Servants and Nannies in Fiction...

[lonewolfwanderer]

Nannies (and or Nursemaids):

How old would they be in "fantasy", roughly? Research tells me Nannies are usually older women with experience in child care, but could a Nanny be young? Or will a young woman fall into the category of Nursemaid rather that Nanny?

If for whatever reason they couldn't continue working for one family, would they immediately look for another family, or something else career wise? This is assuming the Nanny has been a "nanny" for most of her life.

Are nannies/nursemaids a thing for wealthy people, or are they a common thing even in middle class, or even among the lower classes?

What if a nanny has a child? Would that child also work for said family?

Male Child Servants

If the above mentioned "child" were working for said family, what sort of jobs would he do?

And would he have worked since very young, or is there a minimum age limit?


I've tried researching these questions, but can't find anything that answers the questions directly (apart from the age of Nannies), and the answers are important, as it will determine the route my WIP will take.

 

[Dave]

I have to go out so I'll be quick. If someone else doesn't answer you fully I will answer again, though I'm no expert.

Research tells me Nannies are usually older women with experience in child care, but could a Nanny be young?

A 'Wetnurse' would certainly need to be of child-bearing age herself. So, I don't see a reason why not. There are still 'schools' for nannies and the quite young girls go straight into jobs when they leave.

Male Child Servants

If the above mentioned "child" were working for said family, what sort of jobs would he do?

I will have to try to find the article I was reading (it may have been on the BBC website) but sending your male and female children off to work in someone else's house was a very British thing to do and observers from continental Europe thought it to be quite odd. It is strange that it is okay to make someone else's children do your menial housework when you would never make your own children do it.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

I will have to try to find the article I was reading (it may have been on the BBC website) but sending your male and female children off to work in someone else's house was a very British thing to do and observers from continental Europe thought it to be quite odd. It is strange that it is okay to make someone else's children do your menial housework when you would never make your own children do it.

Ye he isn't working for a different family. My MC's mother died, and his Nanny "adopted" him, so to speak. But if she were working for a different family, now the mother is dead, I'm assuming that the MC would probably also work for the family the nanny works for?

And if he did, what jobs would a young male servant do?

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Hallboy, kitchen porter? Peeling potatoes, carrying things, shining shoes, emptying chamber pots of male servants etc

 

[prizzley]

Nannies (and or Nursemaids):
How old would they be in "fantasy", roughly? Research tells me Nannies are usually older women with experience in child care, but could a Nanny be young? Or will a young woman fall into the category of Nursemaid rather that Nanny?

It depends on the society in your world. Here in the UK, nannies can and do qualify when young. What's the employer looking for: an older woman with a proven track record or a younger more adaptable girl? One who has a strict regime or who will sit on the floor to play with a child? What's the household consist of? Will the Nanny have to prepare meals for the children and launder their clothes?

If for whatever reason they couldn't continue working for one family, would they immediately look for another family, or something else career wise? This is assuming the Nanny has been a "nanny" for most of her life.

Again, this will depend on your world, the reasons for leaving and how long the nanny has been working as a nanny. If she's young, she might be leaving to start her own family. She might have been stuck with the family from hell, and never want to nanny again. If she's older, she might have no option.

Are nannies/nursemaids a thing for wealthy people, or are they a common thing even in middle class, or even among the lower classes?

Any family with both parents working, or with enough money might have a nanny. Probably not working class, as qualified nanny's are expensive. They might have an unqualified nanny/childminder, or a member of their family.

What if a nanny has a child? Would that child also work for said family?

If there's child labour in your world - yes. But a posh family probably wouldn't want the nanny's child as part of their family. I'd recommend finding a very good reason why your employer would take on a nanny so encumbered.

Male Child Servants

If the above mentioned "child" were working for said family, what sort of jobs would he do?

And would he have worked since very young, or is there a minimum age limit?

What are the "rules" in your world? Child labour was very common in the UK until relatively recently. A large household would have employed young girls as underservants. I'm not sure about boys, probably set to learn a trade.

I've tried researching these questions, but can't find anything that answers the questions directly (apart from the age of Nannies), and the answers are important, as it will determine the route my WIP will take.

There's quite a lot of info on the net. Depending on your society, look up charity schools in Victorian times, which will lead you into the sort of jobs children might be trained for.

ps I've ignored the possibility of your nanny being male, but that would work in our modern western world.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

It depends on the society in your world. Here in the UK, nannies can and do qualify when young. What's the employer looking for: an older woman with a proven track record or a younger more adaptable girl? One who has a strict regime or who will sit on the floor to play with a child? What's the household consist of? Will the Nanny have to prepare meals for the children and launder their clothes?

