Staff & Servants

Some of the senior employees, such as Broadway, O'Conor and Ledbrooke, effectively became part of the Buckingham's family. The dates given are dates of service for the Buckinghams, or dates on which they are mentioned in documents. This is a problematic list which is continually being updated.

Obviously many of the personal servants were mobile, and they are listed where reported. In 1827?, there were 38 servants and 3 pensioners. Nine were dismissed to save £119 a year.

Stowe

• Librarians:
  • Charles O'Conor (1798-1827)
  • William James Smith (1829-?); subsequently general factotum
• Clerk of Works:
• John Broadway (?-1836)
• William Jones 
• House Steward?: "Price is gone, & as his place is not yet filled up there is nobody to tell the Servants where to place themselves" (1808/01/14).
• Valet: Mantelot (1815). "He was a very fat, inactive man" (1815/04/12; Wynne Diaries III).
• Servant: Alexander (1827). "My Servant Alexander has been very ill. He was seized with a violent bleeding of the Nose… I understand privately that he had been drinking hard the whole time we were in London, and was not one night sober. He is however getting better." (Richard Temple: 1827/04/30; HEH ST 98 Vol 1).
• Grooms/valets:
  • Verney. In list of servants (1827?)
  • William Sharpe. In list of servants (1827?). From Temple's will: "To my valet de chambre William Sharp if he be in my service at the time of my decease an annuity of Thirty pounds during his life" (1833/06/28: HEH STG Personal Box 23 (16)).
• Medical adviser & general factotum: Tobias Ledbrooke
• Woodman: Verney (?-1823): 'Poor Verney the woodman at Stowe dead, aged 90.' (Richard Temple's Diary; HEH ST 95, 11 March 1823)
• Gardeners:
  • Edward Lethbury (1809); labourer in garden who stole lead from garden statues
  • Brown (<1823-?). (1827?)
  • Mould (1827) - William Mould? See Avington. (1827?)
  • Ferguson (<1840-?). Gardener responsible for the Lamport Gardens
• Butler: John Pool(e). (1819, 1824). Poole to 1st Duke: "I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter to day containing two Cheques one for £492:11:3 to pay Servants Wages and Board Wages and the other for fifty pounds on my book account" (1824/01/29: HEH STG Correspondence Box 446 (06))
• Cook: Vizard (<1827-1827: dismissed in Gibraltar)
• Gamekeepers: Daniel Humphries, George Ayling, John Turpin and James Beckett (The Times, 1827/03/16).
• Gamekeeper: Cobden. "I determine to put all the Game here, Hillesden and Finmere under the contract and chief command of Cobden who does his duty honestly by me. He makes a proposition by which the Rabbits will pay for their own destruction. At present I am paying at the rate of a shilling a head for every rabbit I kill." 1st Duke's diary (1827/04/27; 1827/05/05; 1827/05/18; 1827/05/30; HEH ST 98 Vol 1).
• William Humphries: a servant or waiter (HEH STG Correspondence Box 7 (25); 1827/06). "Stewards Room Man Wm Humphries" (1827?).
• Holland. Lives at Dadford. Labourer all his life at Stowe. Attempts suicide when he is made redundant in 1834 (The Times, 1834/03/17).

Buckinghamshire Estates

• Senior Land Stewards:
  • Joseph Parrott. He suffered a stroke in 1783 (HEH STG Correspondence Box 47 (17)). A very competant and highly regarded steward.
  • George Parrott: Nephew of Joseph. Steward until 1841. In April 1835, he mentions his partner E Barlett is dangerously ill.
  • Thomas Beards: Succeeded George Parrott as senior land steward in 1841, having previously been a bailiff in Somerset for Dukes. "About three months ago his Grace signified to me that only one Bailiff was to be kept on the Somersetshire Estates and that he would appoint Beards" (1827/01/02: HEH STG Correspondence Box 441 (79)). He died in 1870. He is described by John Beckett as an ‘incompetent, if not venal, steward.’
  • Thomas John Beards: Son of Thomas Beards who succeeded him in 1870 but was dismissed for incompetence, possibly fraud in 1873. On dismissal he ‘made away with and destroyed estate papers, and even maps’ (HEH STG Correspondence 346, letters from Chandos to Williams 1873–74)
• Mr Montague. Stowe Steward. Dies between May 1841 and November 1842.
• Charles Jones: "Clerk of the Works over the Buckingham property & superintend all the Building Repairs in the Gardens & the House", 1827-29? to May 1835>.
• Other hands:
  • Old Woodward (<1789-1815)
  • "Old Chamberlain" is mentioned in a letter from Lady Mary Grenville in February 1816.
  • "Pray let poor old Bason have little comforts from the House, as he is very ill." Anna Eliza to Richard Temple (1835/08/11: HEH STG Correspondence Box 74 (44)).

