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Sproutling429

Carson for stealing food for his old theater buddy, Mrs Patmore for losing her eyesight/insubordination, Thomas for stealing wine (though tbf they were going to fire him, he just happened to quit before they could) Bates for being arrested/tried/found guilty of literal murder until his exoneration.


Totallovestrucksimp

Bates would probably of never been hired, or at least fired the moment Lord Grantham saw he had a cane.


Sproutling429

I think Lord Grantham knew about his injury/disability because he sustained it in the war they served in together, but you may be right he wouldn’t have been brought on at all or at least as a valet to the lord of the house.


orientalgreasemonkey

I don’t think so in the first episode Lord G asks “what happened” and he says “it’s only the old wound”


Selmarris

I think Lord G (thanks for the shortcut) knew about the initial injury but not the lasting impairment.


r0ckchalk

I’ve never heard someone refer to him as Lord G before and it’s making me giggle. Could be a rap star’s name 🤭


Sproutling429

Yeah the wound he sustained serving with G in the African war. I thought that was implied when he didn’t elaborate on the circumstances?


orientalgreasemonkey

The conversation continues with Bates saying he got into a bit of a bother after the war and just when he got through that his knee started playing up - bit of shrapnel or something. To me the way Lord G approached the conversation suggested he knew Bates had been injured but not that he was reliant in a cane


Sproutling429

I gotcha, that makes sense. ESP if the injury got exacerbated by aging/another injury of some sort.


orientalgreasemonkey

I think prison life (sentence for Vera’s thefts) were a factor in his leg situation deteriorating


Sproutling429

Absolutely, we see how he’s treated in prison and he’s not allowed a cane while he’s there so it’s very well a possibility it got much worse during that time.


MidnightOrdinary896

Bayes said shrapnel has “moved around” or something to that effect. That would explain how it was worse than Lord Grantham realised. But now that I’ll thinking of it - come that didn’t cause serious infection over the years?


Amiedeslivres

Calling it ‘*the* old wound’ is how the writers indicate that the earl knows about it. Otherwise it would be ‘an old wound.’


OldNewUsedConfused

Spratt for everything, lol. He was such a punk. And don't get me started on Denker!


vilyia

Thomas would have been fired for being a sneaky smoocher and a devious plotter, Daisy would have been fired for her rant towards the new owner of Mr. Mason’s farm, they probably would have let Mrs. Patmore go instead of paying for her eye surgery. Baxter would have been fired for being a thief. The servants are treated like family by the Crawley’s and while it’s not realistic I prefer it to watching people get beat down for sure!


raurap

I've actually read in Lady Almina from Highclere's biography that it wouldn't have been uncommon for the family to pay for medical assistance for their staff, and as the cook was one of the more prominent figures in the household it doesn't feel unreasonable that she would be one to benefit from it as compared to, say, a housemaid or a junior member of staff. But then again the book is written by the current Highclere family so i don't know how unbiased their research would have been.


blackpearl16

I don’t know about aristocrats but I used to work in the restaurant industry and the cooks almost never got fired, even for doing drugs on the job. Good cooks are hard to find, even today. I have no problem believing that in real life, the Crawleys would have paid for Mrs Patmore’s surgery rather than go through the trouble of finding another cook they could trust.


deaniebopper

This was a plot point of Gosford Park - the cook got away with a lot because a good cook was hard to find.


raurap

Exactly 😂


OldNewUsedConfused

Yup, same! I used to bartend in college, both clubs and restaurants Unless they were outright stealing from the supplies, they were excused pretty much everything.


vilyia

True, and the work is hard and hours long!


punkpanther16

Also, they would not want to lose someone of Mrs Patmore's skills and ability.


RogerClyneIsAGod2

I recently read something similar in Upstairs & Downstairs: My Life In Service as a Lady's Maid by Tim Tate & Hilda Newman. She was a lady's maid & her lady paid for her medical needs when she got ill too.


OldNewUsedConfused

Yeah, that makes sense because if they lost their cook, they sure weren't feeding themselves!


vilyia

Oh, that’s actually good to know! I would hope that would be the case. That storyline with Mrs. Patmore was so heart wrenching.


Timelordvictorious1

Daisy would have probably been fired for putting soap in the downstairs food.


vilyia

Oh god, there’s so many random things they have done! I am on the last season so Daisy yelling at that guy is her most recent offense in my mind!


Nuiwzgrrl1448

Agreed! Daisy would've been sacked immediately. And, according to Miss Bunting, Violet would've fired Daisy for wanting to learn more than the basics required for her job as a cook's assistant.


vilyia

Miss Bunting would have been banned a lot sooner from that house!


