Sarah Moffat

Sarah Moffat, also known as Sarah Delice and Clémence Dumas, was a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah. She was portrayed by Pauline Collins.

Early Days at Eaton Place

From the start, the Cockney Sarah was a unorthadox servant, by ringing the front door bell when she arrived at 165, Eaton Place in November 1903, instead of going to the servants entrance. Moments later, in the Morning Room, she was being interviewed by Lady Marjorie she gave her name as 'Clémence' and said she had a French background. Lady Marjorie said this was not a "servant's name" and renamed her 'Sarah'. Sarah had problems fitting in to service as a under house parlourmaid, and within her first week stole from the kitchen. When Hudson and Mrs Bridges made her write out a passage from the Bible, she was forced to reveal she was illerate. She quickly struck up a friendship with head house parlourmaid, Rose.

In June 1904, Richard Bellamy commissioned a painter, Guthrie Scone, to paint his wife. Sarah was sent to deliever Lady Marjorie's dresses to his studio, and soon Scone is painting her as well. When both painting are exhibted togeather as "The Mistress and the Maids", Sarah and Rose (who Scone painted from Sarah's discriptions) were nearly sacked, but Scone persuaded Richard to keep them on. Two months later, in August, while the family and senior servants are away the junior servants all dress up as the family. This ended in disaster when James came back and found them all in the Morning Room. After this Sarah, annoyed by James's treatment of her, left Eaton Place.