On this page, we have gathered some interesting facts about butling and the private service profession.

The word butler derives from the old French bouteillier, and identified the cup-bearer or the one in charge of the bottles in large households. Bottle and the French equivalent come from the medieval Latin buticula, a diminutive of buttis, a cask, which is also the origin of the English word "butt," given to a large wooden container for liquid. The beer cellar in medieval times would have contained butts or wooden casks, not glass bottles.

So the buttery initially had nothing to do with butter but was the place for storing the butts. Only later was the word extended to mean somewhere where provisions generally were stored.

Through a complicated process that had to do with the loss of gentlemen servants and changes in social organization, the butler slowly rose to be in charge not only of the buttery, but also of the ewery (where the napkins and basins for washing and shaving were kept) and the pantry (where the bread, butter, cheese and other basic provisions were stored). Later, he took over the cellerer's duties of looking after the wine. This eventually became one of his principal duties. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the role of the butler reached its full flowering as head of the male domestic servants. Sometimes, the butler was given a whole suite of rooms dedicated to his various functions in larger households.

The biblical book of Genesis contains a reference to a role precursive to modern butlers. The early Hebrew Joseph interpreted a dream of the Pharaoh's שקה (shaqah) (literally "to give to drink"), which is most often translated into English as "chief butler" or "chief cup-bearer." Eventually, the European butler emerged as a middle-ranking member of the servants of a great house, in charge of the wine and liquor stored in the buttery.

The number of butlers worldwide

The International Guild of Professional Butlers estimates that there are yet again a few million professional butlers in the world today. Note that the term "butler" is defined differently by different people. According to The Guild there has been a steady increase of butlers the past 30 years, with a surge during the past ten years. The Guild has some 10.000 active members from around the world. More than 25% of these members are from the USA.

The duties of a modern butler

Social change in the early twentieth century meant the butler almost vanished as a breed. Toward the end of the twentieth century, the butler was reinvented as a Swiss Army knife, an all-purpose household manager, and often the sole permanent servant. The primary duty of a butler is to oversee the household staff, often at more than one residence. This requires a knowledge of high social etiquette and protocol to receive guests and supervise the reception of visitors. The modern butler may double as house manager, personal assistant, valet, chef, bodyguard, and several other positions in a household. Additional responsibilities include organizing duties and schedules of domestic staff, scheduling and overseeing household maintenance, organizing parties and events, performing light housekeeping duties, and booking hotels, restaurants, and theatres.

The butler could also be taking care of the household accounting and creating household budgets, maintaining the wardrobe and clothing inventory for the gentleman, packing and preparing for the gentleman for travel, assisting with maintaining household security, staff hiring and firing, and staff training. The butler knows wines and spirits and oversees the wine cellar and liquor inventory. Thus, the modern butler needs strong communication, organizational and management skills, and an ability to multi-task.

The salary for a butler can vary greatly depending on the location of their employment. For example, a butler working and living in New York City will likely have a much different salary than one working and living in rural England. Other factors affecting compensation include taxes, inclusions, and whether the butler lives on the estate or nearby private lodgings.

The salary of a butler in Europe can vary depending on factors such as the country, the type of employer, and the level of experience of the butler. On average, a butler in Europe can expect to earn between €40,000 to €75,000 per year net, with some earning up to €100,000 or more per year. However, salaries can vary greatly depending on the location and employer. For example, a butler working for a high-net-worth family in a major city such as London or Paris may earn significantly more than a butler working for a small private residence in a rural area. It's important to note that salaries may also vary depending on the cost of living in a particular country or region.

According to Payscale.com, the average annual salary of a butler in the United States is approximately USD 54,000. However, this can vary greatly depending on factors such as the location, the household size, and the experience and skills required. In general, butlers in more prestigious households with larger staffs and more responsibilities may command higher salaries. It's worth noting that butler salaries can also vary widely internationally and can be influenced by the local job market and cost of living.

The salary of a butler working in the Middle East can again vary greatly depending on various factors such as the employer, job responsibilities, and experience level. However, in general, butlers working in the Middle East can earn higher salaries than in other regions. According to several job websites, the average salary for a butler in the Middle East is between USD 50,000 and USD 100,000 per year. However, salaries can range from USD 30,000 to over USD 200,000 per year, depending on the factors mentioned earlier. It's important to note that the cost of living in the Middle East is also generally higher than in other regions, so it's essential to consider the benefits and living arrangements offered by the employer when considering the salary package.

