Sir, – I very much enjoyed Gary Quinn's delightful article on The Irish Times a century ago ago ("Servants and ladies – 100 years ago today in The Irish Times", Culture, November 3rd).
The advertisements on page two included: “Girls wanted in Australia (fare £1)”; “Stationery for the Front”; and “Dripping wanted in large and small quantities”. But I was most struck by the conditions of employment for domestics (“must have been well brought up”, “must be early riser”, “strict T.T.” teetotaller, etc).
One advert for a house parlourmaid needed in west Wicklow required applicants to state their expected wages, religion, height, and to be “about 28”.
The employer also forbade bicycles, presumably as they thought that no respectable woman would be seen riding one. – Yours, etc,
NIALL McARDLE,
Eganville,
Ontario.