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The staff

  • Up to 200 people are thought to have worked in the house, gardens and farm.

  • Sir Herbert Leon had his own personal servant

  • Lady Leon had her own French Lady's Maid - 'Miss Yvonne'

  • There were grooms and coachmen to look after the horses, and later chauffeurs to drive the cars.

  • There were many gardeners each with their own special duties to look after the fruit, lawns, vegetables, and carnations.

  • Four gardeners were employed to look after the orchids alone.
Some of the staff around 1900
Like many large houses of the period almost everything was provided by 'in house' staff.

The Leons provided comfortable homes for their staff, together with milk and some produce from the farm.

Mrs Perkins talks about the milk

The 1891 census lists all those living on the estate, although there were others employed at Bletchley Park who lived elsewhere in Bletchley.

Living in the mansion was - Caroline Poet (aged 39) a cook.

Mrs Perkins talks about Miss Poet the cook

Martha Doubleday (also aged 39) who was then Lady Leon's ladies maid, Louisa Garbit a sick nurse, two house-maids Kate and Alice Harrison, Marrion Clarke (aged 17) the scullery maid, Jane MacMillan (aged 32) the Dairy-maid,

Mrs Perkins talks about the dairy

Mrs Perkins talks about making ice cream

Emma Studman (aged 27) the kitchenmaid,

Mrs Perkins talks about the goose catching fire

Mrs Perkins talks about the Larders at Christmas

John Williams (aged 22) the footman and a local lad Frederick Crane (aged 16) a page.

Mrs Perkins talks about the Leon's parties

In the stable yard lived seven grooms - Albert Edward Boxall (aged 26), Arthur Stoneham (aged 23), Henry Busson (aged 27), Albert Clifford (aged 25), William Burfoot (aged 17) and George Studman who was only 16. There were also three gardeners living in the stable yard - James Colfett (aged 28), Thomas Baskerville (aged 24) and Joseph Henley (aged 22).

The stablekeeper was Wallace Parinder who lived on the estate with his wife Emily and Emily Cookwell a domestic servant. On the day of the census they had a visitor staying with them Amelia Biddle.

Robert Taylor was the stud groom. Like his wife Eliza he was aged 45 and came from Yorkshire. they had four children Edith (15), Robert (13), Lucy (11) and Leonora (5).

Albert Perrin was blacksmith on the estate for many years. In 1891 he and his young wife had just moved to Bletchley from the Winslow district. He was 25 and had two sons Henry (2) and Thomas (1) who would later follow their father as estate blacksmiths.

Thomas King is described as a 'Stationary Engine Driver'. He too had only recently come to work at Bletchley Park since all his children, including the youngest Emma who was only one year old are recorded as being born at Newton Longville, a village just a couple of miles away. It is believed this engine powered a generator to provide electric lighting to the house long before mains electricity was supplied to the district. Thomas and his wife Mary Anne were also born at Newton Longville.

In 1891 the farm bailiff responsible for the whole estate, was Richard Crisp. In later years Mr Callodine was the estate manager and he lived in a large house built on the corner of Church Green Road opposite the war memorial.

Mrs Perkins talks about the changes caused by the First World War