Previous
"Below Stairs," the memoir that inspired "Downton Abbey" and "Upstairs, Downstairs," gets a re-release as "Downton Abbey" begins its second season.
By Trevor Rickard
2. Servants got time off – for a few hours
After completing an interview with the mistress of the house, Powell was told the terms of her employment. "I was to have twenty-four pounds a year, paid monthly," Powell wrote. "I was to have one afternoon and evening off from four o'clock to ten o'clock, and alternate Sundays off the same hours, and I was never to be in later than ten o'clock under any circumstances ... my spirits sank lower and lower. I felt I was in jail at the finish."
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.