Hall boy: Difference between revisions
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The '''hall boy''' or '''hallboy''' was the lowest ranked male domestic worker on the staff of a great house. Usually a [[boy]] or young teenager, his name derived from the fact that his main duties were in the servants' hall, where he may also have slept. | The '''hall boy''' or '''hallboy''' was the lowest ranked male domestic worker on the staff of a great house. Usually a [[boy]] or young teenager, his name derived from the fact that his main duties were in the servants' hall, where he may also have slept. | ||
Like his female counterpart, the scullery maid, the hall boy would have been expected to work up to 16 hours per day, seven days per week. His duties were often among the most disagreeable in the house, such as emptying chamber pots for the higher-ranking servants, and (in the absence of a [[boot boy]]) cleaning the | Like his female counterpart, the scullery maid, the hall boy would have been expected to work up to 16 hours per day, seven days per week. His duties were often among the most disagreeable in the house, such as emptying chamber pots for the higher-ranking servants, and (in the absence of a [[boot boy]]) cleaning the boots. | ||
A hall boy could rise through the ranks and, if fortunate, eventually become a valet or butler. Arthur Inch, butler technical consultant for the film '' | A hall boy could rise through the ranks and, if fortunate, eventually become a valet or butler. Arthur Inch, butler technical consultant for the film ''Gosford Park'', stated in an interview that he began his life in service as a hall boy at the age of 15.<ref>{{cite news |title=The butler did it--but how? |first=Patricia Dane |last=Rogers |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-11-30/features/0311300514_1_napkins-tables-dinner |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |agency=''[[The Washington Post]]'' |date=30 November 2003 |accessdate=16 July 2013}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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[[Category:Boys]] | [[Category:Boys]] | ||
[[Category:History]] | [[Category:History]] | ||
[[Category:Occupations]] | |||
Latest revision as of 12:36, 28 May 2015
The hall boy or hallboy was the lowest ranked male domestic worker on the staff of a great house. Usually a boy or young teenager, his name derived from the fact that his main duties were in the servants' hall, where he may also have slept.
Like his female counterpart, the scullery maid, the hall boy would have been expected to work up to 16 hours per day, seven days per week. His duties were often among the most disagreeable in the house, such as emptying chamber pots for the higher-ranking servants, and (in the absence of a boot boy) cleaning the boots.
A hall boy could rise through the ranks and, if fortunate, eventually become a valet or butler. Arthur Inch, butler technical consultant for the film Gosford Park, stated in an interview that he began his life in service as a hall boy at the age of 15.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ Rogers, Patricia Dane. "The butler did it--but how?", 30 November 2003. Retrieved on 16 July 2013.
