| Michelle | Regency Reader Question Hello, If a woman has been out to a ball and comes in at night (in London), how does she get into the house? Does she carry a key to unlock the door (was the door even locked?) Or does a servant stay up to wait for her to let her in? And once she’s inside, how does she see to get to her bedchamber? Is a candle left burning? Or again does a servant wait for her? Thank you for your time!
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Thanks for being a Regency Reader , Michelle, and the great question! Its one other Regency Readers have been curious about, too, and we answered, in part, here: Regency Reader Questions: House Keys and Reticules – Regency Reader (regrom.com)
The short answer (see the post for more detail) is that the house would likely be locked up and a servant (tiger, Coachman, footman..depending on type of carriage and how they got home) would knock for the lady and her companion (while they were in the carriage) to rouse the butler or footman to let them in. They would greet the lady and family with candles, and see to their needs. A lady’s maid would likely be waiting at the ready (as well as a man’s valet) to help them undress and prepare for bed.
Servants worked long hours. Here is a snippet of how the run of the evening might look for a ladies maid:
The Complete Servant (1825)
In addition to candles, a lady would likely have a fire ready for her in her rooms. Candles would be lit as needed, as bed clothes, curtains and even ladies garments were wont to catch fire (Regency Fashion: Cautions to females whose clothes catch fire – Regency Reader (regrom.com)), and it was likely someone would be attending to them.
Most ladies garments would need assistance, regardless, to remove, so there were many reasons for a ladies maid to be awake when the lady returned home. Depending on the size of the household staff, a lady’s maid would not be expected to be up first thing, getting to have a bit of a lie in along with her mistress. However, if it was a small household staff, with only a housekeeper or maid of all work, the scenario would likely be different (at least as far as the lie in goes).
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