Butlers have traditionally been male, and this remains the norm. Probably the first mention of a female butler is in the 1892 book Interludes being Two Essays, a Story, and Some Verses, by Horace Smith. In it, Smith quotes a certain Sydney Smith who had run into lean times: "A man servant was too expensive, so I caught up a little garden girl, made like a milestone, christened her Bunch, put a napkin in her hand, and made her my butler. The girls taught her to read, Mrs. Sydney to wait, and I undertook her morals. Bunch became the best butler in the country." Today, female butlers are sometimes preferred, especially for work within Middle and Far Eastern families, where it may be culturally problematic for males to work closely with females in a household.

Western female celebrities may also prefer a female butler, as may households where the wife drives the decision to hire a butler. In ancient times, the roles leading to butling were reserved for those confined within heredity-based class structures. In the medieval era, butling became an opportunity for social advancement, even more so during Victorian times. Butling today has frequently taken over many of the roles formerly reserved for lower-ranking domestic servants. At the same time, it has become a potentially lucrative career option. Also, note that many female house or household managers today could surely be called butlers.

The Victorian era corresponds with the reign of Queen Victoria in England from 1839 to 1901. The period is beloved for its attention to high morals, modesty, and proper decorum, inspired by the Queen and her husband, Prince Albert. The Victorian era was also an optimistic time when scientific and industrial inventions thrived. Developments in printing produced a proliferation of Victorian scrap art, cards, and magazines.

The importance placed on civic conscience and social responsibility engendered notable developments toward gender and racial equality, such as the legal abolishment of slavery in Britain and in America. Poverty was overwhelming. Humanitarian and religious organizations such as the Salvation Army reflected the Victorian concern for the poor and needy of the period.

In 1901, when the British population was 38 million, and every middle-class home had at least one servant, there were 1.7 million women and 140,000 men in domestic service. Even a modestly prosperous household could expect to retain the services of a general domestic servant, and mostly these were young single women. In fact, right up until the start of the First World War, domestic service was the largest single occupation for women. However, it was fading in popularity by 1891. The hours worked were very long, the work was arduous and often lonely and it did not provide the freedom which was available to factory and shop workers. Large households could expect to employ dozens of servants.

The butler in early America

From the beginning of slavery in America, in the early 1600s, African Americans were also put to work as domestic servants inside plantations. Some eventually became butlers. Gary Puckrein, a social historian, argues that those used in particularly affluent homes authentically internalized the "refined" norms and personal attributes that would reflect highly upon the social stature of their masters or mistresses.

One of the first books written and published through a commercial U.S. publisher by an African American was by a butler named Robert Roberts. The book, The House Servant's Directory, first published in 1827, is essentially a manual for butlers and waiters and is called by Puckrein "the most remarkable book by an African American in antebellum America." The book generated such interest that a second edition was published in 1828 and a third in 1843. A modern reprint is available.

Readers of historical novels are familiar with some of the servants that large houses employed to do all the work required to keep the place running smoothly. Some had an army of outdoor servants (gardeners, gamekeepers, and grooms) and an equally large army of indoor servants. The number and kinds of servants varied depending on the employer's social status and the estate's size.

Male servants ranked above female servants and non-liveried servants. Those who did not wear uniforms ranked above those servants who did. The highest-ranking male servant (who, in some ways, was more a professional employee than a true servant) was the Land Steward. He was often the son of a minister or businessman. Some Land Stewards were attorneys and had their own homes and own businesses on the side. The Land Steward was the manager of the estate. He hired and fired workers, settled tenant complaints, saw to the harvest of crops, managed the timber, collected the rents, and kept all the financial records. Very wealthy men with more than one estate had several Land Stewards.

A few very wealthy homes employed a House Steward. The House Steward was an administrative position. He was in charge of the keys. He and he alone had access to the pantries where food was stored, to the wine cellars where the wine was stored, and to the storerooms. The people who needed to access these areas had to ask his permission. He would let them in, then lock the door after they were finished. He was responsible for ensuring repairs, that seamstresses were hired to make or repair the clothing, and that there were enough laundresses.

The next highest-ranking male house servant was the Butler. The butler's duties varied depending on the size of the house. He was in charge of the wine cellar, and that was a delicate task in the days before refrigeration. He was in charge of the silver and gold plate, china, and crystal. He supervised the cleaning of this valuable silver and gold and guarded it against thieves. As time passed, the position of the butler gained more and more prestige until he became the top servant in Victorian times, in charge of the men and women under servants. While the Butler did not wear livery, he did alter his clothing slightly while on duty - he wore a black tie rather than a white one for instance. It would not do to mistake the butler for a gentleman.

