Gentlewoman
Encyclopedia
A gentlewoman in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family
, analogous to the Latin generosus and generosa. The closely related English word "gentry
" derives from the Old French
genterise, gentelise, with much of the meaning of the French
noblesse and the German
Adelheit, but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such as quarters of nobility
.
By association with gentleman
, the word can refer to:
and Queen Elizabeth I
, the title Gentlewoman of Her Majesty's Bedchamber was borne by ladies serving the Queen of England, later becoming Lady of the Bedchamber
.
, referring to a female member of the House, as in "the gentlewoman from [place name]".
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
, analogous to the Latin generosus and generosa. The closely related English word "gentry
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
" derives from the Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
genterise, gentelise, with much of the meaning of the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
noblesse and the German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Adelheit, but without the strict technical requirements of those traditions, such as quarters of nobility
Quarters of nobility
Quarters of nobility is an expression used in the bestowal of hereditary titles and refers to the number of generations in which noble status has been held by a family regardless of whether a title was actually in use by each person in the ancestral line in question.For example, a person having...
.
By association with gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
, the word can refer to:
- A woman of gentle birth or high social position;
- A woman attending a great lady (as, for example, the character in William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's MacbethMacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
called only 'Gentlewoman', who attends Lady MacbethLady MacbethLady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
). This might be a court appointment as the female equivalent to a valet de chambreValet de chambreValet de chambre , or varlet de chambre, was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal Households had many persons appointed at any time...
. - A woman with good manners and high standards of behaviour.
At Court
From the time of Queen Mary IMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
and Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, the title Gentlewoman of Her Majesty's Bedchamber was borne by ladies serving the Queen of England, later becoming Lady of the Bedchamber
Lady of the Bedchamber
This is an incomplete list of those who have served as Lady of the Bedchamber in the British Royal Household...
.
United States Congress
'Gentlewoman' also has a local usage in the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, referring to a female member of the House, as in "the gentlewoman from [place name]".
Some uses in literature
- Isabella WhitneyIsabella WhitneyIsabella Whitney is the earliest identified woman to have published secular poetry in the English language. She has been called "the first professional woman poet in England."-Biography:...
, The Copy of a Letter, Lately Written in Meter by a Young Gentlewoman: to her Unconstant Lover, ca. 1567 earliest known volume of English language secular poetry published by a woman - Jane AngerJane AngerJane Anger was an English author of the late sixteenth century. The only evidence of her extant is Her Protection for Women, a pamphlet published in London in 1589, of which only one original copy survives...
: Her Protection for Women to defend them against the scandalous reports of a late surfeiting Lover... Written by Jane Anger, Gentlewoman at London (1589) - Richard BraithwaiteRichard BraithwaiteRichard Braithwaite or Brathwait was an English poet.He was born near Kendal, and educated at Oxford. He is believed to have served with the Royalist army in the Civil War...
's The English Gentlewoman (1631), followed his The English Gentleman (1630), both being books about acceptable behaviour. - "Helena, a Gentlewoman", in All's Well That Ends WellAll's Well That Ends WellAll's Well That Ends Well is a play by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1604 and 1605, and was originally published in the First Folio in 1623....
- A Yorkshire Gentlewoman and Her Son by George ChapmanGeorge ChapmanGeorge Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
(17th century) - "Quartilla, gentlewoman to Triphoena", in Holland's LeaguerHolland's LeaguerHolland's Leaguer is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by Shackerley Marmion. It premiered onstage in 1631 and was first published in 1632...
(1631) by Shackerley MarmionShackerley MarmionShackerley Marmion , also Shakerley, Shakerly, Schackerley, Marmyon, Marmyun, or Mermion, was an early 17th-century dramatist, often classed among the Sons of Ben, the followers of Ben Jonson who continued his style of comedy... - "Mrs Pleasant, a handsome young Gentlewoman of a good fortune" in The Parson's WeddingThe Parson's WeddingThe Parson's Wedding is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Killigrew. Often regarded as the author's best play, the drama has sometimes been considered an anticipation of Restoration comedy, written a generation before the Restoration; "its general tone foreshadows the comedy of...
(1641) by Thomas KilligrewThomas KilligrewThomas Killigrew was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England.-Life and work:... - Anne BradstreetAnne BradstreetAnne Dudley Bradstreet was New England's first published poet. Her work met with a positive reception in both the Old World and the New World.-Biography:...
, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up into America, by a Gentlewoman in such Parts (1647) - Hannah WoolleyHannah WoolleyHannah Woolley, sometimes spelled Wolley, was a writer who published early books on household management and was probably the first to earn their living doing this.-Life:...
, The Gentlewoman's Companion; or, a Guide to the Female Sex (1673) - Eliza Smith, The Compleat Housewife: or, Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion (16th edition ed., 1758)
- The Gentlewoman's Magazine (18th century periodical)
- Arvind Nehra, Letters of an Indian Judge to an English GentlewomanLetters of an Indian Judge to an English GentlewomanLetters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman is a book of correspondence, in the form of letters, from Arvind Nehra, an Indian judge in colonial India. First puplished in 1934, this compilation of letters that were "unhindered by thoughts of public utterance"...
(1934) - Charles Angell Bradford, Blanche Parry, Queen Elizabeth's Gentlewoman (1935)
- Margery SharpMargery SharpMargery Sharp , was an English author. She was a prolific writer in her long career, writing 26 novels for adults, 14 stories for children, 4 plays, 2 mysteries, as well as numerous short stories...
The Foolish Gentlewoman (1948) - Langton, A., A Gentlewoman in Upper Canada (1950)
- Mary Hallock FooteMary Hallock FooteMary Hallock Foote was an American author and illustrator. She is best known for her illustrated short stories and novels portraying life in the mining communities of the turn-of-the-century American West.-Overview:...
, A Victorian Gentlewoman in the Far West: The Reminiscences of Mary Hallock Foote (1972)
See also
- GentlemanGentlemanThe term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
- LadyLadyThe word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
- TitleTitleA title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
- Portal:Textile arts/Selected quote/13
External links
- Maurice Keen, Heraldry and the Medieval Gentlewoman at historytoday.com