Avington

• Servants and Keepers at Avington 1823. (HEH STG Correspondence Box 443 (62)):
  • House Servants. Mrs Sutton; Mrs Drinkwater; Jane Sawkins; Mary Barker; Sarah Newman; Ann Bennett; Harriet Cole; The quarter’s bill was £95.16.11 for Board Wages & Wages.
  • Game keepers. John Rogers, Itchen; Henry Lipscomb, Itchen; George White, Easton; Isaac Bye, Under Keeper, Easton; John Gray, Dog feeder. The quarter’s bill was £109.3.5 for Board Wages & Wages. "We never could discharge Gray. It would be no saving" Richard Temple told Anna Eliza (1823/04/24: HEH STG Correspondence Box 7 (23)).
  • Maid: Muir. Anna Eliza: "I have experienced a sad dismal scene in the awful death of my Maid Muir" (1828/04/08: HEH STG Correspondence Box 4 (21)).
• Another game keeper was killed in October 1818: "the awful death of our poor Keeper who was thrown from a Cart has of course for the present deranged the shooting establishment" (Anna Eliza to Percy Grace, HEH STG Correspondence Box 4 (13); 1818/10/09).
• Stewards:
  • Thomas Crawfurd <1820-1825. Avington Steward from before December 1820. He was paid £300 per annum. On retirement in May 1825 given an annuity of £200 per annum and a lodging (HEH STG Correspondence Box 443 (35); 1825/05/24. HEH STG Correspondence Box 371 (20); 1825/05/25). By August 1828, his eyesight is struggling (1828/09/16: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (53)).
  • Arthur Octavius Baker 1825-1836>. Avington Steward. Appointed May 1825 on £200 per annum. 1st Duke to Tobias Ledbrooke: "Baker to manage & receive Doddington Keynsham & Rodney Stoke as well as Hampshire. Robson to collect Middlesex and to manage all my legal correspondence & to do all my Attorney’s business" (HEH STG Correspondence Box 443 (35); 1825/05/24. HEH STG Correspondence Box 371 (20); 1825/05/25). In post until at least January 1836.
• Foreman (1824). Henry Howard (HEH STG Correspondence Box 370 (72); 1824/05/28).
• Gardener (<1820). James Macnure succeeded Penton.
• Housekeeper. "The old & faithful Nicholson Housekeeper" (Anna Eliza to 1st Duke. 1836/04/04: HEH STG Correspondence Box 74 (43))
• Sawkins:"Our excellent Sawkins met with an awful Accident when killing a Deer yesterday. His Gun went off when loaded & shattered his hand" (1835/09/22: HEH STG Correspondence Box 74 (44)). "Is paid his wages up to Michs, so that the increased amount shall commence from that time" (1835/11/18).
• William Mould. Mentioned in letter of 1835/11/18. (1827?)
• Henry Mould. (1835/11/12: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (8)).
• Loader. "Mrs Loader is much better, & at work in haymaking" (1828/07/08: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (03)). (Also: 1835/11/12: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (8)).
• Mrs Hall. At work in haymaking (1828/07/08: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (03)).
• Sally Sims "is still in a very poor way" (1828/07/08: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (03)).
• March. "Poor old March has no real occasion for any further assistance, for knowing your Grace’s kind feeling for the old man, I always desire him not to carry the away the pails or work in any way harder than he likes" (1828/07/08: HEH STG Correspondence Box 363 (03)).

Wooton

• Coachman ?-1824. "Old Cook the coachman died the other day from the same attack my boy had" [inflammation in the lungs] (HEH STG Correspondence Box 5 (19); 1824/03/16 (or later)).
• Rhodes. Chandos to 1st Duke: "I am sorry to tell you that your oldest Servant here, with his two sons, the Rhodes’s, were detected last night robbing you of your straw & hay." (HEH STG Correspondence Box 75 (03), 1826/12/17).

