Servant Call Bells

(Y228) When a finer household includes Servants, the estate will need more organizing than the regular home. The higher level of society, the more Servants and the better organized home. Still most finer estates have their original Servant Call Bells.

When bell number 2 rings, the Butler at Dresden Farm knows exactly where to go.

Back in the early days high nobility estates like castles and large manors had a system of the traditional Servants Bells. Normally there would be one to six wall mounted bells in or near the kitchen, each connected with a string to one specific location. When the Duchess was in the main living room she could push a small handle - often hidden behind a curtain, to get the Servants' attention. In the kitchen they would see what room in the house to seek, and based on their responsibility within the household, one Servant would walk over to that room.

Servants often switched houses, at least those with less responsibility and smaller wages. To make the switching smoother, the bells system was normally based on a common structure:

High nobility houses had 6 bells: Living #1, Living #2, Peer's Office/library, Bedroom #1 (Master), Bedroom #2 (Nursery or main guest room), Patio.

Low nobility houses had 4 bells: Living #1, Living #2, Bedroom #1 (Master), Patio.

Noble Title houses had 2 bells: Living #1, Bedroom #1.

Other houses with Servant(s) had 1 bell: Living #1 (normally).

This  could of course vary a little based on the size of the house and how well rooms were organized. The dining room was normally close to the kitchen, so it never had its own bell. The  meals would be well planned and the Servants would of course be aware of their duties regarding the ongoing event.

The kitchen at Rossie Palace is always busy. Here's the Butler overseeing the new Cook.

With fewer bells in the house, the directions would also be vaguer, and sometimes the Servant being summoned on could find the employer before reaching the destination. With just two bells one could simply mean ground floor and the other top floor, and depending on what time it was, the staff would understand where to go.

Today most of the old estates still use the primitive old system of Servants Bells. Who will be the first modernizing it? Some Missuses carry a tiny hand bell that they ring to summon their staff, and I'm pretty sure some are simply yelling to get the wanted attention, although it might be less ladylike. Who will replace the old brass bells with small lamps or even a speaker? Or perhaps the finer Masters and Missuses of today simply use their cellphones?

Having Servants in your household also shows your status. Summoning the Butler might impress your guests, or it might even be expected by a higher ranked visitor. Even so, there are noble houses who might keep only a Butler, and where family members take on certain chores themselves, like cooking and gardening.