Who's Penge?
I'm thinking he's the Butler, who had the issue with the rats.
shareYes, but...I'm not sure what his title is. I think House Steward which ranks above a butler.
shareThanks. I like the actor Adrian Schiller, and I was looking for him. When did the title "Butler" come into use? That sounds more like a modern word.
shareWhen did the title "Butler" come into use?
"The word 'butler' comes from Anglo-Norman buteler, variant form of Old Norman *butelier, corresponding to Old French botellier "officer in charge of the king's wine bottles", derived of boteille "bottle", Modern French bouteille, itself from Gallo-Romance BUTICULA "bottle"."--Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butler
It's interesting to me to see the differences between a royal household and other grand houses, such as in Downton Abbey. In DA, Carson the Butler is the head of the household staff. Same with Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs. But DA has a higher position, the Estate Agent (also called Estate Manager) who is not a "downstairs" person, and is often a person with a financial or legal background. Such a person outranks the butler.
In the royal household, I think Penge, as Steward, approximates the Estate Manager rather than a butler. But he is a "downstairs" person. I guess the equivalent of Estate Manager in Victoria's household would be the Lord Chamberlain, who is usually a peer, a member of the House of Lords.
So what about Baroness Lehzen? She is placed above the staff, but it is an unofficial position. share