working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

2 8 CAPITALISTS CAPITALISTS 29Majesty . . . he will give her such part as shallfully satisfy her pains and good endeavours. "lThe projecting of patents and monopolies was thefavourite pursuit of fashionable people of both sexes.Ben Johnson satiriies the Projectress in the person ofLady Tailebush, of whom the Projector, Meercraftsays :. . . . . . '' She and I nowAre on a Project, for the fact, and ventingOf a new kind of fucus (paint for Ladies)To serve the Kingdom ; wherein she herselfHath travel'd specially, by the way of serviceUnto her sex, and hopes to get the monopoly,As the Reward of her Invention."2When Eitherside assures her mistressI do hearYou ha' cause madam, your suit goes on "Lady Tailebush replies :" Yes faith, there's life in't now. It is referr'dIf we once see it under the seals, wench, then,Have with 'em, for the great caroch, six horsesAnd the two coachmen, with my Ambler bare,And my three women ; we will live i' faith,The examples o' the Town, and govern it.I'll lead the fashion still." . . . . . . 9From the women who begged for monopolies whichif granted must have involved much worry and labourif they were to be made profitable, we pass naturallyto women who actually owned and managed businessesrequiring a considerable amount of capital. They notinfrequentlv acted as pawn-brokersand money-lenders. Thus, complaint is made that ElizabethPennell had stolen " two glazier's vices with thescrews and appurtenances " and pawned them to1 S.P.D. cccxlvi, z, Feb. ~st, 1637.a Jonson, (Ben.) The Devil is an A ss, Act 111, Scene iv.a (Ibid), Act IV., Scene ii.one Ellianor Troughton, wife of Samuel Troughtonbroker.'Richard Braithwaite tells the following story ofa " Useresse" as though this occupation wereperfectly usual for women. " Wee reade in a bookeentituled the Gift of Feare, how a Religious Divinecomming to a certaine Vseresse to advise her of thestate of her soule, and instruct her in the way tosalvation at such time as she lay languishing in herbed of affliction ; told her how there were threethings by her to be necessarily performed, if ever shehoped to be saved : She must become contrite inheart . . . confesse her sins . . . . makerestitution according to her meanes whereto shee thusreplyed, Two of those first I will doe willingly : but todoe the last, I shall hold it a dzfzculty ; for should Imake restitution, what would remaine to raise my childrentheir portion ? To which the Divine answered ;Without these three you cannot be saved. Yea but,quoth shee, Doe our Learned Men and Scriptures rayro ? Yes, surely said the Divine. And I will try,(quoth shee) whether they say true or no, for I willrestore nothing.And so resolving, fearefully dyed. . . for preferring the care of her posterity,before the honour of her Maker."2The names of women often occur in connectionwith the shipping trade and with contracts. Somewere engaged in business with their husbands as in thecase of a fine remitted to Thomas Price and Collethis wife for shipping zoo dozen of old shoes, withintention to transport them beyond the seas contraryto a Statute (5th year Edward VI) on account of theirpo~erty.~ Others were widows like Anne Hodsallwhose husband, a London merchant, traded for many' ~iddlesex Co. Rec. Sess. Books, p. 18, 1690.Braithwaite, (Richd.), The English Gentleman, p. 300, 1641.a Overall Remembrancia, Analytical Index to, p. 519, 1 582.m.