Lady's Companion?

[JK]

Does anyone know what duties a Lady's Companion would have been responsible for? It seems an odd term to me, almost like a rich 'billy no mates' had to pay to have company??
Surely a gentle lady wouldn't have had anything in common with a poor person hired to be her companion? What did they do together? Read? Most poor folk wouldn't have read well? Stitch, maybe ?
 Also when the lady had real company the poor companion wouldn't have fit in??
Or am I barking up the wrong tree and it was just a fancy name for a ladies maid? Someone who dressed, bathed her etc??
Any ideas anyone?

[CatOne]

I'm no expert, but I believe sometimes a ladies companion was a lady of high standing herself who had maybe fallen on hard times, ie; husband/parents died, so she had to take a "position" to support herself. Or she could have been a relative from a poorer branch of the family, or someone of the higher middle class, ie; vicars daughters/professionals daughter. Responsibilities may have been accompanying the lady on her travels/visiting, sewing, music, reading etc, all the sort of things higher class ladies were supposed to be accomplished at.

They wouldn't have been your ordinary "working class" maid as such......

Catherine 

[JK]

Yes Catherine, that all makes perfect sense thanks. Trouble is the person in mind was the daughter of a Carpenter, hardly fits in does it 
JK

[jimbohodge]

Hi,

I have exactly the same query in my tree! Could never work out what was going on.

My great grandfathers sister (from a very poor family) worked at a local convent in Luton. A rich lady from Harpenden came and "Took a liking" to my Grt Grt Aunt.
She went to be her "companion" in Harpenden
This is according to my Grandmother who told me this a few years back.
I know my Grt Grt Aunt never did marry, and it was suggested there was something a little queer going on.

Just thought i would share this

I cant really help you on your problem.

Jim

[CatOne]

I suppose there were exeptions where a wealthy lady maybe took a liking to someone from a lower class, or felt they were doing a charitable deed. There were probably instances where the female was the illegitimate offspring of one of the higher classes, and so was given a higher position (Did you see the programme Who do you think you are? where the illegitimate children of white plantation owners were given a position nearer the "big house", cant remember which island it was now)

Also Catherine Howard was a poor relation who went to the house of her aunt to receive a better upbringing. It was from there that she was introduced to court and eventually became one of Henry VIII doomed wives.

Unfortunately I dont suppose theres anyway of knowing for sure how a carpenters daughter became a companion to a lady, I would have thought she would have to be fairly well educated though 

Interesting subject, just a shame these are puzzles we can never figure out for sure! 

[jimbohodge]

Hi,

Very interesting CatOne.

Sorry to turn this into a topic into my own acestor but something you said then, related very much to the person i had mentioned.

She, along with her four brothers, were all illegitimate, and family rumours say that the father was very well off, and bascilly kept the mother as his mistress.

It could be possibe the rich lady from Harpenden was a realtion to this man?

Jim

[JK]

I think the taking a liking to bit would have been important, perhaps some Ladies had companions who they chose to be their proteges? You can imagine the well to-do thinking they were doing good in the community by improving these young ladies??
It's one of those social subjects which I find fascinating, living in our liberated age, I don't think we fully understand how classes worked.
I imagine the position of Companion would have been fairly cushy compared to say house servant, our relations must have thought they had struck gold to get such a position, by whatever means  .
Thanks for everyones comments and thoughts
JK

[miss marple]

Try this from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady's_companion

Lady's companions used to be quite common. If I remember rightly, the heroine of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca was a much put-upon lady's companion when she met Mr de Winter!

Jane

[JK]

Thanks for that Jane, that's a great explanation, still not sure how my Carpenters daughter fits in!!!