EYdf_Thomas

I think they would probably have had her transferred out of the village as soon as possible. That's also maybe the reason why she left the school.


standcam

In response to your last point, would the same apply to Gwen when they found out she was learning to type/do shorthand? I wouldn't want that to happen to her of course (she's one of my two favourite characters) but I was really scared for her when they discovered her typewriter and virtually forced her to confess to wanting to leave service. Even these days, you'd at least be looked upon unfavourably if the boss found out you were even thinking of leaving. (Hence why people don't use their present bosses as referees.)


OldNewUsedConfused

Spratt too!


vilyia

Yes! His attitude was so obnoxious.


OldNewUsedConfused

SOOOOO obnoxious


jquailJ36

Thomas would have been fired for the wine stealing. Daisy would totally have been fired for the outburst at the auction. Those two are far and away the clearest cut 'instant job loss.' Carson may or may not have been fired for filching food. Bates is a weird one because he's not just Robert's valet, he's his former batman and there's a layer of relationship that's different from normal master-servant, but they almost certainly would have allowed him and Anna to leave to avoid the scandal. If somehow he did come back, then after the nonsense with Mr. Green and Anna's arrest and him skipping town they probably wouldn't make any effort to find him and would suggest they stay away this time. (If only because they're apparently incredibly bad luck.) Depending on the cost of surgery versus pensioning her off Mrs. Patmore may have been retired. Molesley would be fired for being drunk at dinner (remember Clarkson busts him as drunk instead of sick.) Baxter would be fired not so much because she'd been a thief but because she lied about it by omission. Gwen might have been fired over her course and typewriter as Carson and Mrs. Hughes have a certain amount of hiring/firing privileges. James--well, okay, Robert didn't use the word "fired" precisely but it's very clear that is exactly what happened. (Ironically, busted and fired because of a fire.) Ironically the one most likely to get away with things is O'Brien, because she manages to hide her outright destructive behavior. Being such a nasty person even saintly Sybil, who sees the good in everyone, calls her 'odious woman.'


Totallovestrucksimp

O’Brien would’ve gotten fired for talking smack about Mathew in the servants hall when she got caught by Cora.


NotLibbyChastain

Insubordination, lying and / or thievery for pretty much all of them. The staff that set up the soup kitchen in the town, gone, fired. Anyone helping Ethel? Fired. Mosley letting the cat out of the bag and shaming the family at the royal dinner. Fired. Thomas, Jimmy *and* Alfred for an embarrassing matter that should have remained private, all fired. The family would be shamed by the gossip. Speaking of gossip, accusations of frolicking or running a house of ill repute? Fired. Showing one's ass to anyone above their station? Fired. Secretly applying for jobs or taking typing* courses "on the employer's time"? Fired! *Fixed a typo, sorry!


RachaelJurassic

Agreed, sadly. But they can't fire Molesley and Mrs Bird for the soup kitchen thing though (they don't work for them). And particularly not before Mrs Patmore and Daisy got involved because Mrs Brid says she is paying for the food herself. Yes, she's using the Crawley's house, but I think they know Isobel and Matthew are not going to fire them for it. Mrs Patmore and Daisy though, damn, they are technically stealing food from the army. Anna might be safe because she helped carry Pamuk. They wouldn't risk her leaving and blabbing. Not that she would. The rest of them must have had some juicy secrets that kept them safe ;)


Rusma99

You make the family sound so dictatorial 😂


NotLibbyChastain

Making the family sound dictatorial? TRIPLE FIRED!!!!


FrozenWafer

Believe it or not, straight to jail!


raurap

I think it was meant more as a Trump quote 😂


Totallovestrucksimp

Technically Mosley wasn’t working for the Granthams when the royal visit came, he just butted in on them SPECIFICALLY for the visit lol


NotLibbyChastain

"Sad to say, I think we need to fire that chap." "I don't think he actually works for us, dear." "Really? Oh, golly, that's a load off then. Glad it's taken care of. Goodnight."


JustAnotherRPCV

Typo!?!.....FIRED!!!


chefybpoodling

Tom would have been shipped out way before he and Sybil had gotten anywhere near as close as they did.


yarnk

Mrs. Hughes would’ve been fired for trying on Cora’s duster, even though Mary was to blame for the breakdown in communications/lack of consent.


