Social History

An estate of the type of Leslie Hill provided for the livelihood of a large number of people and if they lived on the estate, as many of them did, it was also the centre of their social life. As you can see from the wages books in the Pay House (No. 3), a hundred years ago there were normally between thirty and forty workers employed in the yard and on the land. Add to this a household staff of maybe fifteen, wives and dependents and you soon find that there was a community of considerable size.
Those employed here in the past would normally have considered themselves fortunate, for although pay was not high, there were usually additional benefits in the form of a house at low rent or free, firewood, milk and sometimes potatoes or a rood or two of land in which to grow them. The hours of work were certainly long by today’s standards: at one time from 6am until 6pm with reasonable breaks. This was reduced in more recent times so that twenty five years ago a man would work from 8am to 6pm with one long and two short breaks, stopping at midday on Saturday. The Bell on the Bell Barn (No. 6) used to ring at 8am, mid-day and 6pm and could be heard in the town enabling the citizens to check their watches.
The present owner can remember when there were seven houses on the estate occupied by farm workers and at least another six by outside tenants. At that time, the 1940s, the number of employees had fallen to about fourteen. Today there is one full-time and one part-time man.

In the era of the horse drawn carriage one of the most important and responsible jobs was that of Coachman. The last coachman at Leslie Hill was Johnny Currie, a much loved figure, who died in 1931. He was born in the house that bears his name (No.4) and you can see a list of his duties in the History Room above the Tea Shop (S)

It is very difficult to compare the value of wages over the long period we are covering: the rates paid at different times were as follows:
1776 (Arthur Young) 4s. 6d. per week the year round, 7s. at hay and harvest time. This was the highest rate he recorded in the Kingdom and he noted that it had nearly doubled in 20 years. Carpenters and Masons were commonly paid 12s. per week, which represents 60p today. The cost of beef was 2d per lb., mutton 3d. and butter 4½d., or under 1p, just over 1p, and just under
2p.

1887 (Leslie Hill wages book) average 9s. per week; carpenter £1 per week.

1943 (wages book) average about £2. 16.0 per week which is about 50p per day.

1971 £18.00 per week.

1990 Basic rate £111.39 per week.
The number of employees was about 50 in 1776, 40 in 1876 and 3 in 1976.
The household servants, all of whom lived in, included cook, kitchen maid, scullery maid, parlour maids, in-between maids, nurse, nursery maid, butler, footmen, laundry maid and dairy maid. The division of responsibilities was quite clear and the senior posts of cook and head parlour maid carried considerable authority. It has been one of the unexpected pleasures of opening the yard and estate to the public to meet so many former employees or their descendants, both indoor and outdoor workers, who have come as visitors.
As you can see there was a large community living in the house. They ate their meals in the “Servants Hall” and provided a lot of their own entertainment. This included telling ghost stories, for no self-respecting house of any antiquity was without at least one resident spirit. A chilling tale concerns one of the maids who coming back late one night found herself accompanied by an unknown dark clothed figure; on opening the back door the light fell on him revealing that he had cloven hooves. There were stories of a “Grey Lady” being seen from time to time on the Back Avenue and the more expert practitioners could vouch for having heard the jingle of harness and the rattle of carriage wheels, usually at midnight.
In the Pay House (No. 3), in the Barn displaying the carriages and in the History Room (5) you will find graphic descriptions and exhibits to bring this unfolding story to life.