Butler's desk
Encyclopedia
In England, the Butler's Desk, a piece of furniture designed for those in service to fine houses to keep documents and records, was eminently practical and based on the ever growing needs of an increasingly literate
group of persons in service.
While the lord of the house commanded the final say in all matters, the need to delegate certain tasks to the highest ranking servant of the house necessitated a specific location where records could be kept. Following the founding of both Oxford
and Cambridge
, an increasingly literate aristocracy
replaced the largely uneducated peerage
. As the power of England grew, so did the wealth of the elite as did the need of the great house
s of England to bring in a better informed class of help. This better educated servant class permitted the person so designated to acquire supplies and obtain services to maintain and run large building(s) with many servants.
The key features of the earliest form of Butlers Desk was that it began as a high desk for use by a standing person. It had many drawers of different size and had locks on both the drop front (which later developed) and individual drawers - the size of the drawers being governed by the size of the documents they contained.
By the 1850s the Butlers Desk became far more stylistically diffuse. There were many instances where the desk of the lord of the manor was handed down to the head of the house. As the role of the butler
became more oriented to a kind of overall manager and coordinator for household functions, the taller earlier desk became abandoned for a more practical piece of furniture.
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
group of persons in service.
While the lord of the house commanded the final say in all matters, the need to delegate certain tasks to the highest ranking servant of the house necessitated a specific location where records could be kept. Following the founding of both Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, an increasingly literate aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
replaced the largely uneducated peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
. As the power of England grew, so did the wealth of the elite as did the need of the great house
Great house
A great house is a large and stately residence; the term encompasses different styles of dwelling in different countries. The name refers to the makeup of the household rather than to any particular architectural style...
s of England to bring in a better informed class of help. This better educated servant class permitted the person so designated to acquire supplies and obtain services to maintain and run large building(s) with many servants.
The key features of the earliest form of Butlers Desk was that it began as a high desk for use by a standing person. It had many drawers of different size and had locks on both the drop front (which later developed) and individual drawers - the size of the drawers being governed by the size of the documents they contained.
By the 1850s the Butlers Desk became far more stylistically diffuse. There were many instances where the desk of the lord of the manor was handed down to the head of the house. As the role of the butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
became more oriented to a kind of overall manager and coordinator for household functions, the taller earlier desk became abandoned for a more practical piece of furniture.