Here are my ideas for the Downton Abbey like setup talked about here: http://forum.chyoa.com/threads/researching-stories.264/ And is now realised here: http://chyoa.com/story/cockshoots-hall-great-house-of-love/cover I shall start by describing the location and the family. I have mind to introduce the story with a visitor to the property, possibly a journalist who the Countess has determined to be sympathetic to the lifestyle, who then attends an interview the Earl has with a prospective servant. Please let me know your views and ideas you have about additions to the character portraits. Cockshoots Hall is located in a wooded area to the west of High Wycombe in Buckingamshire. The house has over 20 bedrooms upstairs with lavishly decorated reception rooms, a dining hall, ball room, library, art studios, offices and study downstairs. Connected to the house is an annex in which is located the kitchen, the still room and the servant’s quarters. On the opposite side of the house are the stables and the garage. In the woods, which surround the property on 3 sides, there is the gamekeeper’s cottage and near the gates is the gardeners’ store room. There is an area reserved for shooting. Outside the high walls, which also surround the woods, are local farms and cottages also belonging to the family. The year is 1921 and Britain is still recovering from the war. Being pacifists, the older Fosketts did not have too much to do with the conflict, but others are suffering from its effects. The Lord and Lady of the manor, who inherited the estate despite his parents’ disapproval after their death in a transport disaster, are of an artistic bent and fancy themselves as Bohemians. Not for them the convention of monogamous human relationships nor do they care for society’s rules. However they are the aristocracy and in order to pursue their interests and duty to the estate they employ a number of servants. These servants have to accept the behaviour of not only their employers but their children and in return will be able to behave in a manner completely unacceptable in most normal stately homes. As Bohemians they like to surround themselves with beautiful things and that includes their employees. The Family Kenneth (Wickers) Foskett (44), Earl of High Wycombe, is an artist associated with the Bloomsbury Group. He experiments sexually, always fucks his models, and believes in free love. He has dark hair and a beard. Darcey Foskett (42), Countess of High Wycombe, is a drug taking experimental novelist, who modelled for Kenneth when she was young and blew his mind. She insisted on an open marriage, after she was finished with having children, to little opposition. She has blonde hair and is outstandingly beautiful. Claude Foskett (24) was an army officer during WWI, in which he lost an arm and suffered shell shock. He hates the outside world and will not leave the estate. He spends all day writing poetry inspired by his wartime experiences. He has a dark hair and a facial scar but can still attract the ladies. Christina (Tina) Foskett (23) is also a poet who looks after Claude with whom she is very close, which explains why she still lives at home. She spent the war as a nurse and sometimes works at the local sanatorium. Due to inheriting her mother’s looks and her caring nature, men fall instantly in love with her. She has luscious auburn hair. Edmonia (Mona) Foskett (21) is a campaigner for women’s rights and genius just out of Oxford. Often dresses like a man but, in addition to an obvious taste for other women, she is easily swayed by men who agree with her. She has short naturally dark hair but dyes it a variety of colours. Percival (Percy) Foskett (20) is studying at Oxford during weekdays at term time, but always comes home for the weekends. He is a dedicated hedonist and often has friends of either sex to stay. The only one who knows Claude and Christina’s secret, he fantasizes about ‘doing’ his sisters. No servant is safe from him. He has blonde hair and is taller than his brother and father. Angelica (Angel) Foskett (18) is an artist who spends most of her time in the gardens and surrounding woods. She modelled for her father on her 18th birthday. She is a wild child who likes getting naked whenever possible and has no time for conventional education. She has blonde curls and stunning green eyes. Other Upstairs Francis (Frank) Chapple (34) is the Estate Manager, who not only looks after the books, but collects the rents from the tied cottages. The Countess often accompanies him in his work. He is the source of many rumours amongst the family and staff being inordinately strong with a love of discipline and disciplining. He is devilishly handsome with a roguish moustache and dark brown eyes. Ada Love (30) is the live in companion who acts as a chaperone to the daughters of the house. She was originally a Nanny to the 3 younger children but when the previous Governess left, the Countess realised that she was extremely well educated so she took over the role. She was an inspiration to Edmonia and a distraction to the Earl. She has a jet black ponytail pulled very tight.
Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here, but I love how much you're saying without saying it. Angelica "modelled" for her father once she was of age? Ada was an "inspiration" to Edmonia? When people go to bed in this house, do they ever get a chance to sleep?
Patzo, I haven't even got to the servants yet but this is one unconventional family. In that programme I mentioned, it said Bohemians regarding sleeping together as an act of friendship. Most of the Bloomsbury Group seemed to sleep together regardless of sex, marital status or even the fact that they were related. Actually they were what was called High Bohemians as they were so comfortably off they could afford to be unconventional unlike the general Bohemian who would probably end up destitute, because they might spend all day in bed with their lover/s rather than go to work.
