What was the job of your grandmother?

I know my paternal Grandmother worked for Marks & Spencer in her younger years but after that we don't know. She had a bit of a checkered history. My Maternal Grandmother was a seamstress. I know she worked in a factory when she was younger, making lingerie and frilly nighties. She made all of the families Bridal Gowns and Bridesmaids dresses. I can remember her making my little cousins page boy outfit in white satin with an apricot coloured neck tie. He was only about 3 years old and he was very disappointed when he realised that carrying/holding the brides train did not mean he carried a toy train 😂. My wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses were the last ones she made, in 1982. I have all of her sewing machine attachments but unfortunately they do not fit my machine. I must have inherited her sewing gene as I do make a lot of my own clothes. At the moment I am just finishing 100 metres of bunting, all different fabrics and many individually hand painted and decorated with leaves, flowers and a bit of sparkle. The next thing the veil for my future Daughter in laws wedding to my son in September this year.

My grandmother had to leave school to support her mother and four other children. Being the eldest she was found a place at a Roman Catholic convent as a maid of all work.
Commonly known as a skivvy.
It was hard, long hours and away from home. What little money she earned went to her mother.
She learnt cooking and sewing there and she stayed there until she met and married Granddad.
More hard work was to come but that's another story

My paternal grandmother was in service from 14 until she married, and then a full-time homemaker and mother of 7 sons.
Maternal grandmother was taken out of school at 12 to go to work in a munitions factory, filling shells for the First World War. I know she went back to munitions in the Second war, when she was in her 30s.
She used to say the worst thing was not being allowed to go to the toilet until her lunch break.

Hi, my grandmother was a gloveress. She worked in a glove factory which is now a hotel in our city. At some point,she also took in laundry at home.

My maternal grandmother worked in the City all her working life as an accounts clerk. She could add up a row of figures with lightening speed!

My paternal grandmother was abandoned by her husband when her two children were small. I think she took in washing to try to keep the family together. She had an absolutely terrible life as, of course, there were no benefits in those days (1930s Britain).

They both died relatively young (no wonder).

My grandmother was an early widow with 3 children (my mum being one) . I'm sure my mum said she took washing in for extra money.

My paternal grandmother when 16 turned into a pupil teacher at her own school. She taught and saved for 3 years, then paid her way through a women’s Teacher Training College. She then worked until age and got married. She had to give up teaching as married women had to.
My maternal grandmother working as a shop manager and buyer between age 14 to 67.
One of my paternal great great grandmothers was a midwife. Before they were qualified.
My maternal maternal g great grandmother made cluster bombs during the war WWII.

My paternal grandmother was a private midwife. She was widowed with five children and had to earn a living in London.

My nan on my mother's side brought up 5 children and worked as a cleaner at the local brewery. They even had to scrub the weigh bridge for the lorries ..
My dad's mom died when he was 3 and his brother 18 months . He's stepmother was never my nan . He had 5 half siblings the youngest was born with Downs in 1950 but he lived at home with his family and went to special school and then workshop to make things to sell for the charity.

I know more about mom's side of the family and knew my great aunts and uncles 2 &3 rd cousins .

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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!

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.

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 😃

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.

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!

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...

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.