The Coachman
Up until the early years of the 20th Century, the only way to travel for an upper middle class or upper-class family was
Read moreUp until the early years of the 20th Century, the only way to travel for an upper middle class or upper-class family was
Read moreGamekeepers have been needed ever since hunting for sport became popular. To begin with, it was all about poaching. For example, Henry VIII
Read moreThe Housemaid was ‘a foot soldier in the Victorian household’s constant war against grime.’[1] It tended to be a tough physical job more
Read moreThe Stillroom in a large country house gets its name from its original use as a place where medicines and scents were distilled.[1]
Read moreThe peacocks among domestics, footmen were blatantly employed for their good looks and suave manners. It even went so far as you received
Read moreThe mistress of any large, wealthy household needed to maintain an immaculate appearance and she needed help to do this.[1] For a start,
Read moreThe Governess was almost always a well-educated, middle-class young lady. I would stick my neck out here and say that almost no middle-class
Read moreIf the Butler was the outward sign of a house organised and well run, the Housekeeper was the engine who kept everything running.
Read moreBecoming a Butler was the pinnacle of a man’s career in service. Generally, it was the highest-paid role (although Calke demonstrates that was
Read moreIn Victorian times, if you chose a life of service you accepted a regular wage, hard work, and a place within a strict
Read moreWho lived at Calke Abbey? Were they Harpurs, Crewes, or Harpur-Crewes? The truth is, they all did. Over almost 500 years, from 1622
Read moreJust like many large houses in England, one family governed the lives of the residents in that house, and often that of the
Read moreWhy is it that we are so interested in the lives of servants? Quite a high percentage of visitors to Calke Abbey have
Read moreHenry Harpur was born in 1579, the third son of Sir John Harpur and his wife Isabella Pierpont, at Swarkestone Hall. Henry was
Read moreI have collected a considerable amount of local source material which may be useful to anyone engaged in genealogical research. The following records
Read moreWinifred Harpur Crewe, always known as Winnie, was born into a privileged life in 1879. The second daughter of Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe,
Read moreThe clock was made by John Whitehurst Senior (1766-1834) of Derby – a notable clockmaker – in 1813. Our clock is a particularly rare
Read moreDelilah (known as Dellie) Boswell was born in Wheldon, Northants, in 1800, a member of the well-known Boswell gypsy family. The family were
Read moreWilliam Dexter was born in 1818 in Melbourne, Derbyshire, to parents William Bull Dexter of Shepshed and Jane Smedley of Melbourne. William and
Read moreThe 2016 Annual General Meeting of the Neptune Association was held at the National Arboretum at Alrewas. Captain Craig Mearns from the Clyde
Read moreIt’s surprising what you can find out from the comfort of an armchair. All manner of weird and wonderful stories can be found
Read moreCanadians Jane Roberts and husband Malcolm are in Ticknall exploring the places where Janes ancestors lived and worked in the days when beer,
Read moreMight you still have Dexters in your midst in the lanes of Ticknall? The last Dexters to live in Ticknall (or rather the
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