Below I have described the names and the duties of the servants but should I fill in any more details or should I leave it to the authors? We could almost fill in details as authors add threads about their chosen character/s. It is difficult to balance between giving not enough information to inspire authors and too much information so they do not feel they own them. Of course they are always new guests and new opportunities particularly on the bottom rungs. If you check below and think about the location, Mr Smith takes Miss Quinn and Flora shopping in High Wycombe (4 miles away) 3 times a week (Tuesday, Friday and Saturday). I need to check on personal holidays. In addition there are deliveries from Billingsgate fish market and Smithfield meat market. Once a week Madame Petit visits London early in the morning driven by James where she will place her orders and pick up specialised spices. It is possible she leaves some of the cooking to Miss Quinn on those days. Central London is less than 2 hours drive away and Oxford less than an hour. Flora tends the herb garden but also knows of many rare herbs in secret locations, only known to her and Angelica, in the woods. There is also a pond in the woods which the gamekeepers are told to avoid as well as a small lake behind the house. Another thing that you might notice is that Filly is the only outdoor servant who happens to be female. Servants Name (in bold as addressed by the residents), Title, Relative Rank (1-5), Job Description N.B. When a title is indicated (e.g. Miss) the other servants should it use it with the surname during work hours (e.g. the aristos call the Head Kitchen Maid Quinn but the servants call her Miss Quinn) The Kitchen Madame Madeleine Petit, Chef, 1 Duties: reports to the Countess; draws up menus; cooks for the residents; Miss Martha Quinn, Head Kitchen Maid, 3 Duties: reports to the Chef; orders food; shops for food; maintains the kitchen; cooks for the staff Flora Jones, Still Room Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Chef and Butler; shops for drinks and medicines; mixes remedies; maintains herb garden Mary Taylor, Kitchen Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Chef; prepares food, washes up, heats up food for latecomers Minnie Fain, Scullery Maid, 5 Duties: cleans the kitchen, get things out and puts them away, serves food to the servants Eliza Kennedy, Between Maid, 5 Duties: empties chamber pots, aids the scullery maid, anything the 3 senior servants want The Household (Female Staff) Missus Hephzibah Gray, Housekeeper, 1 Duties: reports to the Countess, responsible for the cleanliness of the house, disciplines female household staff Miss Margaret Goodchild, Lady’s Maid, 2 (N.B. the Countess calls her Margaret) Duties: personal servant to the Countess, accompanies the Countess out of the house Miss Theodora ‘Dora’ Hawes, Head Housemaid, 3 Duties: reports to the Housekeeper; checks up and gives orders to the maids Rosina 'Rosie' Fernandes, Parlour Maid, 4 Lydia Wingrove, Parlour Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Housemaid; cleans the ground floor; attends to bells; serves food Virtue White, Chamber Maid, 4 Sarah Young, Chamber Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Housemaid; cleans the upper floor; collects laundry and helps wash Daisy Duker, Laundry Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Housekeeper; does the laundry over which she has authority The Household (Male Staff) Mister Albert ‘Bertie’ Butler, Butler, 1 Duties: reports to the Earl; responsible for running the house; answers the door, keeps the alcohol stocked; disciplines male household staff Mister George Bates, Valet, 2 Duties: personal servant to the Earl; accompanies the Earl out of the house Richard ‘Dick’ Heads, Head Footman, 3 John Balls, Under Footman, 4 Duties: reports to the Butler; looks handsome; attends to bells; servers food; acts as a clerk to the Estate Manager Robert ‘Bob’ Brown, Dogsbody, 5 Duties: reports to the Butler and Housekeeper; empties chamber pots; serves food to the servants; any odd jobs Grounds Staff (this includes everything inside the roughly 1.5 mile long high wall surrounding the property, but the estate continues outside those walls) Mister James Roads, Chauffer, 2 Duties: reports to the Earl and Countess; driving and maintaining motor vehicles Mister Ernest Wooster, Gatekeeper, 3 Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; responsible for letting people in the grounds; responsible for maintaining the grounds’ boundaries Mister Nicholas Smith, Stable Master, 2 (N.B. when driving he is known as Nicholas) Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; responsible for maintaining the horses; drives and maintains the carriage Patrick ‘Paddy’ Kelly, Head Groom, 4 Philomena ‘Filly’ Williams, Groom, 5 Duties: reports to the Stable Master; keeps the horses in peak condition; mucks out the stables Mister Alexander ‘Sandy’ Clay, Head Gardener, 3 (N.B. 'Mister' is in deference to him being the longest serving member of staff) Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; maintains the grounds; shows expertise in plants Edward ‘Eddie’ Alnutt, Under Gardener, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Gardner; maintains the grounds; supervises day workers Harry Harris, Handyman, 5 Duties: reports to the Head Gardner and the Estate Manager; maintains and fixes equipment Mister Thomas Seamons, Head Gamekeeper, 3 Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; maintains stock of game birds; patrols woods; organises shoots; maintains guns Edwin Keen, Gamekeeper’s Assistant, 5 Duties: reports to Head Gamekeeper and Gatekeeper; checks on the game birds’ health, patrols woods; inspects the wall
