The life and times of the women who looked after other people's children.
When we think of a governess, the image that springs most immediately to mind is perhaps that of Jane Eyre. Her romance with Mr Rochester lifted her out of a grim life to which many thousands of real women were condemned. For unmarried middle class women in the 19th century this poorly-paid, insecure and lonely way of life was often the only option. The writer Ruth Brandon joins Jane to talk about some of the women for whom the life of a governess was, in reality, seldom romantic.
“Other People’s Daughters: The Life and Times of the Governess” by Ruth Brandon is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson 978-0-297-85113-4