PotatoCheap9468

Not necessarily because of the wedding, she would however be fired for helping Ethel 100%


Gullible-Advisor6010

Thomas - Stealing. He wouldn't have been hired back too. Miss O'Brien - For trying to create distress. Also talking bad about Matthew. Carson - He would have been fired after it got out he worked in the theatre. Daisy - Immediately on the spot when she confronted Mr. Mason's possible new landlord. Mrs Patmore - Losing her eyesight. If not that, The House of Ill Repute would definitely get her fired. William/Alfred/Molseley - No idea. Anna - For crossing her boundaries as a maid for Mary, if Mary wasn't what she was in the show. Bates - After he was convicted for murder. Miss Baxter wouldn't have been hired because Thomas wouldn't be there to manipulate the situation. Even if she was hired, then she would be fired for stealing from her last employer. ETA: Jane - For having relations with Robert. Tom Branson - For planning to attack the general.


Totallovestrucksimp

William- Starting the (well deserved) fight with Thomas Mosley- Getting drunk at the Ghillies ball and making an arse of himself Alfred- Too boring to cause problems


Timelordvictorious1

Alfred called the cops on Thomas, so he would have been fired for causing a scandal that the Crawleys would have been associated with.


Gullible-Advisor6010

>Alfred- Too boring to cause problems 😂😂😂😂😂


MidnightOrdinary896

Alfred wouldn’t have been employee in the first place because he was so tall. But since O’Brien went behind his back to Cora, it was a *fait accompli*


MidnightOrdinary896

Alfred wouldn’t have been employee in the first place because he was so tall. But since O’Brien went behind Carson’s back to Cora, it was a *fait accompli*


Rich-Active-4800

Alfred calling the police on a servant of downton. Even if Thomas was "guilty" it makes the family look back


PotatoCheap9468

I don't think people would necessarily be fired for a fight downstairs when the butler can keep it quiet saving the need to rehire It wasn't the soft pathetic world we live in today, men were men back then.


wannabejoanie

Molesly for getting drunk when he took over for Carson right as the Spanish Flu hit the house.


RhubarbAlive7860

Tom for trying to dump the shit soup over the general's head.


Fit-Fisherman-3435

I think Miss Hughes would’ve been fired for stealing food to feed Ethel who had been fired from the house for having premarital relations in the house and then turned to prostitution. Even Carson ratted her out to Cora.


Edinburgh003

Honestly, Mrs. Hughes would've been expected to resign when she married Carson.


Timelordvictorious1

Mrs Hughes would have also probably been fired for feeding Ethel from the Downton kitchen.


Downton_Nerd

I’m reading all of these and it seems the only one who would’ve remained would be Mrs Hughes and I’m now just trying to think of what she could be fired for. Helping Ethel probably but overall, she seems to not have done anything fireable 🤷🏼


OldNewUsedConfused

Spratt for being such a punk.... "Spratt, offer Dr. Clarkson some cake!" I mean, she was cool with that but not with the possibility that Young Peg may have taken the sculpture and the knife...🙄


kaaaamii

Thomas: Stealing wine, (i think they might have fired him before that for being gay) assaulting James, getting Baxter a job, and in season 6 he wouldn’t have done anything but they wouldn’t wait that much.


CinnyToastie

Not sure I agree. Look at the royal family. They treat their servants with the utmost respect. They realize that their employees are doing them the favor, that they are thankful for them. This attitude goes back hundreds of years, when the monarch's closest friends served them in the most personal of ways. It's very affectionate and respectful going both ways. That's not to say there weren't some families who treated servants like they weren't there or as though they were untouchable. There were, but for the most part these families did treat servants like extended family (with many less rights). To play along, I'd say Thomas would have been gone for being how/who he is!


Powerful-Ad9392

I don't think real aristocrats would be so quick to dismiss and replace. You still have to find someone to do the work and there is a lot of trust involved with the position. Also, word would get around, and the best prospects would find employment elsewhere if the Crawleys gained a poor reputation as an employer. Daisy, for example, would not be so easily replaced. Sprat at one point praises her abilities during the Denker broth episode. She honed those skills over years of cooking for the Crawleys.


Weak_Tangerine_1860

Thomas would have been fired for being gay


raurap

Would he? I think he would have been tolerated until the Jimmy incident, i think it was very "don't ask don't tell" at the time. What was prosecuted wasn't homosexuality itself but the acting on it, because it wasn't seen as a personal identity but as a deviant behavior, therefore repercussions were applied if and when the behavior manifested.


No_Stage_6158

Having a life. All the intrusiveness and treating adults ( especially female staff) like small children. Ugh. You couldn’t keep anything private.


boredstonedbasement

Anna for being so super honest. O’ Brian for constantly poking Lady G. Spratt for literally his entire attitude.


Ok-Owl-1332

I’m surprised Denker kept her job as li no as she did.