Ancestors At Work
Jayne Shrimpton reveals the lives of our forebears who worked as valets
Were any of your relations employed as valets?
The medieval French term valet originally denoted a page or squire: a youth staying in a highranking household in order to learn courtly behaviour and gain a noble education. In England from the 1560s a personal manservant might be called a ‘valet’, from valet de chambre (implying the bedchamber), and well before 1800 the word signified the personal attendant to the male head of an affluent household.
The valet had a prestigious position among domestic staff, for he was a trusted servant reporting directly to the master of the house. In the kinds of large establishments that employed a dedicated valet, he was easily distinguished from the lower male servants in their servile livery uniforms, for he wore regular dress that was typically even more formal than that of his employer. Usually single and in his late twenties or older, he upheld high standards of appearance and demeanour, cultivating a courteous air, good taste and sense of refinement. Valets tended to adopt the speech and manners of
those they served, fostering their image as the ‘gentleman’s gentleman’, although generally referred to as ‘my man’.
Position Of Trust
Valets were not generally conventionally well-educated, but needed to be intelligent, pragmatic and exercise good social skills, for instance when working alongside servants from other households. Being intimately concerned with caring for their master’s person, valets also had to be honest, discreet and dependable. They attained their position in different ways, some being former batmen (soldier-servants to army officers) or stewards to naval officers – loyal attendants who remained with the same master in civilian life. Many valets began as household footmen, learning useful skills in that role, such as blacking and polishing boots, and acquiring others when deputising for their master’s valet. Sometimes footmen acted as valets for a family’s younger sons, or for male guests without their own man. Such experiences qualified some footmen to rise up through the ranks, and acquire better positions at higher pay.
In the grandest residences, the master of the house had his own valet, as did his adult sons. A valet might work for the titled lord of a vast ancestral estate, or a city gentleman. In a large household employing many servants the job was clearly defined and mainly entailed caring for the master’s wardrobe and personal needs, whereas in smaller homes a valet/manservant often undertook light housework and other duties; even a butler might double as a valet.
In a sizeable establishment, a valet’s day typically began by ensuring that the housemaid had properly cleaned and aired his master’s dressing room, and had lit a good fire in winter. He then aired or warmed over a clothes horse the underlinen and shirt that were to be worn and brushed
‘Many valets began as household footmen, learning useful skills’
his master’s jacket, waistcoat and trousers. Hot bathwater was ordered, toilet articles organised and razors sharpened; some gentlemen shaved themselves, others preferred their valet’s ministrations. Next the valet helped to dress his master, handing clothes in order, and assisting with cravat or necktie.
It was then the valet’s duty to tidy the dressing room, cleaning used combs, brushes and shaving apparatus, and to deal with clothes discarded earlier. Suits were brushed, pressed and hung or folded; linen sent to the laundry; neckties and cravats ironed; coat and jacket collars inspected for grease or hair oil; and stains removed with solvents. A good valet knew all the tricks of the trade such as the best cleaning agents, used his own recipe for boot polish, and generally had spare collar studs, shoelaces and equipment for minor clothing repairs.
The valet also ran errands, for example relaying personal messages, delivering cards and notes to friends, settling bills with tradesmen, even arranging the sending of flowers to young ladies. He then had to be ready to attend his master upon his return, helping to dress him for formal afternoon events or dinner. In the evening he ensured that the dressing room was ready and warmed with a cosy fire, laying out pyjamas, dressing-gown and slippers. Some valets also helped their master at bedtime.
Valets often saw more of life than many domestic servants:
for example, some went along on country shoots to load their master’s gun. Valets also had to make various travel arrangements, and here a working knowledge of French or other languages was desirable. Frequently valets were responsible for vast quantities of luggage, liaising with hotel staff, securing cabs, even organising travel itineraries. Some went on the Grand Tour through Europe or travelled widely with their employer, perhaps sleeping in the same room when secure first-class accommodation was unavailable. The ideal valet made himself indispensable, dealing reliably and efficiently with every eventuality.
Perks Of The Job
Other perks included highquality cast-off clothes, which the valet could sell if he wished, and presents or tips from grateful visitors to the house. A close bond, even friendship sometimes formed between a gentleman and his valet, to the envy of other servants, although a difficult master could make life miserable for one who was inexperienced or easily cowed.
After the Second World War, due to escalating servant shortages, economic pressures and changing attitudes the role of valet shifted, often being merged with other posts, and far fewer menservants lived in. Arthur Inch, who returned to service in the mid-1950s, found himself “covering the jobs of ten men in the pantry… As well as being butler/valet I also did a few chauffeuring jobs.”
JAYNE SHRIMPTON
is a dress and textile historian, author and portrait specialist