Q: "travelling lady"?

[Jonathan Lighter]

Laundress and attendant?

JL



On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> Subject:      Q:  "travelling lady"?
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>
> In 1736 Ireland, a Capt. M'Cullogh forcibly, with arms, resisted a
> sheriff trying to serve a "writ of restitution" to remove him from a
> castle he was resident in.  When he was captured, he, "together with
> his travelling Lady", was sent to his Majesty's Goal.  [From a Boston
> newspaper.]
>
> Does "travelling lady" have any meaning beyond the notion of a woman
> who travels?  Here M'Cullogh is not described as travelling; rather,
> the newspaper article is entirely about the siege of the castle and
> the capture of Mc'Cullogh.
>
> Joel
>
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