This is largely a repeat of the previous post apart from how they should be addressed with character profiles. There are 29 staff plus the one who is interviewed at the start - either a kitchen maid or a floating housemaid. I decided to gave a bit of background to each of the staff, so is better with or without? There is very little physical description as apart from nearly all of them being attractive it is not that important to their characters. Perhaps the exception was Lydia whose looks really do define her. Also tell me if you would like any of the characters fleshed out a little more. N.B. I decided that Rosina was better suited as a chamber maid so she swapped with Virtue, who fits in more with the plastic grooms. Servants The Kitchen Madame Madeleine Petit, Chef, 1 Duties: reports to the Countess; draws up menus; cooks for the residents; Supremely talented chef seduced by the Earl and Countess on a trip to Paris in 1919. She cooked them breakfast and they immediately offered her a position. Her position as the highest paid servant in the house brings many benefits and she loves being eaten out. Martha Quinn, Head Kitchen Maid, 3 Duties: reports to the Chef; orders food; shops for food; maintains the kitchen; cooks for the staff Dreams of running a restaurant one day and is learning a lot from Madeleine. She is very organised and somewhat driven, a little bit too professional in her ways for most of the staff, but has formed an unlikely friendship with Flora. Flora Jones, Still Room Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Chef and Butler; shops for drinks and medicines; mixes remedies; maintains herb garden Welsh white witch or so she likes to think. She has been with the family from a very young age and has close connections with Christina as some of her concoctions help heal Claude’s body and soothe his fevered mind and Angelica because they share a wild nature. She has modelled for Angelica but has often been disappointed with the abstract results. She wants to make Martha less stuffy. Mary Taylor, Kitchen Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Chef; prepares food, washes up, heats up food for latecomers Moans all day about the demanding Martha and sometimes takes it out on Minnie. She was sacked from her previous job for having sex on the food preparation area. She loves carving vegetables into rude shapes and acts very saucily with the outdoor staff. Minnie Fain, Scullery Maid, 5 Duties: cleans the kitchen, gets things out and puts them away, serves food to the servants A local girl in her first job, many of the residents and staff seek to prey on her naivety. However her naturally submissive nature means she enjoys her position more than she lets on. Sometimes sleeps at home where her family think she could do worse than get pregnant to one of the aristos or their guests. Eliza Kennedy, Between Maid, 5 Duties: empties chamber pots, aids the scullery maid, anything the 3 senior servants want All you need to know about Eliza is that she has come down for Scotland and is willing to perform any duty. The chef, butler and housekeeper are all very satisfied with her work and she often appears to have more money than she could possibly be earning. The Household (Female Staff) Missus Hephzibah Gray, Housekeeper, 1 Duties: reports to the Countess, responsible for the cleanliness of the house, disciplines female household staff She worked her way from scullery maid. This dominant lesbian knows almost every secret in the house. The other maids fear her and no better than to disobey her. Although she has no sexual interest in men she knows how to dominate them as well. Miss Margaret Goodchild, Lady’s Maid, 2 Duties: personal servant to the Countess, accompanies the Countess out of the house Incredibly sweet, she is utterly devoted to her mistress and always acts a go between. This frequently puts her in the presence of powerful men who she has somewhat of a weakness for. She was the Nanny before Ada and is quite close to the 2 elder children. Despite being in her mid 30s she could pass for 10 years younger thanks to all the beauty knowledge in the house. Miss Theodora ‘Dora’ Hawes, Head Housemaid, 3 Duties: reports to the Housekeeper; checks up and gives orders to the maids Strict but protective of the other maids, she dreams of becoming Housekeeper of Cockshoots Hall so puts up with Hephzibah until she can find some way to get rid of her. Only the Earl and Countess know her criminal past. She is discretely curious about Flora’s work. Virtue White, Parlour Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Housemaid; cleans the ground floor; attends to bells; serves food With a name like Virtue, she wants to be corrupted. She is very passive but nobody is put off as she is probably the most beautiful servant in the house. She really hates being disciplined by Hephzibah and is grateful to anyone who protects her. Lydia Wingrove, Parlour Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Housemaid; cleans the ground floor; attends to bells; serves food Small blonde, buxom and naughty, Lydia prefers cleaning the offices, library and study especially if there happen to be any men in the room at the time. She does not know who her parents are but is convinced Wingrove is an aristocratic name, so claims to have certain standards about who she has sex with. She is another who is at the house because no-one else would employ. Rosina Fernandes, Chamber Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Housemaid; cleans the ground floor; attends to bells; serves food Of unknown origin, this fiery maid was chosen to spice up life upstairs. Reticence is not her middle name and she frequently talks back to the children. She shares Percival’s hedonistic attitude to sex. If she is in the mood other