Name: 樓上樓下：英國女僕的生活 – 史蒂芬妮·洪切爾·史密斯 (Upstairs, downstairs: The life of a British maid - Stephanie Honchell Smith)
Uploaded: 2026-02-06T00:55:09.000Z
Duration: 5 min 17 s

程度副詞

It's just before dawn on a Saturday in summer 1906 and 16 year old Alice Sutton's mind is already spinning.

1906年夏天的週六，天還沒亮，16歲的Alice Sutton腦袋裡已經開始轉個不停。

今晚的計畫可能會讓她丟掉工作。

Alice gets ready slowly thinking about how her life has changed.

Alice慢慢地準備著，思考著自己的生活是如何改變的。

Only a week ago, she she was the lone servant in a modest home.

就在一週前，她還只是一個簡樸家庭裡唯一的僕人。

Now she's an under house maid at Roxton Abbey in Oxfordshire, England, the grand estate of Sir John and Lady Anne Ashby Blyth.

現在，她是Roxton Abbey在Oxfordshire的under house maid，這是Sir John Ashby Blyth爵士和Lady Anne Ashby Blyth爵士夫人的宏偉宅邸。

As one of the lower ranking indoor servants, she reports to the housemaids and ultimately the housekeeper, Mrs.

作為較低階的室內僕人之一，她向housemaids匯報，最終向housekeeper Mrs.

Her responsibilities include scrubbing floors, sweeping fireplaces and other cleaning tasks.

她的職責包括擦地板、清掃壁爐以及其他清潔工作。

She's one of over a million women in domestic service in England, making up almost 30% of the female workforce.

她是英國domestic service中超過百萬女性的一員，佔女性workforce近30%。

All but the poorest households have at least one servant, while estates like Roxton employ dozens.

除了最貧窮的家庭外，幾乎家家戶戶至少都有一位僕人，而像Roxton Abbey這樣的莊園更是僱用了數十位。

She waits for Roberta, her nosy roommate, to leave.

她等著她那愛管閒事的室友Roberta離開。

When all's clear, Alice slips a stick of chalk into her pocket.

等一切都沒人後，Alice將一根粉筆偷偷放進口袋裡。

And as everyone discusses tonight's guest, Prince Arthur, the King's brother.

大家都在討論今晚的貴賓，國王的弟弟亞瑟王子。

Tonight is Alice's chance to prove herself to her new employers.

今晚是Alice向新僱主證明自己的機會。

As she finishes her breakfast, Alice watches as a kitchen maid carefully stirs eggs, ensuring the yolks stay perfectly centered.

她吃完早餐時，Alice看著一位廚房女僕小心地攪拌雞蛋，確保蛋黃完美地保持在中間。

Like many of the tasks servants perform, it requires painstaking precision.

就像僕人執行的許多任務一樣，這需要極其精確。

And Alice thinks it's the sort of pointless demand only someone who has never had to do it could dream up.

Alice認為這是一種只有從未做過這件事的人才會想出來的毫無意義的要求。

Alice and another under house maid, Louisa, head to Sir John and Lady Anne's rooms to perform their morning chores, filling the water basins, opening the curtains and carrying out the chamber pots.

Alice和另一位under house maid Louisa一起前往Sir John和Lady Anne的房間，執行她們早上的雜務，例如裝滿水盆、打開窗簾和處理便桶。

The two girls had become fast friends after meeting months ago at a gathering of the Women's Social and political union.

這兩位女孩幾個月前在婦女社會政治聯盟的聚會上認識後，就成了好朋友。

Since 1869, British women who owned property had been allowed to vote in local elections, but

自從1869年起，擁有財產的英國女性已經被允許在地方選舉中投票，但

Many hoped the Liberal Party, back in power since December, would expand voting rights for all women.

許多人希望自去年十二月重新掌權的自由黨，能擴大所有女性的投票權。

This included Alice's employer, Sir John, who, while a critic of Britain's Imperial Project, had yet to voice an opinion on women's suffrage.

