The Strict Governess

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I am pleased to meet you, Miss Violetta,” gasped Edward, grateful at least to be able to call this imposing lady by some name. Mm,” she said without moving those glossy red lips. Then the corners of her mouth curved up in faint amusement. “Perhaps I begin to see some of the propensities which led to your expulsion from school.” I feel I have to mention the so-called Markham Project, because as fascinating as it may sound, it is likely to be a complete fabrication. Stoltz Sinatra in his brief essay The Markham Project - Fact or Fiction?, explains the project was allegedly named after a professional Victorian governess and educationalist called Elizabeth Markham. Between the 1880s and the early part of the 20th century she aimed to encourage best practice in the training of governesses and the education of young women by creating a network of like-minded governesses and others who who were trying to set-up some sort of academy to further their aims. They supposedly "advocated corporal punishment of young women over the age of 16 and unmarried ladies up to a late age." The eldest was first taken to her dressing room and prepared for the rod, and then conveyed to the boudoir by the governess, who at once administered the discipline. The younger one was then prepared and received a wholesome flagellation [on the bare posterior], the delinquents being tightly strapped to an ottoman during the castigation, at the conclusion of which they had to kiss the rod and thank the governess, when they were permitted to retire.

A faint smile came to the man's lips. "I am sure it will help you remember our little meeting today." In a lower, slightly menacing voice, Bryson went on, "Draw up your chemise to your waist, Miss Glenwood. Then, bend over in front of my desk, elbows on it." js_anon has a talent for writing verse, and some of his poems feature the governess, as in The Governess and The Cane; The Governess - Much Angrier; and The Husband's Governess. The latter concludes with:

There are many spanking stories featuring a governess as the key protagonist, either as one who administers corporal punishment to her charges, or who receives it herself from her employers. The governess is depicted as a kind of surrogate mother, expected to suppress any desire for the possibility of her own marriage or motherhood. Not that there would be any time to pursue her own interests, as in addition to educational supervision, she was responsible for the social and moral development of her charges. Children carried their experience with their governesses well into adulthood. By then, they might have been either traumatized by cruel and sadistic instructors, or filled with fondness and admiration for the women who were invariably closer to them than their own mothers, based on the sheer amount of time they had spent together during the child's formative years and beyond. Elizabeth Markham's philosophy was to show that women were not frail creatures and that spanking, caning, birching and other "robust forms of punishment" were essential for discipline and the well-being of "females of all social conditions wishing to better themselves." In my serial The Governess, teenagers Jacob and Amelia meet their match in the guise of the steely Miss Eversham, who very soon takes control. Edward’s breath stopped in his throat. His pulse suddenly seemed to shake his whole frame, and his face went scarlet. For a moment he could not speak. “M-Miss Violetta,” he stammered at last, “I-I-I—”

I have often wondered why the erstwhile figure of the governess holds such fascination in the present day. Could it be attributed to the way in which the governess has been portrayed in fiction and film - as a stereotype of a generally impoverished woman, neither servant nor family member, yet who constantly emerges as the heroine, often escaping a prim middle-age by marrying the local curate or the master of the house? With the help of an internet search engine, I decided to do some digging. And this is what I found. I found the discussion of the governess' social position really interesting. She was a servant, but needed to be well-educated and so was often from a quite high social stratum but fallen on hard times (or maybe she was just number six of six daughters). So in taking up her position (I mean the job, not touching her toes) she was accepting a subordinate position which might have rankled. Yet she had great power over children from a higher-ranking stratum and might indeed rise through the marriage opportunities this could offer. She was also a pathfinder for the responsible professional woman. If women could do this responsible job well, why not others? Among my books, I have a copy of Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. Agnes became a governess. It was not a very attractive life. She had no authority and at least once wished she could use a birch rod on her pupils. In my own story A Cane For A governess a voyeur observes the governess receiving discipline from the master of the house. In Georgina and the Governess by Neil, disgraced daughter Georgina is taken in hand by the stern no-nonsense Miss Grant.http://voiceinthecorner.com/2009/11/04/a-victorian-governess-founder-of-the-markham-project-fact-or-fiction/