people might just be overwhelmed. Theodora had a difficult time deciding whether to hide her bad behaviour from Hephzibah in order to gain an ally or letting Hephzibah have her fun. Sarah Young, Chamber Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Housemaid; cleans the upper floor; collects laundry and helps wash She was a prostitute in London and never takes much persuasion to practice her art. Sharing duties with Rosina she sometimes helps Claude dress when Christina is otherwise engaged. Things get awkward when guests occasionally recognise her from her previous work. Daisy Duker, Laundry Maid, 4 Duties: reports to the Housekeeper; does the laundry over which she has authority She is always hot and steamy and always in her underclothes with the shortest bloomers in the house. Although technically on the same level as the Chamber Maids she is nevertheless the leader in the laundry rooms were she insists they strip down to their undies as well. Just because she has to go outside to dry the washing does not mean she will compromise on her dress code. The Household (Male Staff) Mister Albert ‘Bertie’ Butler, Butler, 1 Duties: reports to the Earl; responsible for running the house; answers the door, keeps the alcohol stocked; disciplines male household staff Believes he was destined for the role. He was Claude’s sergeant major in the war having served as a footman in a previous less liberal house. Particularly respects the Estate manager and wishes he could discipline the maids, or rather be disciplined by them, instead of the footmen. So long as his underlings do their job he tends not to be too fussed about how they do it. He is always peering through keyholes and shares intelligence with his friend Hephzibah. Mister George Bates, Valet, 2 Duties: personal servant to the Earl; accompanies the Earl out of the house Shares the Earl’s most intimate secrets and has taken part in some of his wilder experiments. The Countess often blushes in his presence as he not only knows but has been involved in some of her most embarrassing moments. Would really like to marry Margaret and settle down but she will not give up her job. Richard ‘Dick’ Heads, Head Footman, 3 Duties: reports to the Butler; looks handsome; attends to bells; servers food; acts as a clerk to the Estate Manager He stands around looking pretty, imagining everyone who ever visits wants to sleep with him. He works on his beauty routine with the Countess and Percy. John Balls, Under Footman, 4 Duties: reports to the Butler; looks handsome; attends to bells; servers food; acts as a clerk to the Estate Manager A trifle less aloof than Richard, he nevertheless copies him in almost every respect except that he prefers servant girls to the aristos. Robert ‘Bob’ Brown, Dogsbody, 5 Duties: reports to the Butler and Housekeeper; empties chamber pots; serves food to the servants; any odd jobs Who knows where this disgusting man came from? Certainly prison but where he worked and how he lived prior to that is a mystery. The Earl and Countess are intrigued by his sexual fetishes and despite others’ appeals to get rid of him, he remains. He is actually much younger than he seems and some women are inexplicably attracted to him. Grounds Staff (this is includes everything inside the roughly 1.5 mile long high wall surrounding the property, but the estate continues outside those walls) James Roads, Chauffer, 2 Duties: reports to the Earl and Countess; driving and maintaining motor vehicles The tales he could tell about what goes on in the back of his car and if they drunkenly ask him to join in, it would be rude to refuse. Taught the 2 elder sisters to drive and has a hands on teaching technique. Mister Ernest Wooster, Gatekeeper, 3 Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; responsible for letting people in the grounds; responsible for maintaining the grounds' boundaries He keeps himself very much to himself. He is the house protector and carries a revolver. Frank sometimes uses his gatehouse for liaisons. He does not tell but insists on watching as the price of his silence. Mister Nicholas Smith, Stable Master, 2 Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; responsible for maintaining the horses; drives and maintains the carriage A Yorkshireman dedicated to horses. He loves dressing up and is very adept with a whip. He does not mind anything that happens in his stable so long as it does not frighten the horses. Whilst the maids go shopping, he will probably be found upstairs in a local tavern. Patrick ‘Paddy’ Kelly, Head Groom, 4 Duties: reports to the Stable Master; keeps the horses in peak condition; mucks out the stables A stereotypically charming Irishmen, he uses the intoxicating atmosphere of sweat and horses to enjoy his many visitors. Philomena ‘Filly’ Williams, Groom, 5 Duties: reports to the Stable Master; keeps the horses in peak condition; mucks out the stables It is not only horses she likes between her thighs. No-one knows which member of the household has presented with her many sex toys but many of the outside staff enjoy her use of them. She also spends a lot of times on all fours, covered in muck. If any male says they are going to the stables for a ride they may not be talking about a horse. Mister Alexander ‘Sandy’ Clay, Head Gardener, 3 Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; maintains the grounds; shows expertise in plants Strong and knowledgeable, he works extremely hard. He has been at the house longer than anyone and affords special respect. The Earl and Countess frequently come to him with ideas for flower patterns, which if examined from the air would make most people blush. He might be well into his 50s but he has huge stamina and a body others envy. He always wears a kilt