Were they protected simply by the sheer amount of people inside them? I imagine there would be servants up late to tend to the family before they went to bed, and the maids would be up very early in the morning. Would there be a night's watchman walking rounds? Would jewels be kept in a safe, or in bedrooms so they could be tried on easily?
I cant find a single mention about this topic anywhere before the 1990's, any help would be appreciated.
This was answered a few days ago in a questions about locks. Before WW1, rich people would have staff that was in their house, even when they weren't home. You had the butler, the housekeeper, the maids, the footmen, etc. So, pretty much there was always someone around. At night when people were asleep, there were locks and bolts. And yes, things were kept under lock and key too.