Lady Maud Baillie describes the State livery worn by footmen at Chatsworth as of pale yellow cloth with silver lace 'frogs' (strappings) and pale blue cuffs, worn with knee breeches, white silk stockings and buckled shoes.

This livery was worn until 1938, if there were more than six for dinner and, until 1924, the footmen even powdered their hair if there was a party.

Footmen and coachmen were often hired as much for their physical appearance as for any other qualities, and the tallest footmen commanded the highest wages!

Newsletter sign-up

Never miss a thing. Stay up to date with our latest news, offers and events by entering your details below:

We use a third party provider to share our email newsletters. We collect statistics, including email opens and clicks, using industry standard technologies, such as clear gifs, to help us improve our newsletter content making it more interesting and relevant. You can learn more in our privacy policy.