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The term "maid" is from the Old English word meaning a girl or an unmarried woman; it was applied during the medieval period to many different female servants in wealthy households.

A nobleman might employ a lady's maid for his wife. She would sew and repair clothes, help the lady to dress, brush and plait her hair for her every day, prepare her bed and ensure the bedchamber was clean and tidy. Needlework would take up much of her time.

A dairy maid worked in the kitchen area; she milked cows and goats, made cheese, clabber, buttermilk and butter every day for the household.

Other maids worked in the great hall, lighting fires and ensuring that candles, lamps or rushlights were replaced and lit when needed, laying rushes on the floor and serving food and drink at table.

At the very bottom of the social scale was the scullery maid. The scullery was attached to the kitchen and was where all the cooking pots, jugs, drinking vessels, bowls, eating knives and spoons and food preparation knives were cleaned and stored. The scullery maid spent her whole time here, cleaning and scrubbing after every meal.

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