🕯️ She smuggled his letters inside prayer books just to read them in secret.

Six years of good service. Destroyed in one afternoon.

Because she fell in love.

Which story stayed with you the most tonight? Drop a comment below — I read every single one.

And if you want more hidden histories from Victorian England — subscribe. We’re just getting started. 🕯️

The rage these stories bring up in me. A victim of rape was fired. It’s disgusting.

The best show on Netflix called ALIAS GRACE,is the absolute understanding of servants and the things that go on and how they hide it.

How arrogant  the employers were. In other words they were badly paid slaves

These stories are so tragic and heartbreaking,

In 1950 my mum married dad. She worked at Cadbury s. They gave her a Bible signed by Mr Cadbury. It is exactly as the Cadbury logo. She was expected to leave to keep house.

Alias Grace is actually my favorite to show ever from netflix

This system was a form of slavery in my opinion.  Yes, anyone in service was "free" to leave service, but the socio-economic consequences of leaving, or of staying and trying to survive under such circumstances, was not real "freedom."  It was not a real choice in that the person had any other true opportunities.  Leaving "disgraced" without a reference essentially took away any remaining thread of human dignity and hope.  All of the things these people endured whilst "in service," from lack of proper nutrition and medical care to "sleeping," if you could call it true sleep, in rooms so severely cold in Winter that the water in wash basins froze, and in Summer heat that was so stifling that it was impossible to drift off into restorative sleep, much leas the very few hours of sleep that were permitted, and those hours punctuated by regular rings of the bells from an employer, was evidence of the most unequal, inequitable relationship.  Servants may have had legal rights in theory, but in practice, they could not protect themselves and the courts did not seem to protect them.  They were little more than beasts of burden.  Anyone who keeps an animal today in these sorts of cruel conditions would be breaking animal cruelty laws, but in Victorian England, servants had less protection than animals do today.  To be sure there were no visible shackles and chains on these poor souls, but the shackles and chains were nevertheless there.  

I am astounded that this system persisted for so long.  I am curious as to how these relationships played out in earlier eras compared to Victorian England.  Were conditions similar in the Medieval period for example.  Was this situation prevalent in other parts of the world such as on the continent?  

We all have our burdens to bear, especially if we are poor and have no capital, financial or otherwise, but surely everyone is better off today than during this time period in the U.K.  At least I hope and pray we are, but I know the stories of many people today who also labour under a system where they are deprived of life's basic needs and have no access to justice, true justice.

England may have banned slavery in 1833 if I am not mistaken about the date, however; They still held "Servants" as slaves. They controlled everything they did & kept them poor. My God! Thank God we have labor laws today. No, there is nothing perfect but today compared to Victorian England is a cake walk.

Thats so double standard,  not fair at all,  especially if it was a relative to the boss

All of them are horrible

Just awful!