Properly speaking Scullions or scullery-maids are part of the cook's labour-force employed in the food preparation areas and stores in the "downstairs" regions of any Big House. At Mardlingham Hall, those positions are filled by Tilly and Tottie, who because it is one of the smaller of such households, also fulfil the functions of kitchen, laundry and dairy maids. Around the village they are sometimes referred to collectively as ‘The Scullies’ which also tends to include the boot-boy.
Tilly, the elder of the two, is about sixteen and sees herself more as the cook's assistant, than a mere scullion. She is a hard headed young woman, popular but not over-familiar with the footmen, stable-lads and any village youths lucky enough to have errands that take them past the Big House kitchens. She acts as big sister to Tottie and the boot-boy who says he is twelve, but may be much younger. This is not Tilly's first position in service, having done a year starting aged ten as upstairs-maid in the rectory of a market town the other side of Norwich.
Tottie is aged fourteen, but has already been in service at Mardlingham Hall for about two years. Before that she helped out at home with her five younger siblings, three of which were lost in the Mill Cottages epidemic, which also took her father and elder brother. Since then her widowed mother has had to return to service and has a position as children's nurse to one of the more important members of the small community of Baptists over the river in Great Mardlingham.
Below: Candice Jarley and Annie Harlan appearing as the Scullies in the lavishly costumed West End Musical production of ‘The Huffells Inheritance’ in April 1935, produced by the legendary Grote Forfarthing, and directed by Ferdie Moldman, who had played the Vicar in the classic 1934 production.
Here we see the girls in the scene based on Episode 1.03.1 when Tilly accuses Tottie of having an aweful lot of nothing much, Tottie replies "Wull, wot Oi got, Oi sing abowt," which she puts down to her Baptist upbringing. An allegiance she has been forced to change because Cook is heavily prejudiced against "Chapelites." Tottie is now, as she puts it, "Buttered on th'utha side." By which we must assume she means that the change is purely superficial. She certainly showed a strong family loyalty when cholera struck the inhabitants of Mill Cottages in Episode 1.06.1, and she stormed out of the kitchen to take food to her stricken family.
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Illustration adapted from The Beggar's Opera 2001, Brandon University, Manitoba.
As Neil Young said 'A Man needs a Maid'.