The role and status of the mistress

Abstract

The historiography might suggest that female servants were the typical mistresses of the elite. Such relationships are explored in this section, but it is also evident that many of the mistresses of the elite were either non-elite women who had come into contact with their eventual lovers through other routes than service, or themselves came from the elite. These might be the daughters and wives of gentry families, and not always from families of lower status (although this was a notable pattern among the mistresses of the peerage); an important group was drawn from the illegitimate offspring of the elite themselves, suggesting in some cases a parallel kinship and relationship structure. While some of these mistresses were undoubtedly badly treated (and may be little more than shadowy victims in our records), many were able to access considerable material wealth and influence through their relationships. The chapter will explore how this was accumulated, the forms that it took, and the power that these mistresses were able to wield. Further, the implications of these relationships for interactions between individuals and families in county, regional and national society and politics will be considered: sometimes disruptive, sometimes forging new connections and alliances.