and has a habit of exposing himself because he has a lot to be proud of. Edward ‘Eddie’ Alnutt, Under Gardener, 4 Duties: reports to the Head Gardner; maintains the grounds; supervises day workers Frequently seen mowing the lawn with his shirt off, he is also a favourite model of the artists. Young and enthusiastic, he likes to admire Daisy when she hangs out the washing. She was a neighbour growing up and he has always carried a torch for her. Harry Harris, Handyman, 5 Duties: reports to the Head Gardner and the Estate Manager; maintains and fixes equipment Despite his lowly position he uses the garden shed, which happens to contain an anvil and furnace, to invent all kinds of contraptions and Frank, among others, has all kinds of interesting commissions for him. He escaped from a workhouse and has since lived on his wits. Mister Thomas Seamons, Head Gamekeeper, 3 Duties: reports to the Estate Manager; maintains stock of game birds; patrols woods; organises shoots; maintains guns Another local, he is never seen without his guns including a shotgun and rifle. He does not visit the house much preferring to eat things he has killed in his own cottage. The seclusion of the cottage and his straightforward nature might just tempt inside a passing aristo woman. Edwin Keen, Gamekeeper’s Assistant, 5 Duties: reports to Head Gamekeeper and Gatekeeper; checks on the game birds’ health, patrols woods; inspects the wall He rarely sleeps on the estate as he lives with his parents in one of the tied cottages. Probably knows every inch of the grounds and very much enjoys the spectacle of skinny-dipping in the hidden pond, even when specifically told to avoid the area. A couple of the girls are intrigued by his way with animals as, despite his job, he really cares for them.
These are fantastic! I think this is the best way of presenting the staff. Let authors come up with the majority of physical details, but provide context for what they do and how they interact with others. That gives you direction for coming up with new stories. Flora, Eliza, James, and Filly especially sound like fun characters to work with.
Thanks. I must admit Flora's probably my favourite. If you look at Google Maps just west of High Wycombe and north of the village of Piddington, you should be able to work out the location of the house, the grounds and even a rough idea of the estate. I added the water features.
A brief note on pubic hair The Earl and Countess have a particular interest in the ancient world, the gardens especially are littered with naked marble statues, and know enough that the aristos in ancient times (particularly in Greece) shaved even in their special area (usually plucked there), so The Countess and her 2 elder daughters are virtually hair free below the neck. Angelica however has a let it grow policy although she does shave her armpits and the hair on her limbs is so fine and blonde you would have to be close to notice. Maybe some of the others, inspired by the statues or what they have witnessed, might have done the same, but the vast majority are going to have bush. I would imagine the Earl, Percy and Richard are also nicely trimmed.
A typical day at Cockshoots Hall 7.00 Scullery Maid, Between Maid and Dogsbody clean up and get fires going. 7.30 Kitchen Maid makes tea and toast for senior staff. 7.45 Senior staff inspect house. 8.00 Servant’s breakfast, made by the Kitchen Maid, is served. 8.30 Lady's Maid and Valet bathe and dress their charges. Parlour maids do any immediate tidying up. 9.30 Breakfast, made by the Chef, is served by Butler and Footmen 10.00 Senior staff discuss the day with the Earl and Countess. Chambermaids clean the upstairs and collect the laundry. Parlour Maids complete their cleaning. One Footman is on call, the other aids the Estate Manager. 11.15 Servants have elevenses. 12.30 Servants’ dinner, made by the Head Kitchen Maid, is served. 1.30 Dinner, made by Chef, is served by the Butler and Footmen and cleared by Parlour Maids. Chambermaids help with laundry. 2.15 A Parlour Maid and a Footman are on call. 5.00 Afternoon Tea, made by the Still Room Maid, is served. 6.00 Servants’ supper, made by the Head Kitchen Maid, is served 7.00 Family retire to their own rooms. Parlour maids clean. Outdoor staff’s supper usually heated up and served by whichever of the kitchen staff is available. 8.00 Family supper, made by Chef, is served by Butler, Footmen and Parlour Maids. Chambermaids clean the upstairs 9.00 A Parlour Maid cleans the dining room while a Footman polishes the silver. 11.00 Lady's Maid and Valet undress their charges, Butler closes up. N.B. Obviously if a staff member is indisposed another will step in One day a week, the Chef, and anybody who requires a lift, will set off with the Chauffer at 5.30 a.m. to London, returning at 11.30 ensuring the quality of delivered products. On Tuesday and Friday, the Head Kitchen Maid and the Still Maid will leave the Hall in the carriage at 10 a.m. to shop for and order food in High Wycombe until 12.00 a.m. On Saturday, the Head Kitchen Maid, who may be accompanied by one other person, will take the carriage for the same duration. TBH The Earl and Countess would prefer this schedule to be a lot more flexible but with so many children still at home and the Estate Manager and the Companion, the routine make sense. One final note: you may have noticed but one of Flora (the Still Room Maid) is to provide the afternoon tea. It consists of tea and cakes. Being Flora, these are likely to have some special ingredients much to the delight of the Earl and Countess. No wonder someone has to help them dress later. I really think that's enough information, which I will stick in the story outline threads. Now to get on with writing the introduction.
