Hall boy

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A hall boy was a young male servant in a large house, usually a teenager. He slept in the servants’ hall and worked long hours, up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. His chores could be very unpleasant, like emptying chamber pots for higher-ranking servants. If there was no boot boy, he also cleaned the boots for the family, the butler, and visitors. He also waited on senior servants during meals in the servants’ hall.

He slept on a fold-down bed in the hallway between the servants’ quarters. The hall boy was the lowest-ranked male servant, but he could later rise to roles such as valet or butler. For example, Arthur Inch started as a hall boy at age 15 and later became a butler, later working as a consultant on Gosford Park and Downton Abbey.