這也包括Alice的老闆Sir John，他雖然批評英國的Imperial Project，但尚未對women's suffrage表達意見。

But now women of all classes were demanding deeds, not words, from the government, chaining themselves to railings, smashing windows and defacing churches.

但現在各階層的女性都要求government採取行動，而非空談，她們將自己鎖在欄杆上、砸破窗戶、破壞教堂。

Alice's afternoon is spent in the downstairs entryway, washing each tile in the grand mosaic with milk so it would gleam in the candlelight as the guests arrived.

Alice的下午就在樓下的入口處度過，用牛奶清洗著華麗馬賽克地板的每一塊瓷磚，好讓客人在燭光下到來時，地板能閃閃發光。

As the dinner hour nears, she guides footmen carrying intricately carved butter sculptures to the dining room and notices Roberta pulling Louisa aside.

晚餐時間將近，她引導著端著精雕細琢奶油雕塑的男僕們到餐廳，並注意到Roberta正把Louisa拉到一旁。

Alice lingers, trying to listen in on their conversation, but Mrs. Fletcher admonishes her for dawdling.

Alice逗留著，想偷聽她們的談話，但Fletcher太太責怪她磨蹭。

By the time Prince Arthur's motorcar finally arrives, Alice has spent over 12 hours on her feet.

當Arthur王子乘坐的motorcar終於抵達時，Alice已經站了超過12個小時。

As the dinner bell rings out, she realizes it's now or never.

隨著晚餐鈴聲響起，她意識到這是千載難逢的機會。

She and Louisa slip out and run to the nearby church.

她和Louisa悄悄溜出去，跑到附近的教堂。

Alice scores votes for women across the wall while Louisa strews pamphlets about.

Alice在牆上為女性爭取選票，而Louisa則四處散發傳單。

Suddenly, Roberta emerges from the shadows.

Before Alice can stammer an excuse, Roberta hurls a rock at one of the windows.

在Alice能結巴地找藉口之前，Roberta就朝著窗戶扔了一塊石頭。

The three girls stand back and smile, imagining Sir John and the prince's reactions when they arrive for church the next morning.

三個女孩退後，微笑著，想像著Sir John和王子明天早上來教堂時的反應。

With the prince there, the act might even make the newspapers.

王子在場的話，這件事甚至可能登上報紙。

They rush back to the abbey, arriving just in time to help clean up after dinner, Alice heads to bed, exhilarated and exhausted, unaware of how much would change in the years to come.

她們趕回修道院，正好趕上幫忙飯後清理，Alice興奮又疲憊地回房休息，渾然不知未來幾年將有翻天覆地的變化。

From 1914, the first world War fundamentally altered the rhythms of domestic life.

從1914年起，第一次世界大戰徹底改變了家庭生活的步調。

Working class women like Alice took on roles in factories, offices and civil service.

像Alice這樣的工人階級女性開始在工廠、辦公室和公務部門擔任職務。

許多人再也沒有回到家政服務的工作。

In 1918, some women over 30 were finally allowed to vote in parliamentary elections.

1918年，部分30歲以上的女性終於獲準在國會選舉中投票。

But another decade would pass before all women could vote on equal terms with men.

但又過了十年，所有女性才能與男性享有平等的投票權。

By the mid 20th century, rising taxes, falling agricultural income, and

到了20世紀中葉，稅收不斷攀升、農業收入下滑，以及

a shrinking workforce led many grand estates to be sold off, relics of a system whose grandeur depended on deep inequalities and the invisibility of the laborers who sustained it.

勞動力萎縮，導致許多大型莊園被拍賣，成為一個體系殘留的遺跡，這個體系的輝煌仰賴於嚴重的社會不平等，以及支撐它的勞動者的隱形。

If you enjoy learning about history, subscribe to this channel, because the lessons of yesterday can help us face the challenges of today.

如果你喜歡學習歷史，請訂閱這個頻道，因為昨日的教訓能幫助我們面對今日的挑戰。

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樓上樓下：英國女僕的生活 – 史蒂芬妮·洪切爾·史密斯 (Upstairs, downstairs: The life of a British maid - Stephanie Honchell Smith)

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