Evening: Going to Bed

When all of the chores were finished, the people at Agecroft could prepare to turn in for the night. The Dauntesey family would retire to their bedchambers. As we saw, they would often have their last meal of the day brought to their rooms. In the plans for how the house looked in the 17th century, we see that the bedchambers were on the second floor. There is a room listed as “My Lord’s Chamber”, which may have been a bedchamber, but also could have been a gentleman’s chamber- basically Master Dauntesey’s office. Two other rooms are listed specifically as bedchambers, which may have been divided between the family.

The second level of the house may have also had spaces for some of the servants to sleep. Servants who helped with the children would likely live at the manor house and probably would have slept near the Dauntesey children, in case the children needed anything in the night. Other servants who lived at the manor would sleep near their work areas. As we’ve mentioned, field servants who stayed would sleep in rooms in the barns. The scullery maids would often sleep in a loft above the kitchen. Many of the servants, and likely all of the tenant farmers, would have lived with their families. The servants would head home when their work was done.

Before going to sleep, everyone would enjoy some much-deserved down time. The children of both the Dauntseys and the servants and tenant farmers might play with handmade toys before going to sleep. And everyone would have said their prayers before turning in for the night.