Laying the Table at Christmas - The Victorian Way
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
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Introducing Mr Lincoln, Butler at Audley End House. Join him to discover how the staff are preparing for Christmas. Learn the correct way to serve dinner to Lord and Lady Braybrooke and their guests during the festive season.
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We hope you enjoy this special festive episode of The Victorian Way! Here are some answers to questions you may have after watching this video, provided by our expert historian:
• Where does the new recruit come from? Did Mr Lincoln refer to a servants' registry?
We've cast you, the audience, in the role of a temporary hire. It was very common for extra staff to be brought in for big events or busy seasons. They were usually recruited through a servants' registry (we'd now call them a recruitment agency). There were registries in every major city. Mr Lincoln mentions Mrs Massey's, an agency which was founded in 1854, and by the 1870s was one of the major suppliers of staff to wealthy homes. It was London-based, for most large houses preferred to recruit there rather than rely on locals who, it was felt, might pilfer or prove unreliable if they had family temptingly near.
• What is baize, as in the cloth under the tablecloth?
Baize is a type of woollen cloth, a little like felt, but more durable and much denser. It was used widely for such things as undercloths on tables and for soundproofing e.g. on doors (hence the phrase, behind the 'green baize door' denoting the other side of a door lined with baize, the usual method of soundproofing a door to the service wing). Used as an undercloth, as here, it preserved the table from hot plates and spills, as well as dents or other damage.
• Why does Mrs Warwick lay out the fruit, and not Mrs Crocombe?
The delineation of duties in a house like Audley End was relatively strict and well understood. The cook (Mrs Crocombe) cooked, and the housekeeper (Mrs Warwick) had charge of china, table linen, flowers (though the gardening staff might well arrange live plants and other floral decoration for the table and house). The housekeeper also laid out the fruit for dessert, as well as usually making jams, preserves or room fresheners (such as pot pourri).
• On the list of wines, what is hock?
Hock is a sweetish white wine from the west of Germany, along the Rhine. It is similar to riesling. Queen Victoria had a vineyard in the region named for her, and it was very popular in the past.
• What is a widgeon?
A type of small duck.
• Mr Lincoln seems awfully young: is this realistic?
All of the characters in The Victorian Way videos were real people, with their details taken from the census of 1881. The videos tie into a live interpretation project which has been running since 2008 and if you visit Audley End, you'll be able to look around the service wing and sometimes meet the servants as if it was that year. We've done a lot of research into their backgrounds (and what happened to them next) and the interpreters you see in the videos base their characterisation on what we know from the historical records. In other words, don't be influenced by TV stereotypes(!). That said, William Lincoln was indeed relatively young for a butler at this level. The Braybrookes were in financial difficulties during the 1880s, as evidenced by their employment of a female cook (paid at least half the wage of a man, often less). Their head gardener, Mr Vert, was also surprisingly young. Mr Lincoln would have gone into service aged 12, and seems to have started out as a groom, before making the move to inside work at some point in the 1870s. In 1881 he was in his early 30s, and recorded as butler at the London townhouse of Lord Braybrooke. He would have moved with them between their various houses. He remained in their service until at least 1901. There is some suggestion that perhaps he had a family in the area (though he gave his marital status as single), which might explain his long service without moving on. We will probably never know.
• Why is the fork placed with the tines facing down?
Forks (and sometimes spoons) were often laid with the tines facing down for two reasons: one was to display the family crest on the back, and the other was to prevent lace cuffs catching in them. The latter wasn't so much of an issue by 1881, when forks were less pointy than they had been, and cuffs less lacey, and not every family continued the habit. Victorian etiquette books don't tend to mention it, as they are aimed at a more aspirational middle class audience. Put simply, if you need a book, you aren't bred to it, and you are only ever going to get it wrong. Sadly, we can't rely on etiquette books as a guide to aristocratic behaviours, because the minute it was written down, it was passé. Old money families such as the Braybrookes all had their own ways of doing things. As Mr Lincoln says, Audley End was very old-fashioned as well, and the way he shows the table being laid out was not that of the urban fast set, and definitely couldn’t be learnt from any book.
"Put simply, if you need a book, you aren't bred to it, and you are only ever going to get it wrong."
