Description:The letter above was written to Mrs. Ingram, the Housekeeper at Trentham Hall, by J. Whittaker who was responsible for hiring servants to work at Trentham. The letter concerns a complaint which had been made against a laundry maid that Whittaker had employed. Mrs. Ingram had written to Whittaker stating that she was ‘not pleased’ with the girl.
Unable to understand Mrs. Ingram’s displeasure, Whittaker writes that the girl ‘had a most excellent character as a good strong hardworking & willing young person’.
The letter indicates that complaints about the laundry maid centred on her being too short. Another servant Janet McDonald had complained to Mrs. Ingram about this, angering Whittaker. He responds by instructing Mrs. Ingram to ‘not listen’ to Janet, remarking ‘the short people often work better than the taller ones’.
Whittaker’s letter reveals that Janet McDonald was prejudiced against the new maid because a friend of hers had wanted the job which the new maid had been given. Whittaker writes that he would not have employed Janet’s friend anyway ‘as she talked too much’.
The letter provides an insight into the tensions which existed amongst the household staff, particularly concerning attitudes to work and competition for employment.