'. At the end of which the granddaughter solemnly inquired whether the maid in question was wearing an apron.

Which made me wonder, when I heard about this, what sort of ladies have ladies' maids these days. In the days of my grandparents, lot of middle class people had servants of one sort or another, but more likely a parlour maid than a ladies' maid. And I dare say some upper class ladies had ladies' maids. Someone who could listen, be sympathetic, be discrete and not mind being something of a drudge. Who would turn their hand to sewing, combing hair, making hot drinks at all times of day and night and perhaps acting as a confidential messenger. But someone who knew their place and never presumed. Someone whom one could keep on for years.

But what sort of woman of today would want a servant of this sort? Where would you get one from? What kind of young women would you have to break in - or put up with?

But all that said, I find that there is clearly a thriving market for this kind of thing, with the first three hits put up by Bing being at references 2, 3 and 4 below.

PS 1: I have often in the past wondered about valets in the same way, perhaps the sort old retainers who crop up in novels like 'War and Peace', perhaps more a gentleman's gentleman, in the way of Jeeves for Wooster. Not having been brought up in that way, I can't imagine having such a person creeping around me day and night. But I dare say there are people out there who do have them, if only to show off their money and importance.

PS 2: having just made this post, I remembered about the pretentious ladies' maid of the 'Wives and daughters' of reference 5, palmed off in her middle years by Lady Something on her widowed doctor. A doctor who was almost a gentleman and who could not afford to neglect the carriage trade. Not if he wanted to treat poor people more or less for free.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-older-viewer.html.

Reference 2: https://www.greycoatlumleys.co.uk/.

Reference 3: https://www.marshallharber.com/.

Reference 4: https://poloandtweed.com/. From whom that I learn that a good ladies' maid can ask for £75,000 a year or more. Not clear if that includes board and lodging. More than I used to earn.

Reference 5: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/07/costume-drama.html.