British Colony servant’s letter

Hi,
I am in possession of a letter written in 1900 by a house servant in British Guiana to a family in England expressing her condolences towards her master’s death. Would anybody have any tips on how to find out more about this servant or what life was like for them back then? Indeed if even a letter like this was rare? I have attached a picture including a portion of the letter.
The master in question was a very high ranking person in British Guiana and a member of their Court of Policy. Thank you

 

We have some great researchers, but they would need names to make a start. So if you could give those, they can proceed.
Meanwhile this site may be of help to you:

https://www.vc.id.au/tb/index.html

You can find names by clicking on the relevant initial letter at the bottom of the page.

 

Thank you! I have attached a few more pictures that include the sender’s name and address.

 

Thank you

 

There are a number of books on turn-of-the-century life in Georgetown to be found on the internet. If it were me, I'd probably start here with this fiction work by a Guyanese writer. Popular fiction so likely a quick read.

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Winnie-Cox-spellbinding/dp/1910751510

Debora

 

From your photographs, it's not clear that the letter and the signature are in the same hand. Are you comfortable that they are?

Debora

 

Yes I am confident they are the same hand, throughout the letter the spelling and writing is a little incoherent - almost childlike - I have tried to upload a larger picture of the whole letter but the image is too big.

 

Another excerpt from the letter, for some reason when I try to upload the whole thing I am told the file is too large so I am having to crop snippets.

 

Info about posting photos:

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I'd bet that the servant didn't have the best education, because she might well have stopped school at 6th - 8th grade and gone to work.

 

It is much more likely she had no education at all. I suspect the letter was dictated.

Debora

 

None or not enough. She could have dictated it to a housekeeper or similar; senior servants had to be somewhat literate.

 

The literacy rate in the colony of British Guinea was extremely low in 1900. One internet source gives a figure of less than 20%. She may have dictated the letter to a public scribe who performed that type of service for a small fee. It would be helpful to see the full text of the letter before more conjecture, however.

Debora

 

I think that is very likely, in a country and situation like hers.
It is a very touching letter.

 

THat low? OUCH. My grandmother was a maid in New York starting around 1911. She went to school through the 8th grade, because where she grew up in New York state the school only went that far. High School meant moving away and paying room and board. She went to work instead. That poor maid got no school at all... pitiful.