[MR] Queen's Corner

[Robert Van Rens]

> From: scahound at bellsouth.net> To: atlantia at atlantia.sca.org> Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:17:46 -0400> Subject: [MR] Queen's Corner> (much snipped)
> Household ladies in period---what were they called?> > I realize that some ladies were wards of the Lord/Kings/etc, but that does> not often work in the SCA. We can say, “I am a lady of the XYZ household,”> but is there any other title that you have heard?> 
(much more snipped)
 
Other than my wife, there is a lady in my household, not related to either of us; she uses the term magistrissa, which is something like "governess", but with other overtones as well.  In period, a magistrissa was a lady of high birth, usually unmarried, who was a member of the household charged with care and education of the children.  She was not hired in the way that servants were; while she might receive a wage, it was more in the form of an allowance.  Usually, the arrangement was akin to fostering, only the lady in question is older than most fosters.  The magistrissa was often the daughter of a freind or realtive, and was sometimes a lady of reduced circumstances (unmarried, widowed, landless, etc), and so she was considered a part of the family rather than a servant.
 
Many kudos to the lady in question, Lady Ascelyn Mallery, for her research into this topic.  Everything I have written above is her work, and I simply pass it on to the populace.  She is researching other titles/positions in households, since this one is obviously of limited application.
 
 
Yours in Service, 
 
Eadric the Potter
 
 
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