Show Posts
1
London & Middlesex Completed Lookup Requests / Re: Coachmen - any info?
« on: Saturday 25 April 20 15:27 BST (UK) »
One thing I have learnt is that there were different types of Coachmen. The ones that rode the Omnibus type carriages who hauled the common man, and those who were a private/gentlemen's coachmen. The former quite often drank,swore & spent the night in the night in the back of their carriages, whereas a private or gentlemen's coachmen was employed by a wealthy family, who was given a uniform and more often than not, given private lodgings in a mews house near the stable. They wanted their staff to look after the horses and be on beckon call when they wanted a carriage to take them out.
A private coachmen was considered quite a catch by young ladies as they knew that they could get lodgings.
In the 1860s, a private coachman could expect to earn between 35 & 80 pounds a year, depending on the social standing of his employer. Tips would further pad their wages. They were considered to have quite an elevated position in the household staff.
Quite often, the mews houses would be in the more salubrious parts of London, but the fact remains that they were still amongst the stables, therefore they were living under a constant smell of horse manure.
The work for a private coachman could come and go. Employers would engage staff whilst they dwelt in the capital, as often they were only there for a season or two, before returning back to their country estates or had other properties in other cities. This meant that the coachman was always looking for his next job and new address. An ideal situation was to have an employer who resided in London full time.
See "The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper”, by Hallie Rubenhold. Victim Annie Chapman was married to a coachman. The book gives an excellent description of coachmen lives.
A private coachmen was considered quite a catch by young ladies as they knew that they could get lodgings.
In the 1860s, a private coachman could expect to earn between 35 & 80 pounds a year, depending on the social standing of his employer. Tips would further pad their wages. They were considered to have quite an elevated position in the household staff.
Quite often, the mews houses would be in the more salubrious parts of London, but the fact remains that they were still amongst the stables, therefore they were living under a constant smell of horse manure.
The work for a private coachman could come and go. Employers would engage staff whilst they dwelt in the capital, as often they were only there for a season or two, before returning back to their country estates or had other properties in other cities. This meant that the coachman was always looking for his next job and new address. An ideal situation was to have an employer who resided in London full time.
See "The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper”, by Hallie Rubenhold. Victim Annie Chapman was married to a coachman. The book gives an excellent description of coachmen lives.