Governess at Wirksworth Hall

Miss Mary Emma PIPER was the Governess at Wirksworth Hall to Elizabeth WOOD, surviving daughter of Nicholas and Agnes WOOD. She probably started after Elizabeth's sister Mary Agnes died of diptheria in 1862 (Elizabeth was 7), and would be there when the watercolour was painted in 1875 (Elizabeth was 20). By 1881 she had retired and was living with her brother George (a solicitor) in Herefordshire. Her duties and environment as a Victorian governess are interesting. The WOOD family bought and moved into Wirksworth Hall in 1858. They only had two children, both girls. Agnes Eleanor's father was Nathan HUBBERSTEY (1767-1828), who was Vicar of Wirksworth and Head of Wirksworth Grammar School (also a stone's throw from Wirksworth Hall). The Governess came from a fairly well-to-do family. She retired to live with her brother, who was Solicitor Of The Supreme Court and F.G.S. She, her sister and brother were all "Living On their Own Means". But Mary Emma never married, and may have lived to be 95. | Family trees | Census | Governess' duties | emails |

Other aspects of Wirksworth Hall can be seen at: Wirksworth Hall Last Lady of Wirksworth Hall Problems at Wirksworth Hall Governess at Wirksworth Hall Gates from Wirksworth Hall Wirksworth Hall Lease 1894 Wirksworth Hall Sale 1903

Watercolour by Miss Mary Emma Piper Inscribed "Wirksworth Church. 1875. M.E.Piper"

Wirksworth Church was a stone's throw from Wirksworth Hall, where Mary Emma was Governess to Elizabeth WOOD. Old Wirksworth Grammar School Agnes Eleanor WOOD's father was headmaster of the school.

Family tree

1810 1812 Nicholas Agnes 1786 1791 Price Eleanor George 1817? Jane WOOD=====v=====HUBBERSTY PIPER=====v=====X 1868 | 1892 | | | |-----|-----| |------|---|---|------| | | | | | | 1850 1855 1832 1819 1826 1829 Mary Elizabeth Mary George Fanny Hannah Agnes Marianne ..govness... Emma 1862 1931 PIPER 1928?

Census

-------------------------------------------------------- 1841 Census for -------------------------------------------------------- 1851 Census for --------------------------------------------------------- 1861 Census for Blackway, Eggleton, Herefordshire PIPER, Jane K Head Widow F 70 1791 Widow Of Saint Royal Navy St James, Middlesex PIPER, Hannah M F Daughter Unmarried F 32 1829 Gentlewoman ..., Middlesex PIPER, Mary E Daughter Unmarried F 29 1832 Gentlewoman Castle Frome, Herefordshire PHILLIPS, Sarah Boarder Unmarried F 65 1796 Gentlewoman St James, Middlesex OCKWELL, Mary A Servant Unmarried F 17 1844 House Servant Cricklade, Wiltshire --------------------------------------------------------- 1861 Census for Wirksworth Hall, Coldwell St #34---The Hall---[Wirksworth]--- W034a Agnes Elean WOOD Wife M 48 F Wirksworth W034b Mary Agnes WOOD Dau - 11 F Scholar Audley STS W034c Elizabeth M WOOD Dau - 5 F Scholar Audley STS Marianne W034d Octavia EDWARDS Govern U 27 F Governess Tutbury STS W034e Mary CORK Servant U 29 F Nurse Chesterton STS W034f Ann TOWNSEND Servant U 32 F Cook Witherley LEI W034g Sarah ASHMORE Servant U 24 F House servant Talk 'oth Hill STS W034h Rosanna AULT Servant U 18 F House servant Derby W034i Anne CLARK Servant - 15 F House servant Wirksworth W034j Simon Peter CARTER Servant - 15 M House servant Audley STS --------------------------------------------------------- 1871 Census for Coldwell St, Wirksworth #3---Coldwell St---[Wirksworth]--- W003a Agnes Eleanr WOOD Head W 58 F Landed Proprietor Wirksworth W003b Elizabeth M WOOD Dau 15 F Scholar Audley STS Miriam W003c Reginald N WOOD Nephew U 29 M Agent Latimer BKM Newcome W003d John W YULES Cousin 35 M Captain, N Somerset Yeomanry Bathford SOM Wedgwood W003e Mary Emma PIPER Governs M 39 F Governess Castle Frome HEF W003f Mary COOK Servant U 38 F Ladys Maid Chesterton STS W003g Elizabeth COOK Servant U 35 F Laundry maid Chesterton STS W003h Eliza STEEPLES Servant U 31 F Cook Shottle W003i Selina HOON Servant U 28 F Housemaid Kirk Ireton W003j Mary GRIFFITH Servant U 26 F Housemaid Taywing? GLS W003k Catherine OGDEN Servant U 23 F Kitchen Maid Wirksworth W003l John BRADSHAW Servant U 17 M Page Atlow ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1881 Census for Southend Street, Ledbury HEF PIPER, George H Head Single M 62 1819 Solicitor F.G.S. Marylebone, Middlesex PIPER, Mary E Sister Single F 49 1832 Spinster Castlefroome, Herefordshire OVERTON, Agnes Servant Single F 23 1858 Cook Domestic Serv Aston Ingham, Herefordshire PRICE, Eliza Servant Single F 21 1860 Housemaid Domestic Serv Cradley, Herefordshire ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1891 Census for The Court House, Southend Street, Ledbury, Herefordshire PIPER, George H Head Single M 71 1820 Solicitor Of The Supreme Court St Mary Abbotts, Middlesex PIPER, Mary E Sister Single F 59 1832 Living On Her Own Means Castle?, Herefordshire GRUBHAM, Alice Servant Single F 51 1840 Cook Domestic Martley, Worcestershire DEEM, Emily Servant Single F 20 1871 Housemaid Stretton Grandison, Herefordshire ---------------------------------------------------------------- B 1892dec12 WOOD Agnes Eleanor(Wirksworth)[80],#1290 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1901 Census for 2, South Cliff Street, Tenby St Mary In Liberty, Tenby GARDENER, Esther E Head Single F 57 1844 Lodging House Keeper Knighteste, Warwickshire PIPER, Fanny S Boarder Single F 75 1826 Living On Own Means Marylebone, London PIPER, Mary E Boarder Single F 69 1832 Living On Own Means Castle Frome, Herefordshire ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1911 Census for Stoneleigh Alexandra Road North Malvern PIPER, Mary Emma Head Single F 79 1832 Private Means Castle Froom Hereford WILLSHIRE, Abi Elizabeth Servant Single F 47 1864 General Servant Domestic Sernd Wilts ----------------------------------------------------------------

