History Main / OldRetainer

SisterTrope of TheJeeves, BattleButler, CrustyCaretaker, CreepyHousekeeper, MatronChaperone. Bot to be confused with [[BracesOfOrthodonticOverkill used orthodonture]].

SisterTrope of TheJeeves, BattleButler, CrustyCaretaker, CreepyHousekeeper, MatronChaperone.

Sometimes an Old Retainer will have served several generations of an old and respected family (or his own family may have done so for even longer), perhaps one of [[BlueBlood noble]] or even RoyalBlood. An ImpoverishedPatrician frequently has one working for him even after the rest of the staff have been let go.

* In the past of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', Malcador The Sigillite was this to TheEmperor, although by the time we meet him in the Literature/HorusHeresy novels he is [[TheGoodChancellor chief administrator of the growing Imperium]] and thus has little time to act as a personal assistant. He is still the Emperor's only confidant and speaks to him as more of an equal than his gene-sons.

** [[TheIgor Igor]] in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum''. He doesn't mind working for vampires, but is so offended by innovations that he revives [[GoodOldWays the old master to deal with the next generations]].
*** Actually, Igor was willing to tolerate it up to a point, but when Count Magpyr started his VillainousBreakdown Igor decided it was time to bring back the old count.

* The ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' character Nathalie oversees the Agreste family as well as its business, protecting the former's secrets with imperturbable yet unquestionable devotion. [[folder:(For example, she knows that Gabriel Agreste is also the supervillain Hawkmoth, and he trusts completely that she will conceal and enable his nefarious deeds.)]] In some ways, she has more authority than the family's actual heir.

* [[Fanfic/UndocumentedFeatures For every Dessler, there is a Dragonaar]].

-->'''Blackadder''': You're fired.
-->'''Baldrick''': But I've been in your family since 1532!
-->'''Blackadder''': So has syphilis, now get out.

* Higson, the (very) elderly looking and slightly deaf butler (played by [[{{Theatre/Oliver}} Ron Moody]]) of Lord Brassick, who is otherwise very skint, in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzh1A9lORUE this 2013 ad]] for Aviva car insurance.

* Probably the one of the more famous example of this trope is Hoke from the play ''Theatre/DrivingMissDaisy'', who becomes one to the titled Miss Daisy. Also, Aedelia from the same play.

* Uncle Pete from ''{{Series/Damages}}''. Tom introduces him as "the one who really runs things around here" which is the kind of patronage you'd expect from a law firm partner towards someone from the domestic staff. But as it turns out, it may actually be true. Not only is he in on every plot and scheme that goes down, but he talks to Patty in a way that suggests that he actually has some dominance over her.

* Zazu in ''Theatre/TheLionKing'', even more so than in the original Disney movie. At one point he consoled Mufasa regarding Simba's rebellious streak; "I seem to recall a young lion cub, more willful than wise. And ''he'' achieved some prominence."

* Gaius the court physician from ''Series/{{Merlin}}''.

-->--'''Sterling Archer''' to Woodhouse, ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''

* ''The Cat in the Stacks Mysteries'': Azalea Berry, who was a part-time housekeeper for Charlie Harris' Aunt Dottie for years and continues in the role for Charlie after Dottie dies and Charlie inherits the house, in part since she's not ready to stop working (unusually for the trope, she also works part-time for other families). Azalea's daughter Kanesha, a deputy for the local police, is not happy about this and just wants her mother to retire, blaming Charlie for Azalea's refusal to do so.

* [[IronMan Tony Stark's]] butler Jarvis, especially when he is put in charge of maintaining [[Comicbook/TheAvengers Avengers Mansion]]. He opts to remain in Tony's service, even after being severely injured in a vicious attack by the Masters of Evil.

* ''The Cat in the Stacks Mysteries'': Azalea Berry, who was a housekeeper for Charlie Harris' Aunt Dottie for years and continues in the role for Charlie after Dottie dies and Charlie inherits the house, in part since she's not ready to stop working. Azalea's daughter Kanesha, a deputy for the local police, is not happy about this and just wants her mother to retire, blaming Charlie for Azalea's refusal to do so.

** He continues to refer to Bruce and Dick as "Master Bruce" and "Master Dick" mostly as a term of affection; he still sees them as his boys, rather than grown men.

* In ''Webcomic/TheSpecialists'', [[http://thespecialistscomic.com/page-85/ Henry gets the butler rather than his father on the phone]] -- though the butler assures him they are both SoProudOfYou.

* On Vivian Stanshall's comedy LP, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Henry_At_Rawlinson_End Sir Henry At Rawlinson End]], the butler to the Rawlinson family is "Old Scrotum, the wrinkled retainer".

* In Literature/DeadWest, Thomas and his family for the [=MacArkill=]s. They were once, in fact, slaves with a pretty good relationship with their masters, as they were explicitly bought after Thomas' father made an Oath to Niall's grandfather that his family will continue to serve the [=MacArkill=]s, no matter what. Since that, Thomas and his family has been freed, but they still consider themselves slaves. It sounds quite impossible, as they get paid, educated, and evidently considered more like family members by their masters. Niall gets quite worked up when somebody tries to assault Thomas, and (with Gervas) delivers a swift CurbStompBattle to the hapless idiots. Cedric orders the photographer at Niall's wedding to take a photograph of "the family" first. It is quite heartwarming, when he gets his baby brother and sister-in-law, Gervas, and the servants together for this photograph. Thomas explicitly states that he loves his young master as much as his own sons.

* In some variants of Literature/{{Child Ballad|s}} 5, ''[[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch005.htm Gil Breton]]'', Billie Blin, the family [[TheFairFolk household sprite]], advises Gil Breton that his bride is pregnant. [[spoiler: Though not that he himself is the father.]]

* In Creator/TheBrothersGrimm's ''[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/6faithfuljohn.html Faithful John]]'', the dying king orders Faithful John to prevent his son from going into a certain room. When this fails and the new king falls in love with a portrait he sees there, Faithful John accompanies him, and when he learns of perils, protects the king and his bride at the price of looking like a madman. Finally, to avoid execution, he explains, and is turned to stone.

* Hannah in Louisa May Alcott's ''LittleWomen''.

* ''FireEmblem'' has a few of these, such as Oswin for Ostia in the seventh installment and Marcus in the sixth and seventh installments.

** In fact, most {{Crutch Character}}s in the FireEmblem series tend to be such.
*** Unless they're of the "Oifaye" archetype like Seth from ''Sacred Stones'', Titania from ''Path of Radiance / Radiant Dawn'' and Oifaye himself from ''Holy War''. They're all in their 30's too.

%%* The House Elves of ''Literature/HarryPotter''.

* Literature/HarryPotter: House elves. Most of whom regard freedom as disgrace and strongly prefer to serve BlueBlood families. Kreacher strongly exemplifies the "upholding of standards" against the disloyal son [[spoiler:and later his halfblood heir, Harry; it is when Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out to do what he needed to do for Master Regulus that his loyalty is won over. (Also note the "Master Regulus" to refer to a son of the house who was an adult at the time]].

*** Also, at the peak of her time as Duchess of Erat, [[{{Belgariad}} Polgara]] had a family of servants for several generations.

* Impa appears to be this to Zelda across ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', at least when she is in fact portrayed as an old woman such as in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDIGames'', and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds''. It's rather more complicated in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild''; she's stated to not be that much older than Zelda when they were first acquainted, but the events of the Great Calamity lead to Impa taking TheSlowPath over a century while Zelda fights Ganon, leading Impa to fill this role in the main story itself.