Servant aged 76 ?

[Guest]

on the 1871 census a rellie of my husbands is down as a widow and a servant poor women she is listed as Old Servant surely about the oldest servant ever ?

[kylejustin]

i wouldnt say its unusual val. if she couldnt feed herself, then it would be a good job. for all we know, she could have been employed to keep the kids out of the bosses hair?

[Olde Crone Holden]

Nope, I can beat that - William Holden aged 85 on 1841 census, is described as a "stone breaker" poor devil!

OC

[Jill on the A272]

Let's hope the old lady servant was so highly regarded by the family that they were keeping her on in the family as an act of charity.

[Just Barbara]

One of OHs relatives was down as a labourer and he was 82 poor soul...

[Guest]

when you think how they werent usually as healthy as the same aged people these days it must have been hard .

[emeltee]

My gt gt grandfather died from injuries sustained when he fell from the main yardarm of a sailing ship. At 68 years old he was still climbing ship's rigging to earn a crust. There is no headstone on his grave, presumably his widow couldn't afford one. No old age pension in those days!
Emeltee

[Penelope]

Yes I have Ag Labs in their 80s. No Welfare State. We have a lot to thank Nye Bevan for.