Dang, that is _savage_
Thank you, I love this extra information.
Thank you for the extra information because to be honest, i cannot quite get what hes saying most of all, but only able to grasp the 'swan handkerchief" and "rabbit meat for the lower table" hehe.. i find this information more "simple-english" to understand than in the video, especially today, there is no subtitle. But strangely, i find mrs. Crocombe communication style is easier to grasp, hmm...
@@astherlia7292 - Indeed. It would be very, very helpful if they would caption these videos.
the info about the Braybrookes financial status and how this could reflect on the young age of the butler is interesting. I find it amusing that we have to thank the Braybrookes tight purse moment for Mrs Crocombe :)
I’m ready for a full Netflix series of all this. The drama in the laundry alone could carry the season!
I’ve chuckled with your comment 😊
I sooo agree with you!! I would watch this loyally!
can you imagine what they see down there? they know exactly who's doing what and to whom!
@@blktauna ... and to each other.
Umm.. ever heard of Downton Abbey? 😅
You really need to give this man his own series.
Yea I totally agree
Agreed! 👍👍👍😃
Mr. Lincoln!!! 🎉🎉🎉
Hurrah for the Butler!
100%!!!!!!!!!
Love the fact that we get to finally meet all these people Mrs. Crocombe has been talking about! I love Kathy to bits, but thank you for expanding your cast....is it weird that I'm treating this like a mini Victorian MCU? lol
I loved the collab she did with Townsends
No. It is not weird. I am loving the expansion of the universe.
Victorian MCU? I love this idea! Would a grand dinner party count as an Avengers level event? LOL
more like... AEHCU? (Audley End House)
This is soo immersive. I was really making mental notes of where to place each dish and when to remove a dish, being worried I couldn’t catch all he said , only to realize I’m not actually working there lol.
I was doing the same! I love these videos that put the viewer in their own role!
LOL! Same!
Same, I was genuinely worried for a minute because there was so much and I was nodding along but had to remind myself this wasn’t my job lol
And here's me, starting in with the vulgar swans...
The look on the face of Mr. Lincoln the butler when he discovered the fork wasn't cleaned properly had me giggling a little bit.
They looked like they came out of a pizza hut, it was driving me cray cray!
Plus the wine glasses weren't clean, either 🤨
I immediately felt a chill go up my spine, I gasped, and literally said, "Uh-oh boy! That didn't sound good!" 😬
Ha ha ha ha. My thought upon seeing that look on Mr. Lincoln's face was, "Oh, oh, someone's in trouble."
I want more Mr. Lincoln. He's rather easy on the eyes.
he's good looking
His stern manner almost makes me want to "accidentally" place the cutlery the wrong way around...
@@miipmiipmiip what is this fanfiction behavior!!! 😭🤭
@@terryblueberry chile im boutta write a whole y/n x mr. lincoln ao3 fic atp 😭😭😭
@@chanelvarshavski1529 WELL YOU BETTER TAG ME IN IT 😍😍😍😍 oops I mean-
You can tell this guy sooo has a mysterious past he is hiding. Not sinister just hidden. Great vid
He was an agent under the Queen's service! 🤣
Yes, the butler is always the murderer. 😁
He is simply one hell of a butler
@@rezandrarizkyirianto-1933I know that reference
@@rezandrarizkyirianto-1933 you beat me to it haha!
"And I hope you like rabbit as there is a lot to go around the LOWER table...Where. You. Will. Be. Sitting."
I feel put in my place.
Yes, we are lower table quality.
Forget Upstairs, Downstairs, Downton Abbey and the rest. Audley End is where it’s at! The next great British drama!
🤞
I know he's called Mr. Lincoln but I just want to call him Daddy-
Me too 😭
Mr. Lincoln looks a lot younger than I thought he would, but he is very charismatic! He has a different energy than Mrs. Crocomb, but you can tell they are both very dedicated and passionate about their chosen fields. His helpful tips were nice.
Love these 'hiring help' videos, such a great way of showcasing different parts of the household staff.
That last remark about the silverware made me feel like I was going to be sacked on the spot! Bravo!
Well we're supposed to be new recruits, so it has to be someone else who made the mistake...
Mary Anne should run away just in case (?)
