DURING the late 19th Century Kiplin Hall was a typical Victorian county house, home to a wealthy family.

We know much about the lives of the owner families from their belongings, scrapbooks and accounts.

This lavish lifestyle was made possible with the support of domestic staff, whom we know less about.

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Their mysterious lives are explored in an exhibition called Silent Footsteps.

George Foot was born in Wadhurst, Sussex in 1873. His father was a footman also in domestic service.

In 1891, George was 18 years old and working as a post boy, also known as hall boy, at Kiplin Hall. He worked for Admiral Carpenter and his wife Beatrice.

The Admiral had a daughter called Sarah from a previous marriage. Sarah would have been around 15 years old when George joined the household.

While George was working as a post/hall boy, his older sister Emily also worked at Kiplin Hall as a kitchen maid. Large houses like Kiplin would have provided employment to many local families, an important part of the economy.

By 1901, George was a butler in Hove, Sussex. He worked for Albertha Spencer-Churchill, the first wife of the 8th Duke of Marlborough. 

His sister Emily also remained in domestic service. In 1901 she worked as a cook for a retired army lieutenant in Nottinghamshire. 

Working in domestic service gave young people a skill set that could allow them to move around for work.

We don’t know why George and Emily left Kiplin. Perhaps they simply wanted to explore the country and move away from their childhood home.

As a post boy George would have reported to the butler and footman. He was at the bottom of the ladder so to speak. He would assist the footman with his duties and carry messages and notes whenever required. He would also wait on the higher-ranking domestic servants.

At this time many would have supplemented their diets with foraged seasonal foods, like wild mushrooms, nuts and nutritious plants.

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You can find out more about foraging during a four-hour hands-on workshop and walk in the grounds of Kiplin Hall this week. Join experts from The Forage Box on Thursday, June 22. Booking is essential, tickets via kiplinhall.co.uk.

Next week we will learn more about the life of Margaret Birch, cook and housekeeper at Kiplin. Kiplin Hall and Gardens is open six days a week, closed on Thursdays.

The Silent Footsteps exhibition is on the third floor accessed via the stairs, there is no lift. For more information visit kiplinhall.co.uk.