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Wives and Mothers, School Mistresses and Scullery Maids
Working Women in Upper Canada, 1790-1840
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Elizabeth Jane Errington
Language:
English
Published/Copyright:
1995
About this book
Errington explores evidence of a distinctive women's culture and shows that the work women did constituted a common experience shared by Upper Canadian women. Most of them not only experienced the uncertainties of marriage and the potential dangers of childbirth but also took part in making sure that the needs of their families were met. How women actually fulfilled their numerous responsibilities differed, however. Age, location, marital status, class, and society's changing expectations of women all had a direct impact on what was expected of them, what they did, and how they did it. Considering "women's work" within the social and historical context, Errington shows that the complexity of colonial society cannot be understood unless the roles and work of women in Upper Canada are taken into account.
Author / Editor information
Contributor: Elizabeth Jane Errington
Elizabeth Jane Errington is professor of history, Royal Military College and Queen's University, and the author of numerous award-winning studies about life in Upper Canada.
Reviews
"Wives and Mothers, School Mistresses and Scullery Maids is a fine example of reading sources against the grain to find new evidence and interpretations that have been missed or ignored by others. Errington searches out the reality of women's lives from commonplace evidence - a reality that at times meant drudgery, unhappy marriages, or non-conformity with the prevailing 'cult of True Womanhood.'" J.K. Johnson, History, Carleton University. "A first-rate analysis of the myriad roles played by women in Upper Canadian society in the early colonial period." Susan E. Houston, History, York University.
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"Wives and Mothers, School Mistresses and Scullery Maids is a fine example of reading sources against the grain to find new evidence and interpretations that have been missed or ignored by others. Errington searches out the reality of women's lives from commonplace evidence - a reality that at times meant drudgery, unhappy marriages, or non-conformity with the prevailing 'cult of True Womanhood.'" J.K. Johnson, History, Carleton University.
"A first-rate analysis of the myriad roles played by women in Upper Canadian society in the early colonial period." Susan E. Houston, History, York University.
Topics
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Front Matter
i -
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Contents
vii -
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Maps and Illustrations
ix -
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Preface
xi -
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Prologue: The Howling Wilderness and Fruitful Fields
1 - “Around the Domestic Hearth”: Wives and Mothers and Reproduction in Upper Canada
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“The Most Important Crisis“: Marriage in Upper Canada
28 -
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“A Fountain of Life to Her Children”: Mothering in Upper Canada
53 - “Woman is a Bit of a Slave in This Country”: The Housewife and Her Help
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“Prime Minister of the House”: Colonial Housekeepers
85 -
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“The Ordinary Sort of Canadian Servant”: Helping and the Neighbour’s Girl
107 - “A Sense of Decorum” and “Service”: The World of the Colonial “Aristocracy”
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“No End to the Wants“: Living and Working in the ”Big“ House
136 -
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“Social Obligations“ and “Angelic Ministrations”: Society Matrons and Crusading Ladies
159 - Beyond the Bounds of Domesticity: Surrogate Husbands and Independent Business Women
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“Requesting Their Patronage”: Milliners, Mantuamakers, and Wage-earning Women in Upper Canada
189 -
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Ladies’ Academies and “Seminaries of Respectability”: Training “Good” Women of Upper Canada
209 -
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Epilogue
232 - Appendices
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Patterns of Women’s Part-time Employment, 1832-40
243 -
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Women in the Needle Trades in York, Upper Canada
245 -
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Notes
249 -
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Bibliography
357 -
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Index
367
Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
May 25, 2023
eBook ISBN:
9780773565449
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
400
eBook ISBN:
9780773565449
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