Found it! Took me a bit, but it's much easier to spot once you zoom in past the default scale. *That* is a nice touch. I hadn't thought about it before, but in this time in England, I imagine there's both an intellectual appreciation for the art and philosophy of the ancient world and much obfuscation regarding their looser sexual mores. Some of the Fosketts' garb may be considered scandalous by guests, but they wear it because it's accurate to history. That's a plot seed in itself: the guests are persuaded over supper towards a more liberated interpretation of history before enacting a scene from an emperor's pleasure palace. I can understand that desire. The staff have a rigorous time of each day when they could be joining the family in aesthetic pursuits. Got to keep the ship afloat, though. Flora is going to be so much fun. If Eliza is willing to perform any service, she must get to taste Flora's treats before anyone else; it's no good for anyone if Flora incapacitates herself with a new recipe and can't make any more.
Regarding clothes, at meals they would probably remain fairly formal (Edmonia might be in menswear), although the conversation would be scandalous. In the afternoon especially in the summer guests might be a bit shocked although Sandy in his short kilt, Daisy in her wet underwear and Angelica convening with nature would really test them. If they stay in the house for any length of time though they are bound to see much worse. Any friends of the Earl and Countess are likely to be unshockable, but the students Percy brings home from Oxford might undergo a quick education. Maids in the house would wear black stockings and bloomers well above the knee. In fact here is a typically attired maid at Cockshoots Hall.
There is one more issue to deal with, discipline. Now corporal punishment did not really exist in most great houses by the 20th century because: Lesser crimes tended to be punished by fines or even starvation. The level of crime for which you were immediately dismissed was quite low. Servants would bring legal cases of assault against their abusers (this even happened with slaves in Roman times!!!). However Great Houses would make their own rules and in Cockshoots Hall all manner of behaviour is allowed by the servants that would not be tolerated elsewhere. Examples of this are: talking to each other in the presence of residents, failing to be discrete while carrying out their duties, fraternising with staff of the opposite gender in the house. In addition, because several of their staff would struggle to get employed elsewhere, staff would have to do something seriously wrong (persistent stealing, striking a guest without it being self defence) to be dismissed. Starvation is cruel so the servants are left to choose between a fine and corporal punishment with almost all servants opting for the latter. The exact form of this punishment is left up to the 3 people who administer the discipline: the Estate Manager, the Housekeeper and the Butler. As well as punishing the outside staff, the Estate Manager physically disciplines the kitchen staff if the Cook requests it, although to his disappointment she rarely does. Nevertheless the Head Kitchen Maid has been known to give an encouraging slap on the behind to the rest of the kitchen staff. The Family are of course above this sort of thing and only spank for pleasure, like a few of the staff.
