Lady's companion

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lady-s-companion

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What was Lady's companion's job?Lady's companion
2. What is the period of prominence?From at least the 18th century to the mid-20th century
3. What is the geographic prevalence?Common in the United Kingdom and across most of the Western world
4. How did a lady's companion help the woman she lived with?She kept the woman from feeling lonely by chatting, attending events together, and sometimes helping with small tasks. She made the home feel more lively and supportive.
5. Who could become a lady's companion?Usually a woman from a respectable family, called a 'genteel birth', who needed a steady job and a place to stay. She would earn money and a home by being a companion.

Genteel birth: Indicates a person from a family of good breeding, possessing social graces and a respectable, often upper-middle-class, background.
Retainer: An individual employed by a person or household, often living on the premises, to provide ongoing services and loyalty.
Archaic: Describes something that belongs to an earlier period and is no longer in common use or is considered outdated.
Lady-in-waiting: A female attendant, typically from an aristocratic background, serving a queen or other royal woman, associated with court life and prestige.