poor

Many of the villagers worked in service. Some were employed by the rich land owners, like the Higgins family. Others worked on the land or farms. Not all servants were from poor families though, during the late Victorian times nearly every girl in the village worked in service for a while before marrying.

For many this was a preferable choice to trying to scrape a living at home. Some servants 'lived in', especially in the bigger houses, whilst others 'commuted' across the village or to neighbouring ones.

At the time of the 1841 census, the following Turvey residents employed servants.

Thomas C. Higgins (Turvey House)

John Higgins

Elizabeth Skevington

N. Godfrey (Surgeon)

Rev William Russel (Curate)

Henry Boulton (Farmer)

John Bailey (Farmer)

Joel Burr (Farmer)

Jonathan Burr (Farmer)

William Davison (Farmer)

Charles Skevington (Farmer)

John Whitworth (Farmer)

Robert Hewlett (Farmer)

John Abraham (LaceDealer)

William Bettel (Baker)

Richard Jones (Publican)

George Payne (Grocer)

The Gamekeeper

The gamekeeper was one of the most important employees on the big estates. His job was to ensure that the master's game (rabbits, pheasants, deer etc) was not poached (stolen) or harmed. He would be an expert on woodlaw and often was a skilled hunter himself.

Charles Higgins employed a gamekeeper called Thomas Benbow on his Turvey Abbey estate on 31October 1791. Thomas was a a loyal and hard working servant who stayed with his master for over 37 years.

I have a significant amount of material to include on this page - please bear with me whilst I type it all up etc!

Anno Domini 1612

Here Lyeth Joh Richardson under this wall

A faythfull true servant to Turvey Old Hall

Page to the first Lord Mordaunt of fame

Servant to Lewes, Lord Henry & John

Payneful and careful and just to them all

Till death take his lyffe

God have mercy on his soule

Amen

William Stock was a servant of Turvey Abbey. His father had been a shepherd for the estate before him and his daughter also worked in the house. William was killed by lightning on the 18th April 1801.

Names of other Servants of Turvey Abbey from various sources

Ruben Cotton – started work on 30 January 1802

William Stock – started work on 16 October 1803

George Dent, Gardener – started work on 21 March 1808

James Chater – started work on18 October 1807

John Bennet - died 22 Oct 1864, aged 47

Thomas Robinson - died 10 February 1866

Uriah King - for 30 years -died 26 April 1865, aged 71

Sam Skevington, a servant at Turvey Hall in the early 1800’s, had 9 children and 44 grandchildren.

Catherine Reid worked at Turvey Abbey from 22 January 1796 until 11 Oct 1807 when she left due to infirmary. Her gravestone read:

WORTHY

CATHERINE REID

AGED 86 YEARS

DIED 11 JANUARY

1831

John Bamford, a servant at Turvey House for many years, was killed by a carriage accident in the streets of Bedford on 17 February 1871, aged 71

Hannah Richardson was, for many years, a servant to Thomas Pinkerd and his family. She died on 28 June 1818, aged 74