Here is the first part of the 3 part introduction, which I will release when I have completed all of it. What do you think of the title? I was torn between the simple "Cockshoots Hall" and "Great House of Love" and plumped for the latter. I did actually find it hard to avoid lapsing into the first person. All of a sudden I'm William Wood and channelling his impressions rather than standing back. It felt more like being Nick Carraway in the Great Gatsby, as he is ordinary fellow in a fantastical world. Comments, please? Great House of Love Chapter 1 – The Invitation London, 1921, just coming out of the post war malaise but not quite into the full roar of the flapper’s decade, and Bill Wood entered the Ritz Hotel for the first time. Noel Coward was entertaining, loudly, in the main dining room. The place was packed with famous people he would have loved to interview, but today he was being led to a private dining room to meet with a little known author whose novels might be described as difficult. He was no critic, but fiction without a discernible plot was certainly an intellectual exercise. Darcey Foskett, the Countess of High Wycombe, was radiant. For a woman in her early forties, she was extraordinarily well preserved. Her natural blonde hair, green eyes and near flawless ivory skin could still turn every male head in the room. Also at the table was Margaret Goodchild, her personal maid. They both stood and the Countess held out her hand. It was the softest skin young Bill had ever felt. “Delighted to meet you, Mr Wood, won’t you please take a chair?” Margaret took that as a signal to leave them alone. “Yes ma’am … your grace … Countess …Lady Wycombe” – one of them had to be correct – and they sat down. She smiled “At least you didn’t bow. To you, Darcey, but strictly speaking, which I rarely do, it’s Lady High Wycombe. Countess should be reserved for royals.” “Lady …” She put a finger to her bee-stung lips. “Darcey, not that I am not extremely flattered but, why did you want to see me? I do not review books or write about Society.” “Edmonia described you as someone I might be interested in. She was very impressed with your article about her in The Manchester Guardian.” Lady Edmonia, she hated the title but was not above using it to get a better seat, was the Countess’ middle child and quite a character. Few women turn up to an interview in a double breasted leather jacket and jodhpurs. Even fewer have blue hair and matching make-up. The referenced article had been about the next stage for the suffragettes once they had the vote. “I was impressed with her. She is a remarkably intelligent and assured woman.” “And she was impressed with you. In fact she was very excited. She is an unusual girl.” “Unconventional maybe, but all the more intriguing because of it.” “Are you really surprised? You have researched our family, I assume.” Bill nodded. He knew the Earl was a post-impressionist artist of some note who very quickly had to marry his young Anglo Irish model, when she was just 18. Among their friends were Virginia Woolf, her sister Vanessa Bell, the critic Clive Bell, E.M.Forster and John Maynard Keynes. Having attended Oxford, if only briefly, the Earl was never considered a full member of the Cambridge educated Bloomsbury Group. It is not wholly true that Cambridge represented the radical and Oxford, the establishment, but it was not an entirely amicable relationship. The philosophy of the group was to challenge everything: how you wrote a novel; how you painted a picture; how you lived your life and who you slept with. They were what is known as High Bohemians; liberals and libertines united by their love of beauty, well off, and/or talented, enough to behave how they wanted without materially affecting their lives. Based on this knowledge, maybe Edmonia’s freedom of thought was to be expected. The Countess continued, “She told me you did not judge her. Most journalists would have forgotten about her politics, and concentrated on her appearance, but you are different. I want you to come to our house, and stay for a while, if you think you can handle it. You can take what you want from the experience but it would be educational to see how another writer interprets our way of life. One thing though, Mr Wood, you must let me vet anything you intend to print, but I am sure you will be skilful enough to avoid specifics. Now, while you think over my offer, let us eat.” That was just too much temptation for Bill. What could possibly be so shocking that names needed protecting? On the other hand he was equally fascinated by Edmonia’s excitement as he distinctly remembered being convinced that she batted for the other team.
Now, with the journalist, I'm reminded of Aldous Huxley's Crome Yellow, where he writes a somewhat unkind satire of a country estate which gave him hospitality. But it is apposite in bits, witness the quote from the Wikipedia article (Crome Yellow) "Eros, beautifully and irresponsibly free, will flit like a gay butterfly from flower to flower through a sunlit world."
Don't know "Crome Yellow" - I'll read up on it. To me it's amazing that Aldous Huxley was George Orwell's teacher at school! OT, but it only occurred to me yesterday that, Nick Carraway is not the non-entity he tries to portray himself as. Gatsby, Daisy, Tom and Jordan all seek out his company - and it is not just because he's Daisy's cousin, and a pawn, they genuinely like him and enjoy his company. I suspect he hides his real gregarious personality from the readers. I really could go full on with William 'Bill' Wood, but I don't want to get sucked into Ivor Bigun territory again (my Hellfire story has no character who acts as an observer) but he will have one sex scene. He's a doctor's son from Manchester who is a pacifist. He reported on WWI rather than fought in it as his dodgy knees (he struggles to run but does not limp) made him unfit for service, otherwise he would have had some tough decisions. He's just gone freelance and moved to London after being full time on the Manchester Guardian, but his articles are still most likely to appear there. My plan is for him to arrive on a Friday evening, have dinner with the family, and attend an interview the following morning with a prospective servant. Of course there is a night in between this. As usual my attention to detail is holding me off because I really need to come up with a floor plan for Cocksworth Hall. Using my original idea, it turned out to be wider than the garden it is in!
