I have one family in Doncaster in the early 1900s where four daughters went into 'service'. Three can be found in Doncaster, but the fourth went to Halifax. She sent postcards back to her parents and little sister, and I have them. They make fascinating reading. I might have thought that she'd be homesick or unhappy with her job, but that certainly is not reflected in the correspondence. She got on very well with the family she worked for - they even took her on holiday to Scarborough with them.
It is also interesting to note that the family was not that poor - the father finished up owning three houses in Doncaster. But further back I have found a 'tradition' in the ancestors for women working at the 'big house' (that at a time when the family was less well off). I suspect that the father saw going into 'service' as necessary preperation for life (rather like sendind a boy into the army). And no doubt the money he saved on their upkeep went towards buying those houses! (which he gave to three of the daughters).
Nigel
