International Day of the Girl 2025
This year, for International Day of the Girl, we have a series of offerings inspired by some of those who appear in the Weston Park Servants' Database. Weston Park is a 1000+ acre estate that straddles the Staffordshire/Shropshire border at Weston under Lizard. There is a very useful article about domestic servants from Ann Simcock, full of websites and books where you can find out more. There is a beautiful, evocative video from Margaret Roberts Carving her own Path, where the voice of Annie Douthwaite, who rose from lowly servant to become cook at Weston Park, shines through. You can also read the stories of Mary Arnold, Annie Bathe, Alice Kavanagh and Georgina Meddings.
​​
We are inviting you to join in, as Weston Park has been added to the options for a Forgotten Women Fridays Everyday. More information about Weston Park in general and how to join the project in particular can he found here.
Carving her own Path, the story of Annie Douthwaite, a carpenter's daughter, who rose from lowly servant to become the cook at Weston Park.​
The story of Georgina Meddings who, at fourteen, was the junior still-room maid at Weston Park but later rose to become the housekeeper at a prestigious country house in Norfolk. Please note that Georgina will take about 30 seconds to download.
Alice Kavanagh was another of Weston Park's still-room maids. Her story includes plenty of detail about her duties as well as an analysis of other still-room maids employed on the estate.
The story of Annie Bathe who held the lowly position of 4th housemaid at Weston Park.
The story of Mary Arnold née Holden who was a dairy maid at Weston Park in the 1930s. This story from Janice Brinley Codd includes plenty of background information about the work of the dairy maid.
Domestic Service an informative article by Ann Simcock, including many resources for investigating the lives of domestic servants.