Downton Abbey's staff

	Note: This article is still under construction
	It may not function as expected. Check the discussion for info about its current state. See Category:Under construction articles for other incomplete articles.

Downton Abbey is a large house that requires a lot of upkeep and staff to run it. The staff of Downton Abbey work for the Crawley family.

Staff positions[]

The following is a list of the staff of Downton Abbey, past and present.

Estate manager (agent)[]

Jarvis (1880-1920)
Tom Branson (1920-24, since 1925)
Mary Talbot (since 1925)
Henry Talbot (since 1925)

Butler[]

Charles Carson (18??-1926)
Thomas Barrow (since 1926)

Underbutler[]

Thomas Barrow (1920-25)

Housekeeper[]

Elsie Carson (since 1895)

Head Valet[]

Mr Watson (?-1912)
John Bates (1912-16, 1918-19, 1920-24, since December 1924)
Henry Lang (1916-17)
Thomas Barrow (1920, 1924)

Valet[]

Joseph Molesley (1920-21)

Senior Lady's maid[]

The lady's maid is the personal attendant to the lady of the house or another senior female member of the family. She is responsible for dressing her mistress, styling her hair, mending and altering her clothes, cleaning her jewellery and shoes, tidying her bedroom, drawing her bath, preparing and delivering her breakfast and tea trays, accompanying her into town, running her errands, and packing her cases for travel. She is the only member of staff permitted to touch her mistress's dressing table. She is often a confidant of her mistress and may speak more freely to her than would be proper for other servants.

Sarah O'Brien (1904-22)
Edna Braithwaite (1922)
Phyllis Baxter (since 1922)

Lady's maid[]

Anna Bates (since 1920)

First footman[]

Thomas Barrow (1910-14, 1919-20)
William Mason (1914-17)
Alfred Nugent (1920)
James Kent (1920-24)
Joseph Molesley (1924-25)
Andrew Parker (since 1925)

Second footman[]

William Mason (?-1914)
James Kent (1920)
Alfred Nugent (1920-22)
Joseph Molesley (1922-24)
Andrew Parker (1924-25)

Head housemaid[]

Anna Bates (?-1920)
Madge (1920-25)

Housemaid[]

Lily (19??-1925)
Madge (19??-1920)
Gwen Dawson (1912-14)
Ethel Parks (1916-18)
Jane Moorsum (1918-19)
Edna Braithwaite (1921)
Gertie (since 1925)
Alice

Head cook[]

The cook is in sole charge of the kitchen and is in charge of her own servants. They would have a limited relationship with the other staff - the kitchen staff would even eat their meals apart from the rest of the servants. Part of the cooks role involved talking daily to the mistress of the house to discuss the menus. The cook was expected to prepare meals to schedule and would in turn expect the family to eat them on time. The cook would order all her supplies through the housekeeper. ^[1]

Mrs Yardley (fl.1870s)
Beryl Patmore (1870-?)

Assistant cook[]

Daisy Mason (since 1920)

Kitchen maid[]

The kitchen maid was the lowest of all the servants and rarely left the kitchen, even eating there rather than in the servants hall. They would be responsible for washing up and food preparation like peeling vegetables and preparing raw meat - often having to gut and skin it. They would also prepare the daily supply of cooking salt by rubbing a block of solid salt through a sieve and this was often made very painful due to the chapped and cracked hands they would have from washing up and cleaning the pans.^[2]

Part of the kitchen or scullery maid's job was to be up before everyone else. She would light the fires throughout the house whilst the family were asleep and wake the other servants.^[3]^[4]