I honestly always find the term ‘spinster’ as referring to an elderly, never-married woman as funny because you know what?
Wool was a huge industry in Europe in the middle ages. It was hugely in demand, particularly broadcloth, and was a valuable trade good. A great deal of wool was owned by monasteries and landed gentry who owned the land.
And, well, the only way to spin wool into yarn to make broadcloth was by hand.
This was viewed as a feminine occupation, and below the dignity of the monks and male gentry that largely ran the trade.
So what did they do?
They hired women to spin it. And, turns out, this was a stable job that paid very well. Well enough that it was one of the few viable economic options considered ‘respectable’ outside of marriage for a woman. A spinster could earn quite a tidy salary for her art, and maintain full control over her own money, no husband required.
So, naturally, women who had little interest in marriage or men? Grabbed this opportunity with both hands and ran with it. Of course, most people didn’t get this, because All Women Want Is Husbands, Right?
So when people say ‘spinster’ as in ‘spinster aunt’, they are TRYING to conjure up an image of a little old lady who is lonely and bitter.
But what I HEAR are the smiles and laughter of a million women as they earned their own money in their own homes and controlled their own fortunes and lived life on their own terms, and damn what society expected of them.
Just wanted to add that the suffix -ster was originally specifically feminine, a means of denoting a lady known by her profession. Spinster = female spinner, baxter = female baker, webster = female weaver (webber), brewster = female brewer. If one of the ladies named Alys in your village was known for selling her excellent weaving, you might call her Alys Webster (to differentiate her from, say, Alys Littel who was rather short, and Alys Bywater who lived near the pond).
This fascinates me for many reasons, but especially in the case of modern families with last names like Baxter or Webster or Brewster. What formidable and well-known ancestresses managed to pass on those very gendered names to all their descendants, when last names were changing from personal “nicknames” into indicators of lineage among the middle and lower classes? There’s a forgotten story of a fascinating woman behind every one of those family lines.
ladylienda liked this
ghosts-and-blue-sweaters reblogged this from aro-ace-ave-maria
pimfinity liked this
ghosts-and-blue-sweaters liked this
sarebearcares liked this nechronox reblogged this from non-plutonian-druid
xxrawrxxdino reblogged this from fatigued-bee
izzexists reblogged this from izzluna
mysticapocalypticwastelandragon liked this
freelyjoyfultrash reblogged this from kaltehertz kaltehertz reblogged this from bee-of-swords
punch-fear-in-the-face liked this
nonrepresentational-nut liked this bluetsuru reblogged this from nerdreferences
827125 reblogged this from bee-of-swords
bee-of-swords reblogged this from the-stray-liger
oldbooksmellhuffer liked this
doctorgascoigne reblogged this from iamcrystalqueer fatigued-bee reblogged this from iamcrystalqueer
fatigued-bee liked this
piraterabbit reblogged this from nerdreferences
givemeunicorns liked this nerdreferences reblogged this from igothurtdoingsafetydance
nerdreferences liked this
iamcrystalqueer reblogged this from cymatile
allbutterfliesknow reblogged this from aro-ace-ave-maria
nightforwhichihowl reblogged this from aro-ace-ave-maria secrete-sauce reblogged this from supreme-leader-stoat
orb-on-the-corb liked this
ravagexeno liked this
guarujaa liked this of-winter-and-summer reblogged this from greater-than-the-sword
double-o-boze liked this plentyofbitch reblogged this from aro-ace-ave-maria
thekitchenphilosopheress liked this
aro-ace-ave-maria reblogged this from mademoiseli
celestial-sanctum reblogged this from supreme-leader-stoat
ausefulblogforputtingthingsin reblogged this from tlaquetzqui
brievel liked this
holbytlanna reblogged this from greater-than-the-sword
ilosttrackofthings liked this
hellinhallucinageniclipstick reblogged this from igothurtdoingsafetydance alchemistsophie liked this
fandomsandkittens reblogged this from greater-than-the-sword
caos-de-bolsillo liked this
izzluna reblogged this from dduane systlin posted this
- Show more notes