CASE STUDY

Born to a Yorkshire stonemason and a laundrywoman in 1899, Rosina Harrison yearned to travel and set about becoming a lady’s maid. Remaining at school until she was 16, she also learned French, then began a five-year dressmaking apprenticeship. Within two years, she secured her first position as young lady’s maid to the teenage daughters of Lady Tufton in London.

After four years of service and a spell at home following her father’s death, she became lady’s maid to Lady Cranborne, touring throughout England and Europe. In August 1928, she entered service with the prominent Astor family, firstly as young lady’s maid to the daughter, ‘Miss Wissie’, then as personal maid to Lady Astor herself. Working for one of Britain’s wealthiest women and the first female politician to sit in the House of Commons, Rose’s career was hectic, yet fulfilling. Besides maintaining the wardrobe of a key public figure with four residences, who entertained royalty, Rose’s duties included arranging travel, tending her employers when they were sick, and even clearing the damage after air raids. She devoted her life to her mistress, meeting people from all walks of life and travelling widely: from the Bahamas to Scandinavia. Rose served Lady Astor for 35 years, until her mistress died in 1964. She retired to her own house in Worthing, recounting her life in her 1975 memoir Rose: My Life in Service. She featured on Desert Island Discs in 1976 (listen to the episode at bit.ly/desert-harrison) and died in 1989.