What a Victorian Governess did.

A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny (formerly called a nurse) or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs. Her charges are of school age, not babies. The position is rarer now, except within large and wealthy households such as those of the Saudi royal family and in remote regions such as outback Australia. It was common in well-off European families before World War I, especially in the countryside where no suitable school existed nearby. Parents' preference to educate their children at home - rather than send them away to boarding school for months at a time - varied across time and countries. Governesses were usually in charge of girls and younger boys; when a boy was old enough, he left his governess for a tutor or a school. There has been a recent resurgence amongst families worldwide to employ governesses or full-time tutors. This has been for a number of reasons including personal security, the benefits of a tailored education and the flexibility to travel or live in multiple locations. Role Modern governesses occupy a slightly different role to their traditional counterparts. They are highly-educated individuals who fill the role of both teacher and academic mentor for the children. They structure an education for their pupils which usually offers greater breadth and a higher standard than a school education can. Traditionally, governesses taught "The three Rs" to young children. They also taught the "accomplishments" expected of middle class women to the young ladies under their care, such as French or another language, the piano or another musical instrument, and often painting (usually the more ladylike watercolours rather than oils) or poetry. It was also possible for other teachers (usually male) with specialist knowledge and skills to be brought in, such as, a drawing master or dancing master. The governess occupied an awkward position in the Victorian household, because she was neither quite a servant nor a member of the host family. A governess had a middle-class background and education, but was paid for her services. As a sign of this social limbo she frequently ate on her own, away from the rest of the family and servants. Not surprisingly, the lifestyle of the typical Victorian governess was often one of social isolation and loneliness. The fact that her presence in the household was underpinned by an employment contract emphasised that she could never truly be part of the host family. However, being a governess was one of the few legitimate ways by which an unmarried middle class woman could support herself in Victorian society. Her position was often depicted as one to be pitied, and the only likely way out of it was to marry. Once her charges grew up, she had to seek a new position, or, exceptionally, might be retained by the grown-up daughter as a paid companion. Wikipedia

emails

----Anyone with more details for publication on this webpage, please email ---- ------------------ 15/04/2013 10:48 Celia Renshaw Hi John, I'm no expert but I believe that governesses taught whatever they had skills and knowledge of themselves, so it varied one to another. They might be teaching young children primary level stuff, preparing boys for public school, helping young girls become accomplished young women, it all depended. The reason they ate alone was because they were technically not servants, they were professionals on contract - often they were from genteel levels of society themselves, perhaps fallen on hard times, which is why they were considered suitable to teach the children of well-off folks. They were between upstairs and downstairs in a role of their own. As with most jobs at the time that were open to women, the door shut fast the moment they married, because it was then considered their job was looking after husband, home and children. The fact that many women still had to do paid work as well to help the family make ends meet wasn't the point - their paid work was often invisible, seldom mentioned in censuses etc. I can still remember that it was the norm when I was young for female teachers to leave their jobs when they married, or if not then, certainly once they started to have children, and it was only a decade or two before that when female teachers would automatically lose their jobs when they married, as was the case in other professions too. Celia Renshaw in Chesterfield UK ------------------------

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