The following is a list of the men in the 30 March 1851 census for St Leonards on Sea who were described as butlers or equivalents, plus wives who stated that their husbands were butlers. I have been able to match a few of those couples up. Some of the households were only staying for the popular winter season, so married butlers could have had wives living near the family’s main residence, and I would have been unable to trace them.
While this is a small sample, it may be of interest in showing a little of how butlers lived. From looking through numerous census entries my impression is that If the butler was married, the wives typically lived elsewhere. An exception was usually made if the wife was the cook or the housekeeper. If there were children, however, it was very unusual for the children to be living in the house, and the couple, or perhaps the wife, would live elsewhere with the children.
I have tried to find the butlers in later censuses, and if so have added notes on their careers. While as I said the sample is small it is interesting that some went into other occupations rather than being butlers all their lives. Possibly some received bequests from masters or mistresses (which certainly sometimes occurred, often as a lump sum for each year of service, and usually only if still in their service).
The butlers or butlers’ wives are listed below in the same order as the census, with the head of household first given and e.g. ‘H. of 3’ indicating how many were in the household. All of the selected men are described as ‘butler’ unless otherwise specified, and their names are in bold. Any comments by me are in concluding square brackets.
There may have been some street renumbering. Adelaide House is still marked as such on its façade but is now 23 Marina, for example. As for White Rock, that is just on the Hastings side of the boundary between St Leonards and Hastings, but the census regarded it as St Leonards, hence its inclusion.
23 Marina. Wm. F. Knatchbull, M[arried], [age] 40, landholder, born London. H. of 3. 6 servants including Prince, U[nmarried], 27, born Gloster [Why only one name ? Possibly a black servant].
26 Marina. [As lodgers]. Francis Newman Rogers, M, 59, Queen’s Counsel, b. Dorset Sherborne. H. of 3. 2 servants including James Sisson, U, 32, b. Peterboro’
35 Marina. Theodosia Howden, W[idow], 75, baroness, born Ireland Dublin. H. of 2. 7 servants including Walter Gower, U, 37, house steward, born Lewes, and Charles Mortimer, U, 24, under butler, born Durham Darlington [Howden died in December 1853 at St Leonards. In the 1861 census Gower was running a lodging house at 3 Grand Parade with three servants. He was buried at Hollington in 1876].
43 Marina. Edward Parrett, M, 63, clerk to House of Lords, born Westminster. H. of 3. 5 servants including William Hopton, M, 49, born Esher, who was married to the cook, Sarah Hopton, 39, born Bucks, Stone [They had married in 1849 at St George, Hanover Square, London, he as a servant, son of a grocer, both of Park Street. In the 1861 census they were at Walton on the Hill, Surrey, he a fund holder, so quite a promotion. He died there in 1869. His master Mr Parrett, Clerk of the Journals of the House of Lords, had died in March 1853 at St Leonards].
5 Mercatoria. Leonora Pannett, 40, butler’s wife, born Ewhurst, and 18-year-old daughter with the surname of Pateman, a milliner [husband/ stepfather was at 67 Marina].
12 Maze Hill. The Rt. Hon. Lord Thurlow, W, 37, landed proprietor, born London Fitzroy Square. H. of 3. 4 servants including Edward Collins, M, 58, born Ireland Carlow.
3 Undercliff. Charlotte Beal, 37, butler’s wife, born Mountfield, five children [In the 1861 census, Saxon Road, St Leonards, husband William Beale, 53, coachman, born Robertsbridge, was with this family. I did not find him in the 1851 census. They had married in 1835 at St Clement’s Hastings, both of the parish. He was dead by 1869].
6 Undercliff. Charlotte Cornelius, 32, wife of butler, born Littlebourne, Kent, with son [husband John is listed at 5 West Ascent, 26, born Herts St Laurence as a footman to William D. Davies, late Captain 2nd Dragoon Guards. They had married in 1848 at Bloomsbury, London, he as a servant, son of a servant. In the 1861 census he was at 20 Eversfield Place, butler to the Rev. George D. St Quentin, this time born Kent St Lawrence [which was true, the Isle of Thanet]. In the 1871 census he was the publican at the Nag’s Head, Gensing Road].
13 Undercliff. Margaret Jeffries, W, 39, proprietor of houses and land, born Etchingham. H. of 2. 4 servants including James George Eaglesfield, marital status not given, 39, born Rutland Greetham [He later married, 30 Sept 1851, West Tarring, Elizabeth Burt; he was of West Tarring, she of Broadwater. He was buried in Apr 1852 at Broadwater but as of Worthing. One son. In the 1861 census his widow was a seamstress living with her mother and her son at West Tarring].
2 Grand Parade. John Frederick Schroder, M, 70, landed prop., born Hambro’ [Hamburg ?]. H. of 5. 1 servant, John Vince, U, 35, born Kent.