“Unconventional maybe, but all the more intriguing because of it.” My thoughts exactly. So, from what Bill says (or doesn't say), the activities at Cockshoots Hall are more rumor than fact to the public. I hadn't considered that, but, in addition to protecting their lifestyle, it makes sense if the Fosketts are poaching disgraced staff from other households. They'd need to keep out of the public eye to enjoy themselves fully. His weak knees are an interesting point, too; will that prevent him from engaging in more athletic forms of sex? Edmonia must want to show her full appreciation for his good press on the night in-between. As for the title: Great House of Love more immediately tells you what the story will be about, but Cockshoots Hall sounds more evocative of Downton Abbey. Six of one, half dozen of the other, I'd say. It's been a while since I read Gatsby, but I remember thinking that people liked Nick Carraway because he was a bit of a non-entity. I got the feeling that Fitzgerald was suggesting people liked Nick because he kept their secrets and let them talk about themselves. One last thing: my participation on the site will be spotty over the weekend, so I won't be able to address new updates right away. Research troubles yet again, I see. Is the floor plan just for maintaining internal consistency, or do you intend to post a map of the house with the story? Either way, I look forward to the rest of the introduction!
I'd love to do a house plan but I'm a bit busy. However I'll talk you through what I have decided: Only two floors, although the first floor is so high there's easily room to fit another floor in between. In fact in the ball room there's even twin staircases to a gallery. Two large wings protrude from the sides of the house and are joining to 2 storey annexes. House (from the front garden) Nearly 300 foot in width and just over 40 foot in depth with wings extending 80 foot of the same depth. Ground floor Left wing: Family rooms - these tend to be decorated with post-impressionist art including nudes as well as Angelica's modernist work. The rest of the house has more formal portraiture. Left: Dining room, family rooms and reception rooms. Specifically the family dining room is at the back overlooking the pond/lake. Central: Circular ballroom with a trompe l'oeil ceiling and viewing gallery, butler's pantry, housekeeper's office, and 2 maids' cupboards at the corners. Right: Great Hall for entertaining and in the corner 2 art studios (the Earl's and a general one) onto the lake, the Earl's study and a bathroom. Right wing: Library, Earl's office, Estate Manager's office and a games room next to the stables. Top floor Wings: Guest bedrooms, bathrooms and a linen cupboard. Corridor down the middle. Note the staircases effectively separate the suites and family bedrooms from the guest bedrooms. Left/Right: 4 Family bedrooms and a linen cupboard, with facilities and roof access, each side, separating from the Royal Suite, reserved exclusively for any royal visitors. on one side and the Ducal Suite, reserved for the most important visitors of any group. These suites are in the corners above the family dining room and the studios. Corridor in front. Central: The Earl and Countess's adjoined suites underneath a glass dome. Corridor curves in front of the dome. The Basement Houses a hidden originally Catholic chapel, which is now used for multi-denominational worship on Sunday mornings for the servants. It has a confessional which tends to have a queue. Fixtures Windows: washed one day a month - usually a day most people are out - but from the viewing platform, which circles the top piece of glass and is reached by permanent metal ladders, looking into the Countesses and Earl's double bathroom may provide some unexpected perks. Doors and staircases main entrance just in front of the ballroom, where staff are sometimes presented. The family generally uses a door on the left of the property, business people the door on the right. Deliveries are usually made to the kitchen annex. The staircases are immediately in the front of the large guest suites. There are no discreet servants' staircases and the annexes are only joined at the ground floor. Annexes Left: Kitchen and laundry rooms below Servant's bedrooms. Often washing in front. Note that housekeeper's bedroom as at the house end of the annex, a prime location for watching the family bedrooms as the upstairs corridor is well lit at night. The wine cellar is accessed from the still room. Right: Stables below hayloft and garages below bedrooms for the chauffeur and stable staff. Outside staff must only enter the house through the nearest door to where they have been requested to go and must in no circumstances access the house via the annex. The passageway that leads from the stable to the games room is usually locked ... Filly on the billiard table, surely not Grounds Gardeners and Handyman sleep in a hut on the right of the Gatehouse. Gamekeeper's cottage is on the edge of the woods just around the corner from the servant's annex. Woods to the left, right and behind after the lake, patch of scrubland to the left. One and half mile high wall around the property. There is is a stream which runs down the scrubland and then is forcibly split in two, one part running behind the servant's annex, providing fresh water for laundry, and the other crossing to the right via an ornamental pool before making its way behind the right side of the house with a gentler slope. The lake itself drains into the wood. The 'secret' pool also drains into this stream. Events The Cockshoot's Ball - Aristos arrive on the Friday and stay still Monday morning. The Ball is on Saturday and the shoot on Sunday for those in a fit condition to participate. On Sunday there is a grand meal and entertainment in the Great Hall. The High Wycombe Ball - A one day event with local bigwigs invited. Meal followed by dancing. Less formal than The Cockshoot's Ball and has been known to get out of hand with many needing temporary accommodation. The Garden Party - specifically for the estate tenants, including children, the staff and their guests. Agency staff brought into serve. Ball and meal for the servants in the evening, but the family normally join in and serve the food. Not too many sleep alone that night.
