A Governess in the Age of Jane Austen

by Joanna Martin (Editor)

We only know a surprisingly small number of eighteenth-century women as personalities. This is true, in particular, of women who had to work for their living. Which is why the survival of the letters and journals of Miss Agnes Porter, dating from 1788 to 1814, constitutes an unusually important find. Miss Porter, the daughter of a Church of England clergyman, was born in 1752 with brains but not looks or wealth. Although she would have liked to marry, her various hopes ended in disappointment. She therefore had to earn her living as a governess, working principally in teaching the daughters and grand-daughter of the second Earl of Ilchester.

Agnes Porter was neither morbidly religious, as were many of her Victorian successors, nor did she spend her time dwelling on the unfairness of her situation. She emerges as a intelligent, warm and likeable woman ready to make the best of her lot.

Joanna Martin has provided a substantial introduction which sets Miss Porter in her historical context. "A Governess in the Age of Jane Austen" is a detailed, and very early, portrait of a woman entering a profession.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Lorraine]

I read this book because I have always been interested in the role of governesses in 19th century aristocratic households. I wondered what kind of women accepted those positions and how did they fit in the hierarchy of the household. Agnes Porter was a governess with a wealthy family in the late 18th early 19th century. She was obviously a well-educated woman who taught all of the usual subjects as well as French and Italian.Perhaps it is because she was from Scotland which had a well-established school system long before the rest of the British Isles did. Porter was lucky in her placement with Lord Ilchester's family; she was truly loved by the children. In fact, she became a surrogate mother after the first Lady Ilchester died. She stayed with the family after his remarriage and became governess in the home of one of the daughters after she married. Porter uses her journals and letters to express her thoughts, her feelings as a woman who is independent, and her deep affection for the children under her care. At times very dry with many references to church sermons she has heard or read, the book still provides a fascinating picture into a segment of society often ignored.

[Cstrand]

Didn't finish this one. It's too much for me - maybe if I were in grad school etc. but it's not for casual reading.