Agatha Christie question: England in the 1920s and female domestic servants' names

[Rilchiam]

@Scarlett67

Hah, I came in here just to post about that! It was the very first episode (which we recently watched courtesy of Netflix). The names were Clemence (guessing on the spelling, pronounced “Clem-ONCE” to rhyme with “fonts”) and Sarah.

I was going to mention that too! Also a similar reference in Little Women. Aunt March’s lady’s maid was named Estelle, but agreed to be called Esther “on the condition that she would not be asked to change her religion.” :eek:

[Bill_Door]

@Cub Mistress

I’ve heard stories from elderly black ladies of being “called out of their names” when working as cleaning ladies. My mind boggles at the sheer ballsiness of changing someone’s name for unsuitability. I’m sure I read it in a book as well, but can’t remember which one right now.

I remember hearing about Pullman Porters being called George, after the owner of the Pullman Sleeping Car Company.

[Freudian_Slit]

@CalMeacham

I’m amazed and intrigued by all this. You’d never get away with such blatant class warfare and Putting the Lower Orders in their Place actions in today’s America, but you could probably do subtler things.

You know how some buildings used to have a service entrance? My parents’ apartment building has a service elevator that domestics and dogs have to use (plus, anyone carrying laundry up and down, also if you’re going up to the pool).

[Tim_T-Bonham.net]

@CalMeacham

I’m amazed and intrigued by all this. You’d never get away with such blatant class warfare and Putting the Lower Orders in their Place actions in today’s America, but you could probably do subtler things.

The servant girl in the Lizzie Borden house was commonly called “Maggie” rather than her name of Bridget. Mostly because their previous servant had been called Maggie, and it wasn’t worth the trouble to them to learn a new name – the servant could just learn to answer to a different name.

Of course, this was in 1892. You probably couldn’t do that today in America.

But I have talked to several residents of India on tech support lines who are ordered to use ‘american’ names.

[Walloon]

Irish-American maids were routinely called “Bridget” no matter what their actual name was.

[Zabali_Clawbane]

@t-bonham@scc.net

<snip>
But I have talked to several residents of India on tech support lines who are ordered to use ‘american’ names.

The question is though, have any of them taken names like Shaniqua, Laquisha, Maria, Angelique, Antonio, Jose, Shaquille or the like? I might, if I were asked to take an “American” name. Certainly the company wouldn’t be so impolitic as to demand it be of a particular American ethinicity, would they?