When watching English dramas that are set in different time periods I have noticed that there seem to be different types of job titles for female servants who worked with children. What was the difference betwen a nurse, a nanny, and a governess?
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A Governess is more of a live-in teacher - IE she does look after the children, but her purpose is more of to teach the children during the day. Because of this, a Governess tends to work with children - not babies.
A Nanny is more of a Mary Poppins - she looks after the children while the parents are at work.
A Nurse is more of a upper-class 19th century-thing (not really around anymore). She is seen more of a servant who specializes in looking after the children. She would tend to run a few rooms in a large mansion called a Nursery, in which she'd look after the children all day, often helped by an assistant known as a Nursemaid.
I think Nanny McPhee falls into the category of Nanny (hense her name), though I think she's also a Governess because she does teach the children a few things along the way.
'She's the one I've waited for' - Judi Dench.
Thank you! Sorry It took so long but I had given up on anyone answering and haven't checked the thread until now.
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No problem - glad I helped.
'She's the one I've waited for' - Judi Dench.
Wow good answer, and thats why people who work in nurseries today are called nursery nurses.
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Lol thanks and yes - never thought about it - but I guess you're right.
"Who is the bookman? And what right does he have to order me about?!" - Angela Lansbury
A GOVERNESS is like a live-in schoolmistress. She would teach the kids English, maths, geography, history, perhaps music and a language (usually French, if she knew it).
A NANNY and a NURSE are the same thing. They're there to raise the children, not teach them. To look after them when the parents can't (which was most of the time), and to teach them manners and make sure they were clean, well-behaved, that they were tidy, polite and that they were well-dressed, ate up at dinnertime and so-on. 'Nurse' is a more archaic term and 'nanny' is more modern, but their duties are the same.
Nurse is older than a Nanny, it goes back to Medivael times, or even before, when grand ladies did not breast feed their own children they got a Nurse (wet nurse) to do the job for them.
Cry God for Harry, England and St George
The original stories upon which the movie is based are called Nurse Matilda -- I think nurse and nanny are pretty much the same but as has been noted, nurse is an older title. Nanny is better known nowadays.
shareThere is a famous "nanny"school in England called Norland and the ladies that graduate from there are "Norland Nurses".
http://www.norland.co.uk/