There were many maidservants in the castle who took care of cleaning and cooking.

maidservants 是复合名词，由 maid（女仆）和 servant（仆人）组成，字面意思是"女性仆人"，即"女仆"。这个词是 maid 和 servant 的合成词，强调女性身份的服务人员。