Again, this will depend on your world, the reasons for leaving and how long the nanny has been working as a nanny. If she's young, she might be leaving to start her own family. She might have been stuck with the family from hell, and never want to nanny again. If she's older, she might have no option.

Any family with both parents working, or with enough money might have a nanny. Probably not working class, as qualified nanny's are expensive. They might have an unqualified nanny/childminder, or a member of their family.

If there's child labour in your world - yes. But a posh family probably wouldn't want the nanny's child as part of their family. I'd recommend finding a very good reason why your employer would take on a nanny so encumbered.

What are the "rules" in your world? Child labour was very common in the UK until relatively recently. A large household would have employed young girls as underservants. I'm not sure about boys, probably set to learn a trade.

There's quite a lot of info on the net. Depending on your society, look up charity schools in Victorian times, which will lead you into the sort of jobs children might be trained for.

ps I've ignored the possibility of your nanny being male, but that would work in our modern western world.

Okay, well the story so far goes:

William's mother was murdered when he was around 6 or 7 years old. His memory was erased by his father after the incident. His nanny was there too, and took on the boy as her own at the father's request. He never knew his father.

The nanny here is probably the same as the nannies commonly found in the Victorian era, and had pretty much raised William in the mother's stead. I'm currently deciding on who the nanny is, how old she is etc. and will work out the rest from there, but need an idea of what Victorian Nannies were like. But again, like i said, the info i found doesn't directly relate to my questions (maybe i'm just not asking the right questions?)

In my world, you have nobles and servants, but child servants are permitted to go to school with the family head's (or rather, the employer's) permission (both male and female servants).

But all in all, even though my world is my own made up world following my own rules, I'm looking at how things were done in the Victorian Era, because a lot of it will feature in my WIP**, so thing's like nannies, nobles and servants, architecture and so forth will be largely influenced by the Victorian Era.

**Each of the twelve kingdoms, at the moment, will represent different times in our history, with notable differences, of course.

 

[prizzley]

You might try broadening your search eg Victorian nurseries, nursery maids, governesses, even tutors. Or read some historic fiction. I seem to remember Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte featured a would-be governess. And some of Georgette Heyer's novels had a hard-done-by governess.

 

[Dave]

Sorry, I can't find the article that I referred to earlier. although a search of "children bbc servants" will bring up several BBC videos that you might like about Victorian children.

As for what a young male domestic servant would do, I think Anyakimlin answered that. I would think that young male domestic servants would be unusual though. Obviously it depends completely on your created world, but in the part of the world I come from they would have been down the pits, probably not a hewer at the coal face, but certainly shoveling, working machinery or looking after the ponies. In other parts of the country they would be sweeping chimneys, cleaning stables, looking after animals, or cleaning under power looms while they were still operating. Life expectancy was not high for poor children.

I doubt that a nanny could afford to look after a child that was not working and she herself would be looking to marry as soon as possible unless she has some legacy that allowed her independent means. Maybe the boy's father provided this.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

She could have money squirreled away and maybe buy a boarding house? Or enter a house of ill repute or maybe she was a nanny to someone previously whom she is close to and now has children of their own. The latter may feel a bond to her and want to help. William then isn't an official servant but helps out downstairs during the day when the Nanny is working.

 

[Montero]

I was under the impression that nurseries also had nursery maids who were the labourers under command of the nanny and were potentially trainee nannies.

Kids started work as servants at age 12 on the first part of the 20th century - my great grandmother did as a maid of all work and her mother went to check on her and found her in poor shape - scrubbing door steps in freezing weather, hands cracked, and told off her mistress and took her home again.

You've not said which period and the answers are largely Victorian.

Go back to 17th century and many servants worked for food, clothes and getting to sleep in front of the kitchen fire. No cash involved.
Households varied - craft level ones the servants could well be more part of the family - master and mistress worked alongside them.

Kids often worked in the kitchens - moving pots onto the fire, scrubbing things, preparing vegetables etc.
Garden boys
Throwing stones to scare crows off crops.

Serving boys would bring food into the table (google Kentwell Hall for period pictures by re-enactors).

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

In my WIP the Nanny was taken in by a noble family, whom she knew through a mutual contact. Of course, said noble family hates William, except the eldest daughter. William hasn't been sent off to the mines or anything like that due to his Nanny's request to have him work around the house. He goes to school, also due to his Nanny's request, so he is a part-time servant.

School's are paid for by the state, but servants require permission from their employers. William was allowed because said noble family hates him. The Nanny doesn't get paid, but works in exchange for both her's and William's board, food and various privileges. William helps now that he is of age.

I've decided the nanny is in her 30s, and William sees her as his mother, but has his doubts about whether she is his birth mother. Only when the Nanny dies due to illness does William learn that she isn't his birth mother, gaining the first piece necessary to complete his task, the teardrop pendant.

Thanks for everybody's input!