The valet was the highest-ranking male house servant, next to the butler. He cared for his employer's clothing, shined his shoes and boots, did the hairdressing and barbering, and ensured the gentleman looked good. A valet had to be well-dressed himself but was not to outshine his employer. When the gentleman went shopping or traveling, the valet went along since there were men who could not dress or undress without assistance.

The highest-ranking indoor liveried servant was the footman. Footmen did many jobs around the house, both indoors and outside. Inside, he laid the table, waited at table, served tea, answered the door, and assisted the butler. Outside, he rode on the carriage, opened doors, served as an escort when a lady paid calls, and carried torches to deter thieves when the lady and gentleman went out at night. The footman carried letters to and from, and special footmen called "running footmen" ran in front of or beside a carriage. These running footmen had mostly died out by the time of the Regency, but in their prime, they were colorful characters, literally and figuratively. They often wore very bright and luxurious livery, and some noblemen would organize footraces between their running footmen. The qualifications for being a footman were good looks and a good physique. Their livery was knee breeches, often plush ones with silk stockings (footmen had to have good legs) and coats of satin and velvet with starched shirts.

A page or "hall-boy" was a young boy who was an apprentice footman. He performed odd jobs and tasks and was put into livery to stand around and look good when the lady chose to entertain. Sometimes the page was a young black boy put into an especially fancy livery and treated almost like an ornament.

Women servants did not rank as high as men and were not paid as much even though their work was often harder. While a footman carried letters, a chambermaid often had to climb flights of stairs with loads of coal for the fire or cans of hot water for the bath. The highest-ranking woman servant was the housekeeper. She kept the keys to all the storage closets and supervised the maids and cooks. She served as the butler's right-hand helper. She kept books and household accounts and ordered food and other supplies. She very much ran the practical side of the house.

The next highest woman servant was the personal maid or Lady's maid. She dressed and undressed the lady of the house, cleaned, pressed, and mended clothing, and did the lady's hair. In the Victorian age, when clothing was cumbersome and elaborate (and buttoned and laced up the back), a woman could literally not get dressed or undressed without assistance. Personal maids also looked after the jewelry and served as a companion and confidante. It was very much "the thing" to have a personal maid who was French, but if a lady could not find a French maid, a personal maid who could speak a few French phrases was almost as good.

The cook was considered to be of better quality if she had trained with a male chef. Not many people were wealthy enough to afford a male chef, so they searched for female cooks who had trained with men. The cook was the dictator of the kitchen. The cook had many kitchen helpers to assist her in the massive amounts of cooking that had to be done. There were always scullery maids (the lowest female servants) whose job was cleaning the pots and pans. These poor girls spent their days with their hands in hot water and harsh washing soda. After a large party, there could be hundreds of greasy pots and pans to clean before the girls could go to bed.

There were several other kinds of specialized maids, chambermaids, parlor maids, and maids-of-all-work. These young women were the ones who swept, dusted, polished, cleaned, washed, fetched, and carried from early morning till late at night. The weekly schedule for maids has them working from 6:30 am to 10:00 pm with one half-day off a week. They had to do all the cleaning and polishing with none of the labor-saving devices we take for granted today. For instance, there was no such thing as prepared polish in a tin. Furniture polish had to be made from linseed oil, turpentine, and beeswax.

Carpets had to be brushed by hand or taken outside and beaten. Lamps had to be cleaned and filled, and fires had to be kept lit and tended. This necessitated maids lugging large amounts of coal up flights of stairs to all the fireplaces, and with no central heating, a large estate could have many fireplaces. The sheer amount of work involved in a maid's job is difficult to imagine. Maids wore two kinds of clothing. In the mornings, when most of the heavy work was done, they wore cotton print dresses and heavy aprons. Later in the afternoon, they changed into black dresses with ruffled aprons and caps with streamers.

The era of large estates with many servants died out after World War I. For a long time, a job as a servant was the only one a respectable young woman could get, and after jobs in offices and factories became available, few young women or men wanted to spend long hours working for little money and little chance to have a life of their own. More job opportunities, smaller houses, and more labor-saving devices finally ended the huge numbers of servants who used to work in stately homes.

