Editing Maid (section)

==Types==
[[File:Joshua Reynolds - Tysoe Hancock and his Family with an Indian Maid - WGA19338.jpg|thumb|right|[[George Clive (died 1779)|George Clive]] and his family with an Indian maid, painted 1765. As she appears to be caring for the child, she may be an ''[[Amah (occupation)|aya]]''.]]
Maids traditionally have a fixed position in the hierarchy of the large households, and although there is overlap between definitions (dependent on the size of the household), the positions themselves would typically be rigidly adhered to. The usual classifications of maid in a large household are:

* [[Lady's maid]]: a senior servant who reported directly to the [[lady]] of the house, but ranked beneath the [[Housekeeper (domestic worker)|housekeeper]], and accompanied her lady on travel. She took care of her mistress's clothes and hair, and sometimes served as confidante. 
* House-maid or [https://www.magicleanmaid.com/maid-cleaning-services/ housemaid]: a generic term for maids whose function was chiefly "above stairs", and were usually a little older, and better paid. Where a household included multiple housemaids, the roles were often subdivided as below.
** Head house-maid: the senior house maid, reporting to the housekeeper. (Also called "house parlour maid" in an establishment with only one or two upstairs maids).
** Parlour maid: they cleaned and tidied reception rooms and living areas by morning, and often served refreshments at [[afternoon tea]], and sometimes also dinner. They tidied studies and libraries, and (with footmen) answered bells calling for service.<ref>A Parlour Maid's timetable is summarised [http://chestofbooks.com/food/household/Woman-Encyclopaedia-1/Parlourmaid-s-Time-Table.html in this webpage] extract from a book.</ref>
** Chamber maid: they cleaned and maintained the bedrooms, ensured fires were lit in fireplaces, and supplied hot water.
** Laundry maid: they maintained bedding and towels. They also washed, dried, and ironed clothes for the whole household, including the servants.
** Under house parlour maid: the general deputy to the house parlour maid in a small establishment that had only two upstairs maids.
* [[Nursemaid|Nursery maid]]: also an "upstairs maid", but one who worked in the children's nursery, maintaining fires, cleanliness, and good order. Reported to the nanny rather than the housekeeper. The nursemaid would often stay with one family for years or as long as their services were needed.<ref>{{cite web |title=nursemaids |date=15 November 2018 |url=https://englandspuzzle.com/the-nanny-the-nursemaid-and-the-governess/}}</ref>
* [[Kitchen maid (domestic worker)|Kitchen maid]]: a "below stairs" maid who reported to the cook, and assisted in running the kitchens.
** Head kitchen maid: where multiple kitchen maids were employed, the "head kitchen maid" was effectively a [[line cook|deputy to the cook]], engaged largely in the plainer and simpler cooking (sometimes cooking the servants' meals).
** Under kitchen maid: where multiple kitchen maids were employed, these were the staff who prepared vegetables, peeled potatoes, and assisted in presentation of finished cooking for serving.
* [[Scullery maid]]: the lowest grade of "below stairs" maid, reporting to the cook, the scullery maids were responsible for washing cutlery, crockery, and glassware, and scrubbing kitchen floors, as well as monitoring ovens while kitchen maids ate their own supper.<ref>{{cite web |title=Victorian Servants Category |url=http://www.victorianlifestyle.org/?cat=14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130220222600/http://www.victorianlifestyle.org/?cat=14 |archive-date=2013-02-20 |access-date=2012-08-04 |work=Victorian Life Style}}</ref>
* [[Between maid]], sometimes known as a "tweeny": roughly equivalent in status to scullery maids, and often paid less, between maids in a large household waited on the senior servants ([[butler]], housekeeper, and [[cook (domestic worker)|cook]]) and were therefore answerable to all three department heads, often leading to friction in their employment.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ward |first=Peter |title=Victorian Servants |url=http://www.ourwardfamily.com/victorian_servants.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080518065331/http://www.ourwardfamily.com/victorian_servants.htm |archive-date=18 May 2008 |website=Our Ward Family}}</ref>
* [[Still room maid]]: a junior maid employed in the [[still room]]; as the work involved the supply of alcohol, cosmetics, medicines, and cooking ingredients across all departments of the house, the still room maids were part of the "between staff", jointly answerable to all three department heads.

In more modest households, a single '''maid-of-all-work''' or '''skivvy''' was often the only staff. It is possible this word originates from the Italian for slave ("{{lang|it|schiavo}}"—"owned person").