@kymmee21- We just had orientation, though. So we weren’t working here yet when that silverware was (not) polished. Whew! 😅
i think based on what Mr Crocombe said in past videos, only the china are cleaned by the sculery maids. the silverware are the footmans works. So... Mr Lincoln are gonna scolds some guy lmao
I was WAITING for a butler video, thank you guys so much! I'm probably repeating what everyone else is saying in the comments, but having a series solely about the servants is such a treat. Movies and documentaries seem to only show the aristocracy, so it's fantastic to see things through the point of view of the servants ❤
Happy Christmas to English Heritage and everyone at Audley End 🎄
Absolutely agree! Some years ago there was a popular series on television here in the UK called Upstairs, Downstairs. It was so captivating to watch. I wonder whether it can be found somewhere on the internet?
Please make a series! We love this Butler so much. He so suave, tough, refined, yet real. You can tell he is Captain Badass of the Home.
And very easy on the eyes 😅
A very handsome fellow, probably watched with adoration by the younger girls on Mrs Crocombe's staff. I hope we see more of him (take that phrase any way you wish ;) )
Mr. Lincoln melts my butter 😍
RIP to whoever cleaned the silverware last 😂 I love him!
Almost Mrs Crocome's level of shade here - I approve :)
These people know how to sling the shade. I love it!!
that's my favorite part 🤣
"You're used to vulgar shapes such as swans..."
The shade.
@@davidcheater4239 And all these years, I had no idea that a swan was vulgar! I wonder what would happen, through some rift in the time \ space continuum, if Mr. Lincoln were to go to work for certain celebrities in Hollywood (you know to whom I allude).
@@jeraldbaxter3532 I doubt that it's the shape of the swan that is vulgar in and of itself. I suspect that calling attention to the hygienic products that were supposed to be unobtrusive is what he disapproves of.
4:50 I love how the butler becomes a proper geezer just for the word 'cutlery' and then reverts back to fine grace and decorum immediately.
I know I shouldn't gossip but I kept my lips taught and resisted the smirk while I was there, so he never knew how funny I found it.
“Mrs. Crocombe-she’s the cook” 😂 I love that they thought they needed to explain that 😂
Following the roleplay, we're supposed to be new recruits that probably never went to the house before, so it is kinda understandable I guess 😂
Idk if it’s just me but Mr. Lincoln the Butler is very cute lol
Edit: Ok, I don’t like him anymore because no one besmirches the name of our Face Journey Queen, Mrs. Warwick the Housekeeper 😂
Besmirched? No way, man. That was life saving advice he offered right there.
@@melissasaint3283 Yeah he clearly wants us to save ourselves and be prepared for the storm to come lmao
He's certainly handsome.
I agree he's quite attractive, but as far as Mrs Warwick goes. He was just giving out a healthy warning. No one wants to deal with someone who is in a cranky mood at the best of times. Let alone when you're having to deal with the chaos that surrounds Christmas.
This isn't to everybody, and certainly not the guests; it's to the leased help.
Oh Mister Lincoln, aren't you the one who always likes the Christmas Punch with extra booze? :D
Thank you! I was trying to remember what it was he liked so.
1:31 “Not entirely sober…”
Apparently no matter how strong his punch, it’s still no match for the nobility. 🤭
Is he aware that Mrs. Crocombe spilled the tea?
@@chilibreath He's the highest point of authority the servants follow, excepting only the family. Of course he knows.
@@chilibreath for all you know they get together on some evenings and sip away at some secret booze stash, while talking smack about the rest of the servants.
"Mr. Barrett! I see you have not properly cleaned the forks and the soup bowl is 1.3cm too far from the table cloth crease I left you"
/ puts on apron and sleeves to exact punishment 😳
And you know he'd like it.
Huh. Intimidating yet attractive. Works for me.
Ah, Lord Braybrooke. I hope you're ready for an unforgettable luncheon!
Steamed hams?
looks like ALL the senior staff at Audley End know how to lay down some serious shade!😅
It's amazing anything ever grows there.
@@niseplank4527 Mr Vert must have a really high salary growing any fruit at all with all the shade!
Okay, now we need a video with all three of them together!
Mr. Lincoln would be *discreetly* using Mrs. Crocombe as the buffer because Mrs. Warwick intimidates him.
