What was the job of your grandmother?

There were always ways around the 'marriage bar'. My mother worked in the insurance industry before WW2 and said quite a number of the women she worked with were married. They just did not tell their employer and never wore their wedding or engagement rings at work and never talked about their family life at work.

Obviously, if they became pregnant, then they left. I suspect the same applied in lots of other industries where there were 'marriage bars'

In teaching I suspect that the marriage bar was only mandatory (if known) in state schools. In private schools, especially where a husband and wife were the owners, I doubt that any such bar existed.

My paternal grandmother died when my Dad was a baby, so he never knew her. He was the youngest of 10, so I can’t imagine that she went out to work.
My maternal grandmother worked in a Lancashire cotton mill, part-time from the age of 12, then I think full-time from 15. She probably stopped working when she had children. Her first baby died of meningitis. My Mum was her second child. She looked after me from babyhood to teenage while my Mum went out to work. I still miss her.

My maternal grandmother worked as a housemaid from leaving school at 13. After her marriage she never worked outside the home as had plenty to do in it.
My paternal grandmother was the daughter of a publican and did domestic work in the pub until old enough to work behind the bar.She was a talented amateur pianist and singer, she was once asked if she would like to go to Italy to train as an opera singer. Her father would not allow it, as he had heard what happened to some girls going alone to foreign countries, he imagined she would be used to walk the streets.
After marriage she had a part time job as a pianist asocial gatherings.

Sago

My maternal grandmother was a “Spencer Corsetiere”, she had a plaque by her front door, I used to think it was,ade her very grand!
My paternal grandmother was a teacher but stopped working to raise a family, this was very much the norm in Ireland in the 1920/30’s.

My Mum trained with Spencer to work part time. I remember her going off on a course and when she came back she had brought me a tiny toy plastic sewing machine. Funny how some things stick in your mind .....

henetha

My paternal grandmother never worked. She was one the older girls in a family of 13 and helped look after her younger siblings until she got married.
I never knew my maternal grandmother.

Your paternal grandmother definitely worked ! She just didnt receive any pay.

My paternal grandmother worked in a big stately home as a "downstairs" maid and married another servant then he got a factory job but we hardly saw them they lived a long way away.

My maternal grandmother had come over from Ireland.her parent were immigrants, and she was brought up by big sisters and wanted my mum to be "a lady" so off to elocution lessons. Sorry to say she wasn't a warm person.

This is such a lovely thread, talking about real life people of their time. How hard they all worked in their own ways.
(So much more interesting to read than when this was discussed before on GN and resulted in sneering, not by anyone on here now I add).

My maternal grandmother was Irish, she trained as a cook but went into an apprenticeship as an pholsterers . She worked on something that was on the Titanic, the deck loungers I believe. Paternal grandmother had 2 shops with my grandfather, a drapers and second hand apparel.

*Upholsteress

My paternal grandmother left school young and was in service to the Dean of Wells in the 1880s. She returned to her childhood home, married in about 1890, brought up four children and after her husband died kept the village shop and was caretaker of the village 'Reading Room'.

My maternal grandmother I've no idea, as she placed my mother into care when she was about 5. At 14 DM went to live with a family as a mothers help, and they become her new family. My DM had very little to do with her birth family after that, apart from her little brother who was about 3 when he was also placed into care.

JackyB wrote:
"My paternal grandmother was in service. She married the master's son. He fell in love with her when he heard her singing whilst doing the dishes, or at least that is what I have been told. They were ostracised from the family for that."

JackyB, this is a GREAT story. It could be a novel. Maybe you should write it...

After leaving school my paternal grandmother did a village paper round, she would cycle from where they lived to the nearest station (long gone) about 2 miles away to collect the papers and take them back to the village to deliver. I have a letter from the main papers editor at the time thanking her for her service when she gave it up.
After she married she took in laundry, collecting and delivering - loaded on the pram as my dad and his brothers came along. When they moved back to her home village she didn't go out to work, but she did keep a flock of chickens in the orchard and used to sell the eggs to the old egg marketing board for "pin money".
My maternal grandmother did many different things over the years, one being glove sewing at home when my mums younger siblings were growing up. Well know Somerset sheepskin company, used to deliver boxes full of the cut out pieces - always white fluff around!

Growstuff wrote:
"One of my grandfather's sisters went to university, which was quite unusual for a woman in those days, and was a history teacher".
Amazing.

Pinkwriter

JackyB wrote:
"My paternal grandmother was in service. She married the master's son. He fell in love with her when he heard her singing whilst doing the dishes, or at least that is what I have been told. They were ostracised from the family for that."

JackyB, this is a GREAT story. It could be a novel. Maybe you should write it...

The same story as one of my Great-Aunts. I was relating the tale to a friend once and said her name was E** but the family called her Tottie. "Posh Tottie" said my friend immediately 😃

Luluaugust wrote:
"My maternal grandmother was a trained singer of light opera changing venues weekly. My mum said she had a glorious voice. After marriage all that stopped and she had three children."
Yes, I heard some stories like your grandmother´s. Very talented women who couldn´t continue singing or playing piano after marriage. It was different back then... but still, it´s really sad.

Surfingsal wrote:
"My maternal grandma ran her own dancing school in London and taught several famous actors to dance , we have lovely photos of her with people like Jack Hawkins , when she wasn't dancing she and her third husband travelled the world (...)"
Wow. It sounds like she was an amazing woman. A dance instructor, and owner of her own Dancing School, and married three times. Another great story for a novel!

My Scottish grandmother and her sister both went to university. My grandmother was a teacher for a while and then had children. Her sister went to teach in India and became Principal of a girls school. She never married.

My other grandmother worked for Magg's the bookseller in London before her marriage.

Macadia

henetha

My paternal grandmother never worked. She was one the older girls in a family of 13 and helped look after her younger siblings until she got married.
I never knew my maternal grandmother.

Your paternal grandmother definitely worked ! She just didnt receive any pay.

Indeed.

My grandmothers, mum, and I never received pay. We've all stayed home - but we've all worked quite hard.

My maternal grandmother was a primary school teacher. She worked when her own children were small, in the WW2 years, and afterwards. She was still working as a supply teacher when I started school, and she occasionally taught my class.
My paternal grandma died before I was born, but she and her husband were hotel owners and I believe she worked very hard in the family business.

I was the youngest of nine. I never knew my paternal grandparents but I think they were shoe-makers - my maternal grandmother was blind for as long as I remember and we called her ‘blind Nana’ but I think she was just a stay-at-home mum.

Before marriage my paternal grandmother worked in a shoe factory & my maternal grandmother worked in a cotton mill.

My Irish Grandmother worked in a linen factory. My Scottish grandmother was a domestic/maid to a family.

My grandmother ran my grandfather's clothing manufacturer and shop owner the whole time he was away at the war.

GMs - one was a farmers wife, the other a crofter/fisherman's wife. Both would have been fully involved in their husbands work and childcare.

my nanny worked as a cook in Windsor Castle, she was the best at baking cakes and scones ever! If anyone popped round for a visit, during the time it took the for the kettle to boil on the stove she had knocked up a batch of scones and they were in the oven, and by the time the tea had brewed in the pot they were served up, oh my what glorious days I miss her so much x