London

• Richard Temple planned the following servants for his house in London after his marriage in 1796: " My Establishment will be Drinkwater[,] [Mr] Charles[,] the Cook, my Wife’s Maid & Mrs Drinkwater who I shall take as nurse to the little Baron, four footmen & two housemaids & one Kitchen Maid. I have only three footmen at present & I mean the fourth to act as a porter. Very possibly however I may take a fifth" (BRO D-FR/46/8/38; 1796/10/16). One of the housemaids was Betty Burgess. Mr Charles was Temple's dresser/valet.
• Atkinson. Mentioned in letter of 1809/11/17 as Richard's Servant (Fortescue IX, 376).
• William the Porter (Grosvenor Street: 1812/04/16).

London (Buckingham House, Pall Mall)

• Elizabeth Bayley. Anna Eliza's maid in 1821. Married Edmund Bell and moved with him to Ryde. She died on 30 January 1827. "Bailey" is mentioned as accompanying Anna Eliza 1812/04/16.
• Borland. A porter? Prior to Sept 1835
• Thomas. Porter. Dismissed in September 1835 having been found with a "bad woman" in the house.
• Tomlin. Female servant, perhaps Cook (September 1835)

Minchenden

• Bacon: a yearly hired servant, 1830s.

Buckingham Cottage, Ryde

• Edmund Bell. Butler and steward.
• Penton. Perhaps a gardener, transferred from Avington before 1820.

Location or Base Unknown

• Simpson. Richard's cook (1796/09/22; BRO D-FR/46/8/34).
• Bailiff: "Young" William Taylor (1825-27). Mentioned at Finmere, Wotton and Gosfield. Suffers from depression. George Parrott to Ledbrooke "He appears to be labouring under such a heavy disposition of spirits" (1825/08/09: HEH STG Correspondence Box 444 (54)). Chandos to 1st Duke concerning a theft of straw: "Your Bailiff Taylor is of no service" (1826/12/17: HEH STG Correspondence Box 75 (03)). Probably son of John Taylor of Finmere, who in 1827 is described as the Duke's "farming Baliff".
• 2nd Cook: Mrs Hobbs (1827?)
• Stewards Room Man: William Humphries
• Servant: Giovanni; servant to Richard Chandos
• William Jones. "Should it be the divine Will that you survive me that you will settle our excellent William Jones comfortably so as to be independent of those who succeed you" (Anna Eliza to 1st Duke. 1836/04/04: HEH STG Correspondence Box 74 (43)).
• James Sparrow: pensioner in (1827?) "James Sparrow———31.4.0"
• Thos Smith: (pensioner in 1827?)
• Gudgeon: (pensioner in 1827?) "M^r Gudgeon 11/ per week & to remain in the House"
• Mason: Chandos to Anna Eliza "Mason’s dismissal I will keep till I hear again from you as I think perhaps you will not like to lose so good a servant." (1828/05/20 (or later): HEH STG Correspondence Box 7 (40)).
• Abigail. Anna Eliza's maid before her marriage (1795/10/06: HEH STG Correspondence Box 84 (41)).

Jamaica

• Estate Manager. In 1827, the Estate Manager in England was Mr Urren, who lived at Buckingham House (1827/06/26; HEH STG Correspondence Box 4 (09).

Documents

• List of staff (1827?)

Professional Advisers

• Doctor: John Grosvenor
• Auditor: Henry Cory. Appointed as auditor of the 2nd Duke's estates in May 1845 (Boddington)
• Montague: Land agent (1826)

Solicitors and Agents

• Edward Robson. The first Duke's solicitor.
• John Robson. Successor to Edward (letter of 1839/01/20: HEH STG Correspondence Box 382 (69))
• William Burge of Lincoln's Inn: engaged in negotiating land sales in 1830s. "An Active Partizan for the W Indian Interests" (1832/05/02; HEH STG Correspondence Box 74 (40)).
• Parkinson. In 1833, Chandos appointed Parkinson (Coutt’s confidential solicitor) as his own solicitor.
• Cauty. Land agent appointed to sell Buckingham Cottage and other estates.
• Budd. Land agent appointed to sell Somerset and Finmere estates in 1827 (1827/07/03 Private Diaries Vol 1. HEH ST 98 Vol 2).