Butler becoming insolent, advice needed. Yesterday my butler 'Dawkins' approached my wife and myself scrunching his cap in his hand

and asked us for a day off. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather, I was aghast at the sheer cheek and insolence of this bloody oik. He has worked in my service for nigh on 50 years and all of a sudden he decided to make a request in the presence of his betters. Of course the right thing to do would be to give him a dammed good thrashing but this would go against the health and safety act as it is possible I could injure myself in the process. He asked for the day off because his Son was getting married which, for some reason they had planned on a Wednesday...and this is what annoyed me, I give him 2 hours off on the third Sunday of every month except for the first eight months of the year...why did these 'people' not plan the event then? Seems to me that my generosity and good nature is being taken advantage of, thought?