A possible narrative for Maude Alice Parker nee Ritchie

As a student of English literature, I am unabashedly influenced by novels. Historical novels, in particular, can throw valuable light on the customs of the past. Family history research is, i believe, enriched by such reading, and has given me insight into what my great-grandmother, Maude Alice Parker, may have had to go through as a young woman in Marylebone, London at the start of the 20th century.

For the sake of full disclosure, the book that gave me an appreciation of her circumstances and a possible narrative for her life story is Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell. I can heartily recommend it to any genealogist looking for a close view into English country life. But back to Maude. here is what may have occurred:

Maude wasn’t raised in a God-fearing family. By the time she came along, the ninth of 10 children, her parents had wearied of raising young girls. She was more or less raised by her sisters, with the result that her knowledge of men focused more on the potential for romance than on caution and restraint.

When she was about 20, Maude obtained work in the residence of the Viscount Hood at 10 Chesterfield Street. The Hoods entertained hundreds of guests, nearly all of them titled. The servants numbered about 15 and were largely chosen for their attractive appearance and good manners. Maude herself was pretty and eager. She attracted the attention of one of the visitors to the house and was charmed by his interest in her. Without realising that there was any shame involved, she fell in love with the gentleman and allowed him to have his way with her.

Discovering that she was pregnant, Maude felt a mixture of shock and wonder at the thought that she was carrying her beloved's child. However, reality quickly sobered her up as instructions came for her to leave her job. The gentleman, fearing exposure, urged her to say that the child was that of a fellow servant, David Scott Ritchie. In return for this subterfuge, the gentleman gave the couple a handsome endowment which they could spend as they wished.

The young couple moved together into Albert Street, occupying rooms they could never previously have afforded. However, they soon had to face the fact that they were totally unsuited to each other. Maude was only interested in her child, whereas David, who had no time for another man’s son, wanted to invest in business like his father and brothers. It was agreed that they would move out of Albert Street into separate lodgings. In Maude’s case, she moved in with her younger sister, Gertrude. Her estranged husband, for his part, took his share of the money and went south to Devon where he bought property.

As soon as she could, Maude sent young David to boarding school and returned to full-time work. However, she bore the shame of wantonness because everyone knew she had been pregnant when she got married. Unable to find work as a dressmaker along with Louisa, Ellen and Mabel, she sought work as a cook once again.

At some point in his young life, David was told that he was illegitimate. This knowledge burdened him with shame because he was well aware of the disgrace associated with so-called “loose women”. Even though Maude assured him the shame was hers, not his, his sunny disposition was darkened by the ostracism his mother suffered. Moreover, he had to bear the weight of his secret knowledge at school among the other boys, with all their fantasies about pretty, innocent girls. This had the effect of turning him into a more thoughtful and compassionate scholar than many of his peers.

As young David grew and began to excel in academics and sport, Maude struggled with her wish to hold him close. He was her only son and she was inexpressively proud of him. Yet, for his own sake, she needed to let him go so that he could pursue his ambitions and dreams. Thus, when he finished school, she encouraged him to find a job that would take him far from home, far from the orbit of her influence and the stain that was apparently forever on her character.

The tragedy of Maude’s early infatuation [or love, as it may well have been] with the high-born gentleman in Chesterfield Street left its mark on both Maude and her unfortunate husband. She remained in lowly service all her life, seldom seeing her son and his South African family. As for David Scott Ritchie senior, he lost all his money when his tenants were called up to fight in the First World War. Disappointed and humiliated at having to go back into service as a butler, he eventually succumbed to depression and fits of rage, which lost him his job and sent him into a mental hospital for the poor.