Funerals for servants of a noble household

[lonewolfwanderer]

Would a Victorian Lord provide an adequate funeral if one of his servants died of natural causes?

And if a particular servant was considered a valued member of the family, like a Nanny, head servant or butler?

Would they call an undertaker for this and give the valued servant a big funeral, like they'd give their actual family members, or just a common burial done by the other servants?

What do you think?

 

[thaddeus6th]

I suspect they might either provide funds to the servant's family to hold a funeral or provide a decent one themselves, but not on a par with their own family.

But it depends on the society and the individual nature of the lord and the relationship they had with a given servant. I think you could justify most options, but they'd have to be credible in the world you've created.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

I do not know that much about Victorian society, so this is all guess-work, but I would think it's possible that a wealthy and well-respected family that did not provide a decent funeral for a long-time servant (when there was no other option for burial) would lose face in society (I'm thinking of shows like Downton Abbey; imagine if one of the Earl of Grantham's maids passed on, and the body was just abandoned with the local doctor; his peers, and the local community, would be outraged, I think [I recognize that this is a fictional show, of course! ]).

There must have been times when a servant's family with a bit of an income would come take the body and bury it with other family members, and perhaps there were examples of a Lord's family having its own cemetery where indigent servants might be buried (in a servants section). But I would guess that just abandoning a body and refusing burial expenses would be a big black eye for a family in that era. I wonder if I am wrong? Just a few thoughts, CC

 

[farntfar]

While similarly just guessing, I would agree that it would have been more a case of providing funds to the servant's family than actually doing themselves. (Possibly if the individual had no family they might have organised the funeral as well but probably through an intermediary.)

I would also think that for a favourite nanny, a member of the household might have attended the funeral, but keeping their attendance rather discretely at the back.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Lonewolfwander - it sounds like it's time to borrow or buy a book or two - ask in your local library, or search Amazon. If you want to get with historical details it'll help you more to read a good research book, than ask people to make general guesses on the subject for you.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

I, Brian, i do agree, and am researching the topics. However, guesses are good enough. I don't want it to be exactly how it used to be, just a broad idea to help me pick the direction i want to go.

Thanks to everyone that replied.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

Yes - a look round the graveyards used by Stately Homes shows that some servants were provided with expensive stones so it would suggest they would have a funeral as well. However, they would not have been mentioned on family memorials.

 

[The Storyteller]

I'm inclined to say that the family would provide a funeral if it really was a 'valued member of the household'. I don't have any historical basis for that, but in my opinion and based on what you said I think it makes sense. It wouldn't be as fancy or elaborate as if it was one of the members of the actual family that died, but I think they would provide for a funeral.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

Okay the funeral itself is not too important (they don't get the chance to have it) but I know that undertakers are normally reserved for those who can afford a proper funeral. ie. if you're poor, you wouldn't call the undertaker, instead you'd do it yourself. I needed to know all that because I was trying to work out who would've removed the body. The undertaker, or the other servants? And the answer depended on whether she was given a proper funeral by the nobles or left for the servants to do something about.

Again, thanks for the replies.