They still need Miss Justice (Lady's Maid) introduced to have full upper servants table discussion
Errata: They showed Miss Justice 5 years ago in "Driving a Cart - The Victorian Way" video.
Mr. Lincoln seems to be a rather young man for his position. Not that I’m complaining.
I shall be eagerly awaiting his reappearance in the Audley End Cinematic Universe ❤
He looks between 40 and 45, though...
@@idraote true but rather handsome and spry for his age yes?
Oh noooo Mr. Lincoln is a stud :d
I would like to see more of Mr. Lincoln, particularly when he has to explain to us how to serve the pigeon pie.
Jesus. His voice. It’s like an audiobook. I can’t stop listening.
I need an entire series with the staff of Audley End House!
Go Mr Lincoln! It would be fascinating to have a narrated tour of the wine cellars. Or even the Butler's pantry. Anything, really.
Ok. I'm officially in love, I really need an "under the stairs" type tv drama with these exact actors
Mr. Lincoln is a HOOT!!!! I love him already. :)
A christmas special for Netflix or even here in RUclips recreating the process to the christmas dinner in Audley End House with all this amazing characters will be a great Yes!
Like those one of the "victorian farm" that where on tv years ago.
There’s a Tudor Farm series, also. At least three of the historians are the same cast.
@@spacewolfcub there are several series by them , the monastery one, Tudor, Victorian, Edwardian and WWII farms. And a castle building one. Ruth also did a Victorian pharmacy series.
Mr. Lincoln to the contrary sir, i do have scars from trying out Mrs. Crocombe's pigeon pie recipe. Did you know they are very bitey and are very fast to escape. By the way that apron and arm covers would be nice to have for an attempt again at that recipe. Safety first. Maybe Mrs. Crocome knows of a snail dish given the fine fish cutlery shown, they are much easier to catch in my experience, well compared to pigeon and rabbits and what not.
The spoon is placed facing down at 4:55, magically flips up at 5:33, and then flips back down at 5:55
I would watch a whole series of this man.
Oh, this fellow is wicked good. Please, MORE of him!
JUSTICE FOR MRS WARWICK! She is right! Stop judging the women.
Also @Englishheritage, please ensure your videos have captions enabled, this one currently doesn't appear to. You have many deaf and hard of hearing subscribers, myself included. Captions are vital.
Also us who speak English as a second/third/nth language, sometimes the accents can be difficult to understand
Wow, so you lip read the entire video?!
Edit: Sorry, I realized you were referring to yourself is the second category you mentioned.
Why? It's not just women who get judged and the only real consequence for women is shade.
The video has subtitles now. I agree it makes it easier to follow, but the temptation to watch is as soon as is uploaded is too strong, even without subs lol
I wish we had seen the table fully set.
@David Hensley - I was disappointed, too, that we didn't get to see it.
Never stopped to think how much training and people skills these serving people had to have - they really were professionals. I can see how a ham-handed or unprofessional server could muck up a fancy dinner and ruin the experience. How they kept everything in order in their mind boggles mine, especially going house to house. Butlers weren't just serving people, they were professional mangers who needed to understand finance, wine, food, etc. and ran interference for their employers - valuable men, indeed.
I would pay good money to see Mr. Lincoln and Miss. Crocombe commenting on the dinner guests with withering looks.
Happy Happy Christmas to the entire team at English heritage, and of course all the residents of Audley End House. Special,shoutout to Mrs. Crocombe ♥️
Very prim and proper for the man Mrs Crocombe said keeps trying to get more booze into the Christmas punch XD
I’m sure his job is less taxing if the Baybrooks are drunk.
I'd love to see more on silver service, serving, tablescapes, etc., as well as recipes for all the dishes mentioned.
More Butler videos please.
Yes! I love getting to meet more of the Audley End characters! Part of me really wants to finally meet Lord & Lady Braybrook, but at the same time, I like the mystery of it lol. I'd also love to see Edgar & Mr. Vert again too!
I want to finally enter the estate from a guest POV, preferably invited for dinner, so I can see the lord and lady. We're always the hired help! 😭
The ladies are supposed to retire for tea while the gentlemen indulge in coffee and brandy 🤪Now, that's a reason to become a suffragette.
