A between maid (nickname tweeny, also called hall girl particularly in the United States) was a female junior domestic worker in a large household with many staff. The position became largely defunct in the 20th century, as few

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is im ...

s needed or could afford great retinues of domestic workers with the elaborate hierarchy of the past.

Description

Between maids were roughly equivalent to scullery maids (dishwashers, floor scrubbers, oven minders, etc.). The term ''hall girl'' came from her chief duty, which was waitressing in the

servants' hall The servants' hall is a common room for domestic workers in a great house. The term usually refers to the servants' dining room. If there is no separate sitting room, the servants' hall doubles as the place servants may spend their leisure hours ...

. The term ''between maid'' came from the fact that her duties were split between the area of responsibilities of the housekeeper,

butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and 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 a ...

and

cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...

. If those individuals did not like one another, the job of the between maid was a very difficult one. A between maid was required to set the table and remove the dishes, as well as waiting at table. She may also have carried meals up to the head housekeeper, if that head of staff had breakfast or

afternoon tea Tea (in reference to food, rather than the drink) has long been used as an umbrella term for several different meals. English writer Isabella Beeton, whose books on home economics were widely read in the 19th century, describes meals of va ...

in her room(s). A between maid should not be confused with a ''parlour maid'', though both maids had similar household duties. Parlour maids cleaned and tidied reception rooms and living areas in the mornings, and often served refreshments at afternoon tea, as well as sometimes serving

dinner Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which is eaten in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite ...

. They tidied studies and libraries and, with footmen, answered bells calling for service.

Description

See also