The real-life modern butler attempts to be discreet and unobtrusive, friendly but not familiar, keenly anticipative of the needs of his or her employer, and graceful and precise in execution of duty. The butler in fiction, by contrast, is typically larger-than-life and has become a traditional plot device in various literature, film and theatre. In potboilers and melodramas, butlers provide comic relief with wry comments, or clues about the perpetrators of various crimes, and are represented as being at least as intelligent, and often more so, than their "betters".

Butlers figure so prominently in period pieces and whodunits that the catch phrase "The butler did it!" has become commonplace. Regardless of the genre in which they are cast, butlers in fiction almost invariably follow the "British butler model" and are given an appropriate-sounding surname. The best-known fictional manservant, and the prototype of the quintessential British butler, Reginald Jeeves, the iconic creation of author P.G. Wodehouse, is not a butler at all, but a "gentleman's gentleman" or valet.

Not all fictional butlers portray the "butler stereotype", however. Alan Bates, in his role as the butler in the film Gosford Park, was coached in brooding detail by Arthur Inch, a longtime real-life butler. Mr. Stevens, the butler played by Anthony Hopkins in the film Remains of the Day, was also acted with remarkable realism. A female butler, Sarah Stevens, is the principle character in Linda Howard's 2002 Dying to Please, a murder/romance novel. Howard gives detailed and generally accurate descriptions of butling.

Probably the best-known fictional butlers are Alfred from the Batman comic and films, Hudson of Upstairs, Downstairs television series, and Crichton from J.M. Barrie's The Admirable Crichton. Other characters include Mr. Belvedere from the Belvedere television series, Lurch, from The Addams Family television series, Beach, from the Wodehouse series about Blandings Castle, Benson from the series Soap and Benson, Geoffrey from the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Niles from the television series The Nanny.

This little short comedy is an annual tradition in many families around the world on New Year's Eve. People never get tired of it. The comedy is universal. The plot, pacing, acting, and characters in this version are all top-notch, starring comedians Freddie Frinton and May Warden. German Television station Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) recorded a performance of the piece in 1963, in its original English language. This short comical play became the most frequently repeated TV program ever.

The sketch presents the 90th birthday of elderly upper-class Englishwoman Miss Sophie, who hosts a dinner every year for her closest friends Mr. Pommeroy, Mr. Winterbottom, Sir Toby, and Admiral von Schneider to celebrate the occasion. The problem is that given Miss Sophie's considerable age, she has outlived all of her friends, and so her equally aged manservant James makes his way around the table, impersonating each of the guests in turn. James finds himself raising (and emptying) his glass four times per course.

Miss Sophie decides on appropriate drinks to accompany the menu of the evening, consisting of Mulligatawny soup (Miss Sophie orders sherry), haddock (with white wine), chicken (with champagne), and fruit for dessert (with port). The drinking by James takes its toll, increasingly noticeable in James' growing difficulty in pouring the drinks, telling wine glasses from vases of flowers, and refraining from bursting into song. Even before the alcohol begins to exert its influence, he has trouble avoiding the head of a tiger skin laying on the floor between the dinner table and the buffet. Watch this delightful comedy here: Dinner-for-one.

Sources/references;  The International Guild of Professional Butlers, Victorian Household Hints by Elizabeth Drury, Not In Front of the Servants by Frank Dawes, Rise and Fall of the Victorian Servant by Pamela Horn, Etiquette by Emily Post, Victorian life and Victorian fiction: A companion for the American reader by Jo McMurtry Hamden, US News and World Report. Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management. Stephen Ewen: A Brief History of Butlers and Buttling, NDR Germany, Wil Haygood (Washington Post).

Service and hospitality in the Far East, particularly in countries like Japan and Thailand, are often regarded as some of the best in the world. The Far Eastern cultures place a strong emphasis on respect, both towards others and the environment. This cultural value extends to service interactions, where individuals are genuinely dedicated to providing a high level of respect and care to guests.

Service providers in the Far East are renowned for their meticulous attention to detail. From anticipating guests' needs to ensuring every aspect of their experience is flawlessly executed, a strong focus on even the smallest details is a hallmark of service in the region. Many countries in the Far East have a long-standing tradition of hospitality deeply ingrained in their culture. The art of welcoming and hosting guests is passed down through generations, resulting in a rich heritage of refined service.

It is important to note that exceptional service can be found in various cultures and regions around the world. Different cultures bring unique approaches and values to the art of hospitality, resulting in diverse and enriching experiences for guests globally.