More of Mr Lincoln please! Excellent video
I was recently gifted an absolutely gorgeous set of antique silver and antler fish knife and fork for serving! It's nice to see a similar set at Audley End!
This is quite a job. Sooo much info. How would someone manage to remember all that? I would get fired on my first day for putting champagne in Claret glasses! 😂
He may be a temp (to use the modern and no doubt vulgar term), but he has experience. So presumably, he's come in knowing the difference in wine glasses, what each piece of flatware is for, and so on. For the most part, he just needs to know how Audley End specifically does things.
This is the kind of thing I’m really interested in all the small details and explanation for them. The crevice indicating where to put the hot foods on the table is genius. 👍
To be honest they all need there own series thank you
we need to see him more, he did a awesome job.
Oh, I am a fan of him already. Hope to see more!!
Oh, I absolutely love him. Please give us more!
I beg you all PLEASE more Mr. LINCOLN
Why did I feel stressed when he told me I'd be let go after the season 💀
I’d be as big as a house eating four course meals like that!
Who doesn't serve Plum Pudding with Baron of Beef?
@@steveconradius390 Sir Loin of Beef
Mr. Lincoln is quite a dish himself. . .
“There’s a lot to going around on the lower table, where YOU will be sitting.” 😌
Goodness, this criminally cute Mr. Lincoln can flip the whole script on Downton Abbey~!
I do think he was utterly APPALLED by the state of that fork!! *I do hope I said that right, being a Yank...
"Eating rabbit (pest) at the lower table, where I will be sitting"... I felt it
Looks like a new fighter has arrived to the roaster!
I like him. This needs to be a feature length series. I would pay BIG money.
The Brayebrooke house staff is SASSY. I love it!
Why Mr. Lincoln... I do believe I am very pleased to meet you. Far too pleased.
Just the shade I've come to cherish from the best pople at Audley End!! I'd watch 6 seasons and a movie of Mrs Crocombe and Mr Lincoln
I can see Mrs. Crocombe scolding the scullery for fangirling Hottie McButler here... where has he been all this time?! 😄
It’s double-0-1888!
Dang, he is so handsome! And that accent, I could listen to him talk all day!
I felt the need to sit up straight while watching this.
1:30 rather pot calling kettle, Mr. Lincoln, or have you forgotten the staff Christmas party a few years ago...
I love how youn Mr Lincoln seems cheerful and almost informal. It makes like he want you to do a good job but also enjoy yourself doing it.
YEAH A BUTLER 🎉
Mr Lincoln is a brilliant actor!
Mr Lincoln could be the next Mr Bond.
Im not surprised Mrs Crocombe is always making nice food for him, that top table must be a sea of middle aged ladies swooning
FINALLY! We got to meet Mr. Lincoln!
I need more Mr. Lincoln episodes. I’d watch this man polish silverware, pack a suitcase, any of it
I truly enjoy these videos. I find time during my working day to watch them.
The outdoor servants make me feel welcome & put me at ease with their laid back tutorials, like the gardeners and horse groomers.
The indoor servants make me feel like curling up into an anxiety induced mess on the floor & question where it all went wrong to be this much of a failure & disappointment to everyone.
Love it, a new chapter at Audley End!
4:44 "Swans!?!? SCANDALOUS! Jeeves fetch me the smelling salts! I feel a faint coming!"
We need more of Mr. Lincoln!
I don’t know why his voice is so facinating, he really is
Mr. Lincoln you throwing so much shade!!!! "Clutching my pure white pearls"
So thrilled you made this video!! I asked to see how the food went up to the table and this is so clear and amazingly detailed!!
I love this new character! More of him, please!
Good to see turbot on the menu!!!
This is incredible, it would be nice if some of the others spoke to us the way Crocombe does ie as if we're a random person off the street who's asked to get some tips on how to do the job well. It gives such insight when she mentions how you would work in other places and she's a bit more honest about the household.
*hides stack of vulgar swan napkins I had prepared for Christmas dinner*
Can we please get a series of this! Like with all the background drama and all?!?!
Wow! Love the idea of this video. It is like watching Downtown Abbey, but so much cooler. Will there be a series with every employee? 😊
Really, the butler is superb in every way.👍👍