Q: "travelling lady"?

[Joel S. Berson]

I would think more than a laundress.  Why would a servant, and only
this one, be especially mentioned as taken to prison?  And if she was
the only woman in the castle, would she not have been someone
special?  The only other persons of M'Cullogh's party mentioned are
"the rest of the Garrison", many of them wounded, who were made
"prisoners of war".

Joel

At 10/15/2010 11:42 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Laundress and attendant?
>
>JL
>
>
>
>On Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 11:23 AM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Q:  "travelling lady"?
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > 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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