Untold lives: a palace at work

Untold Lives

From governesses to gardeners, 300 years ago a host of people worked behind the scenes to maintain and run the royal palaces. A new exhibition, Untold Lives: A Palace at Work at Kensington Palace explores the lives of some of the servants and attendants in the royal household during a 170-year period from 1660.

“We often find the legacy of those who worked in the royal palaces 300 years ago is simply invisibility,” says Dr Mishka Sinha, exhibition co-curator at Historic Royal Palaces. “By piecing together fragments of their history and presenting seemingly ordinary objects, we can build up a rich tapestry of stories of the real people behind the glamour, whose labour and extraordinary skills ensured the protection and continuity of the royal household.”

Ann’s Apron

This braid-trimmed linen apron was worn by Ann Elizabeth Thielcke, wardrobe maid to Queen Charlotte in 1786. One of her tasks was to dress Charlotte every morning including the messy task of dressing her hair.

This is a rare survival, as workwear such as aprons were invariably worn out and discarded. Ann’s story came to light due to her boss, the mistress of the robes, writer Fanny Burney.

In her memoirs Fanny confessed to being less than competent in her royal role, attributing her success to her reliance on Ann, whom she described as “a very good sort of woman, plain, sensible, clear-headed.”

Talbot’s Trade

Court roles ranged from mundane to unusual. The “keeper of ice and snow” was a physically demanding role, involving cutting blocks of ice during winter to store in the palace icehouse. A brick-lined, well-like structure, this was designed to maintain a supply of ice for the kitchens. This huge ice saw found at Hampton Court Palace was used in its icehouse, which still exists.

Usually a job done by men, records show that Frances Talbot served in the role from 1773.

Frances had a real task on her hands, not least in keeping the ice going through