Sarah The Skullery Maid

Sarah smoothed her white apron over her long grey dress and looked around the large Victorian scullery.

Since rising at 5.30am she had boiled water on the stove for early morning tea for the upper servants’. She had also had emptied the chamber pots and cleaned them out using a vinegar soaked cloth. When this was done she lit the fires in the house.

Sarah was only 16 and as the Scullery maid she was considered the lowliest employee in the Victorian household.

With her jobs done before breakfast it was now time to set about cleaning the scullery. She scrubbed the kitchen floor, cleaned the pantry, washed the saucepans and dusted the shelves.

When Sarah had a spare second her mind would wander and dream of meeting and falling in love with a rich gentleman who would take her away from all this drudgery.

Sarah quickly dismissed her thoughts before the Kitchen maid scolded her. She answered to her and the cook, although the cook would generally tell the kitchen maid to tell Sarah her chores.

She filled large cans with hot water and carried them up the stairs for use in the rooms.

Sarah’s stomach rumbled with hunger and reminded her it was time to prepare the vegetables.

After waiting on the other servants Sarah has to eat her own dinner in the kitchen to keep her eye on other food cooking on the stove.

The rest of the day was filled with washing up, cleaning the floors and tables. Washing clothes in the big sink using a big bar of soap and a washing board. Once they were dry she would heat the flat iron on the stove and iron the clothes while a second iron was heating up so she did not have to stop ironing.

In the evening after heating the water she would again carry the heavy jugs up the stairs to the rooms.

At about 9pm when the last of her chores were done Sarah would collapse with exhaustion into her bed in the Attic. Too tired even to dream of her Knight in shining armour.