Domestics working in Paris in 1820s

[Anne1830]

Please can anyone suggest if there is anywhere to find out about my ancestors who were in service for a family in Paris. They had a daughter born there and baptised in Chapel of British Embassy in 1823.  I would love to find out who they worked for as family story goes that their son was set up in his publishing business in Chelsea by a wealthy benefactor.  Could have been the same family?!

[jorose]

Were there any addresses listed?

It would be likely that they were working for an English family who were staying temporarily in Paris and came back with them to London. You might also look at addresses listed on baptisms in the UK (e.g. for the son) - perhaps that will lead you to the family?

Were they still around by the 1841 census?

[Anne1830]

Thanks for your reply and suggestions.  Yes, they were back in England by 1841 as the Census shows that they were in Paradise Row Chelsea.  They were no longer in service.  The head of the family was working as a "whitster" (a linen bleacher in a laundry, a skill he would have learned in Norfolk where his father was a linen weaver.)

Do you know if there were any special qualifiactions to allow you to have achild baptised in the British Embassy- I did contact them, incidentally but they do not have search facilities apparently and I would have to go there.

It is a good suggestion about the employers being in Paris only temporarily, I will think on that!

Thanks again. Anne

[jorose]

No special qualifications as far as I know - it was just that presumably they wanted to baptise their child Church of England and I think that would have been the only chapel in the area at the time. Some families living overseas waited until they came back and had the kids all done together in their home parish.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=076-sun_2-83&cid=1-122&kw=Samuel%20Mowels#1-122
 - from your other messages, I guess this is the father? This shows he was at Paradise Row by 1836.