Lady's companion
Encyclopedia
A lady's companion was a woman of genteel birth who acted as a paid companion for women of rank or wealth. The term was in use in the United Kingdom from at least the 18th century to the mid 20th century. It was related to the position of lady-in-waiting
, which by the 19th century was only applied to the female retainers of female members of the royal family. Ladies-in-waiting were usually women from the most privileged backgrounds who took the position for the prestige of associating with royalty, or for the enhanced marriage prospects available to those who spent time at court
, but lady's companions usually took up their occupation because they needed to earn a living.
background similar to or only a little below that of their employer would be considered for the position. Women took positions as companions if they had no other means of support, as until the late 19th century there were very few other ways in which an upper or upper-middle class woman could earn a living which did not result in a complete loss of her class status. (Employment as a governess
, running a private girls' school and writing were virtually the only other such options.)
The companion's role was to spend her time with her employer, providing company and conversation, to help her to entertain guests and often to accompany her to social events. A companion received board and lodging and an allowance (which would never have been referred to as wages). She would not be expected to perform any domestic duties which her employer might not carry out herself, in other words little other than giving directions to servants, fancy sewing and pouring tea. Thus the role was not very different from that of an adult relation in respect of the lady of a household, except for the essential subservience resulting from financial dependency.
Lady's companions were employed because upper and middle class women spent most of their time at home. A lady's companion might be taken on by an unmarried woman living on her own, by a widow, or by an unmarried woman who was living with her father or another male relation but had lost her mother, and was too old to have a governess. In the latter case the companion would also act as a chaperone; at the time, it would not have been socially acceptable for a young lady to receive male visitors without either a male relation or an older lady present (a female servant would not have sufficed).
. In her novels dating from before World War II
, the companion is presented as a conventional feature of the life of the moneyed classes, but after World War II desperation begins to creep in. The companions are drawn from an enlarged large group of elderly women who grew up in Victorian times and were not brought up in the expectation of having to provide for themselves, but find themselves impoverished due to the decline of the fortunes of many once well-to-do families as a result of the Great Depression
, and the investment losses of World War II. At the same time, the women who employ them are often not so well off as they once were themselves, especially in net terms due to high rates of taxation. This situation is compounded by the collapse in the supply of (working class) servants due to changing labour market conditions and social attitudes, so that companions are increasingly asked to do domestic duties which they find humiliating. This degradation of the status of the companion, combined with the increasing range of options open to young middle class women, and their increasing keenness to have a career, also reflected in many of Christie's works, represents the closure of the era of the lady's companion in the United Kingdom.
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
, which by the 19th century was only applied to the female retainers of female members of the royal family. Ladies-in-waiting were usually women from the most privileged backgrounds who took the position for the prestige of associating with royalty, or for the enhanced marriage prospects available to those who spent time at court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
, but lady's companions usually took up their occupation because they needed to earn a living.
Status and duties
A lady's companion was not regarded as a servant. Only women from a classSocial class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
background similar to or only a little below that of their employer would be considered for the position. Women took positions as companions if they had no other means of support, as until the late 19th century there were very few other ways in which an upper or upper-middle class woman could earn a living which did not result in a complete loss of her class status. (Employment as a governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
, running a private girls' school and writing were virtually the only other such options.)
The companion's role was to spend her time with her employer, providing company and conversation, to help her to entertain guests and often to accompany her to social events. A companion received board and lodging and an allowance (which would never have been referred to as wages). She would not be expected to perform any domestic duties which her employer might not carry out herself, in other words little other than giving directions to servants, fancy sewing and pouring tea. Thus the role was not very different from that of an adult relation in respect of the lady of a household, except for the essential subservience resulting from financial dependency.
Lady's companions were employed because upper and middle class women spent most of their time at home. A lady's companion might be taken on by an unmarried woman living on her own, by a widow, or by an unmarried woman who was living with her father or another male relation but had lost her mother, and was too old to have a governess. In the latter case the companion would also act as a chaperone; at the time, it would not have been socially acceptable for a young lady to receive male visitors without either a male relation or an older lady present (a female servant would not have sufficed).
The end of the lady's companion
The occupation of lady's companion is redundant in the United Kingdom and most other developed countries because on the one hand rich women are no longer based at home to anything like the same extent (and rich young women no longer have ever-present chaperones) and on the other hand because women have many other employment options.In the works of Agatha Christie
There are numerous lady's companions in the works of Agatha ChristieAgatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
. In her novels dating from before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the companion is presented as a conventional feature of the life of the moneyed classes, but after World War II desperation begins to creep in. The companions are drawn from an enlarged large group of elderly women who grew up in Victorian times and were not brought up in the expectation of having to provide for themselves, but find themselves impoverished due to the decline of the fortunes of many once well-to-do families as a result of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, and the investment losses of World War II. At the same time, the women who employ them are often not so well off as they once were themselves, especially in net terms due to high rates of taxation. This situation is compounded by the collapse in the supply of (working class) servants due to changing labour market conditions and social attitudes, so that companions are increasingly asked to do domestic duties which they find humiliating. This degradation of the status of the companion, combined with the increasing range of options open to young middle class women, and their increasing keenness to have a career, also reflected in many of Christie's works, represents the closure of the era of the lady's companion in the United Kingdom.
Other examples
- The unnamed narrator of RebeccaRebecca (novel)Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was published in 1938, du Maurier became – to her great surprise – one of the most popular authors of the day. Rebecca is considered to be one of her best works...
is a lady's companion as the novel begins. - Miss Taylor, one of the first characters met in Jane AustenJane AustenJane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's novel Emma, lives with the Woodhouses "less as a governess than a friend" to her grown-up charge. - Josephine March is a companion to her wealthy great aunt in Louisa May AlcottLouisa May AlcottLouisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
's novel Little WomenLittle WomenLittle Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
. - Sarah Woodruff works as a companion in John FowlesJohn FowlesJohn Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
's The French Lieutenant's WomanThe French Lieutenant's WomanThe French Lieutenant’s Woman , by John Fowles, is a period novel inspired by the 1823 novel Ourika, by Claire de Duras, which Fowles translated into English in 1977...
. - thriller film from 1969 "What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?" a widow murders her housekeepers/companion in order to get their savings