What the Butler Winked at: Being the Life and Adventures of Eric Horne (Butler)

Eric Horne

ISBN 10: 1594161372 / ISBN 13: 9781594161377

Published by Westholme Publishing, U.S., 2011

Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. A copy that has been read but remains in clean condition. All of the pages are intact and the cover is intact and the spine may show signs of wear. The book may have minor markings which are not specifically mentioned. Seller Inventory # wbs8342605504

Synopsis:

Eric Horne served as a butler in some of the great English country manors from the 1860s until just after World War I, when many of the families whose heirs died in battle were forced to sell off their homes. Born in Southampton, Horne came from a humble family who valued education. Horne excelled in school and wished to go to sea, but lacking his parents permission, he instead ended up as a footboy for a local household. Over the years, Horne moved up in the service of the aristocracy: his goal was to become butler to the king of England, a position he very nearly secured. He did end up in the service of several distinguished households for many decades, and upon his retirement in 1922, he decided to write his memoir. Horne is a unique voice; not only did he have intimate contact with his employers and the household staff, he also possessed literary talent, so that his account provides authentic detail as well as shrewd and often witty views of the aristocracy, the servants, and their activities. Horne is not sentimental though; he does not think that he used his life wisely, having never learned a true trade. He reveals the plight of the servant class, where once a butler lost his employment particularly following the devastation of World War I he was likely to end up in a poorhouse, because employers did not usually provide pensions and servants were rarely able to save enough money to survive on their own. What the Butler Winked At is a fascinating and essential account of life in a country house during the height of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, and is presented here for the first time in trade paperback.

About the Author:

Eric Horne served various members of the nobility and gentry for fifty-seven years before retiring after World War I with a small pension from a former employer.

Bibliographic Details

Title: What the Butler Winked at: Being the Life ...
Publisher: Westholme Publishing, U.S.
Publication Date: 2011
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Good
Edition: 2nd Edition