6 Grand Parade. Mary Finch, U, 50, fundholder, born Surrey Albury. H. of 2. 6 servants including Gaspero Nannelli, M, 61, born Lucca [Italy], who was married to the housekeeper, Margaret, 46, born Roxburgh Kelso, with son Gaspero, 9 [Despite the unusual surname, variant spellings meant that I could not trace him further]
8 Grand Parade. Lady Harriet Paget, W, 60, Earl’s dau, born Kent Hayes. H. of 6. 5 servants including Stephen Baker, M, 38, born Staffordshire.
10 Grand Parade. The Hon. Mrs Mary Ann Southwell, W, 38, landed proprietor, born Ireland. H. of 5. 4 servants including Michael Dalton, M, 26, born Ireland Newcastle.
Adelaide House [now 23 Grand Parade]. George Neville Grenville, M, 61, Dean of Windsor, born Berkshire Stanlake. H. of 6. 13 servants including Thomas Wise, M, 48, born Berkshire West Kerry, and Thomas Miles, U, 31, under butler, born Berkshire West Hendred.
16 White Rock. Robert Rawstone, W, 71, incumbent [clergyman] of Penwortham, Lancashire, born Penwortham Hall. H. of 3. 4 servants including William Baker, U, 27, born Leicestershire Seagrave.
45 Marina. Edward Hussey, M, 43, JP and Deputy Lieutenant, born London St Marylebone. H. of 2. 7 servants including William Cooper, M, 60, born Hertfordshire Hertford.
59 Marina. George Johnston, W, 66, landed proprietor, born Pembrokeshire St Mary’s Haverfordwest. H. of 4. 4 servants including James Clark, U, 53, born Kent Birchington.
65 Marina. Phillip Tillard, M, 39, JP, landed proprietor, born Huntingdonshire Blutisham. H. of 8. 8 servants including Isaac Green, M, 59, born Suffolk Combs [Baptised as an Independent, i.e. a Congregationalist. In the 1861 census he was again a butler, occupying with a governess and a housemaid a house in Bishopsgate, London; the family was absent].
66 Marina. William J. Denne, M, 57, proctor [a legal professional specializing in ecclesiastical and admiralty law], born Winchelsea. H. of 3. 5 servants including George Saxby, U, 40, born London St Anne’s [Denne’s will was proven in 1855, when he was of Portman Square].
67 Marina. Ann Braham, W, 56, gentlewoman, born Middlesex Homerton. H. of 3. 3 servants including William Pannett, M, 43, born Slinfield [wife at 5 Mercatoria. They had married in 1848 at St Clement’s, Hastings, he as a bachelor, a servant, of St Leonard, she as a widow, both fathers being labourers. In the 1861 census the wife was still at 5 Mercatoria, mother in law to Henry Hughes, builder. In the 1881 census he was still with Mrs Braham at 80 Marina. Pannett died on the 1 January 1890 at 80 Marina, a butler [he was 84 !], leaving an estate of £2620, sizable for the time. His executors were Elijah Marsh of 11 Mercatoria, grocer, and John Peerless of Mercatoria, footman, who was also working at 80 Marina in the 1881 census. Ann Braham their mistress died there in November 1891, aged 92; she was the widow of a Captain in the 78th Highlanders].
68 or 69 ? Marina [unnumbered, between 67 and 70]. Charles Smith, M, 46, landed proprietor, born London. H. of 5. 5 servants including William Davis, U, 35, born Tamworth [Staffordshire].
72 Marina. Charlotte Currie, M, 46, wife, born Cheshire Congleton [actually named Elizabeth Ann ! Husband was John Currie, corn distiller]. H. of 9. 9 servants including Thomas Mathis, U, 35, born Kent.
77 Marina. George H.M. Wagner, M, 64, JP & Deputy Lieutenant for Sussex, born Westminster. H. of 6. 4 servants including Charles Cope, M, 27, born Staffordshire Mansye Ridware [In 1846, Brighton, as a lodging house keeper, son of a farmer, he married Mary Wood Mockford. In the 1851 census she was at 115 Marina, 34, born Brighton, a tea dealer and stationer, with a 6-year-old son. In the 1861 census they were at 4 Norman Road, he a stationer. In the 1871 census the couple were at 9 St Margaret Terrace, he a verger. In the 1881 and 1891 censuses the couple were at Westham, Sussex, he a retired bookseller].
Beauport House. Charles Lamb Jr., M, 36, gentleman, born Hollington. H. of 8. 15 servants including Thomas Nelson, U, 34, born Scotland Maybole.
The 23 butlers are few in number to make deductions from, of course, but I was surprised that as many as 13 were married. Four were born outside England (two in Ireland, one each in Italy and Scotland). Only two were born in Sussex, and three in Kent. Even when we have some details, of course, we would never really know or understand what their lives were like.