Servants

Servants made up a fairly large group in Renaissance society. Many households employed one or more servants, ranging from a sole farm worker to a staff of 100. By the early 1500s, a third of all families had live-in servants.

Although aristocratic households employed large staffs of servants of both sexes, a typical home had far fewer. Most people could afford only one or two servants, usually women or girls. Female servants made up 12 percent of the population of some European cities. The majority of these servants were unmarried women and girls, sometimes as young as seven or eight. They often worked as all-purpose maids, attending to various tasks such as cleaning bedchambers and helping in the kitchen. Employing male servants, which was less common, gave status to a household. English farmers employed servants of both sexes, one or two to a farm. In exchange for general tasks they received food, lodging, and a small wage when they left.

Many female servants who worked in cities moved there from the countryside. Often from poor families or from poverty-stricken regions, they came to the city hoping to work to save enough money for a dowry* to attract a husband. This could take many years, as wages were low, and some never reached their goal. Those who did marry almost always left service. Servants were typically single, either by custom or law, and a female servant who became pregnant could be dismissed.

Families found servants through word of mouth, local hiring fairs, or employment agencies. The conditions of their service varied greatly. All servants were entirely dependent upon their employers and could be punished or fired at will. They received little or no time off and worked long hours for little pay. Employers provided food and lodging, but quarters might be no more than a cupboard under the stairs or space on the kitchen floor. In addition, employers and servants lived close together, and female servants were at risk of sexual advances from men in the household.