by Jacqueline Scott
Having reminisced with a friend about some of the more interesting parts of my life and the people with whom I have come in contact, I have been prevailed upon to write down some of these experiences. Heaven knows why anybody should wish to read such things, but my friend says that the world is changing so quickly these days that how things were in the past should not be forgotten, and indeed a record of them is valuable social history.
My name is Roberta Campbell and I was born near the town of Perth in Scotland in the summer of 1880, the only child of a Church of Scotland Minister and his wife. In those days Ministers were greatly respected in the community and, my father being an excellent preacher in a wealthy congregation, my life was always comfortable. I attended the local primary school and then was sent to Edinburgh to Esdaile, a school for Daughters of Ministers of the Church of Scotland. There I did well and received an excellent grounding in the arts and skills needed by middle class young ladies. That was followed by a six month period in Switzerland at what I suppose was a finishing school. Now it seems an awful waste of money to me but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself and in any event I think that the money to pay for it came from an uncle who was very wealthy indeed.
So much for my childhood. I returned to our little country town in 1899 at the age of 19 with no clear idea of what I would do next other than find somebody to marry. Most of the time that I spent in Switzerland appeared to revolve around this subject and most of the other young ladies that I associated with at the establishment appeared to be obsessed by it! Well, if marriage was an indication of success then I am afraid that I was a failure. For the first two years after my return I helped my mother in the running of the manse and with various activities relating to the congregation and in the town in general. Oh, of course, during that period I was introduced to a range of pleasant young men, but nothing came from any of the introductions apart from a great deal of uninteresting conversation, and I must confess that was to my relief. None of the young men in question had struck me as being in any way suitable to live with for the rest of my life. I suspect my parents began to regard me as 'difficult' and were despairing of ever making a good match for me.
Then one day my father came home and informed me that the Earl and Countess of Kinbuck were looking for a Governess for their two daughters and might I be interested. It appeared an intriguing prospect. The Earl and his wife were by a long way the most important people in the neighbourhood. They lived in a real castle when they were in Scotland although they were often in London and indeed abroad. Given that my life at the time had become rather dull and conventional, it is perhaps unsurprising that I readily agreed to find out more.
I went to the castle to be interviewed and was quite amazed by the size of the room into which I was shown and the richness of its furnishings. I was a little surprised that both Lord and Lady Kinbuck were present at the interview. I had assumed that he would have left such matters to her. However, everything seemed very straightforward and in fact the only time His Lordship took any part was to impress on me the need for firm discipline.
"Miss Campbell, my daughters are what one might call high spirited. I suspect in some families they might be described as plain naughty. My wife and I are away a lot and I am afraid that they have been allowed to run a bit wild. Do you think that a young lady of, how shall I put it, such tender years as yourself will be able to discipline them properly?"
Well, I have to say this was quite a question! Obviously I had never disciplined anybody in my whole life! I did come from a strict household, however, so I think I knew what he meant. Before I went away to school my mother had often slapped my bare thighs for various misdemeanours, and I was also no stranger to a bare bottom spanking from her. As far as my father was concerned there had been one never to be forgotten day when at the age of ten I was discovered stealing apples from the local orchard. My mother was called and I was marched home with her holding onto one ear and verbally berating me all the time. My father was summoned from his study where he was preparing a sermon, and he swiftly administered a severe punishment by taking a leather strap to my bare bottom. He threatened me with hell and damnation as he beat me and certainly I never stole apples again. I think it fair to say, however, that that was more to do with the effects of the strap on my bottom than fear for my eternal soul!
However, I digress a little. I must have made the appropriate response to the Earl because two days later I received a letter offering me the position. In due course, therefore, I arrived at the castle with my luggage, such as it was, to take up the position of Governess. The Earl and his wife had three children. The two girls were Alicia who was 15 and Helena, 12. There was also a son, James who was 14 and who was away at boarding school, although he did of course return home during the holidays.
My first introduction to the two girls was favourable. They both appeared demure and very polite. Alice was tall for her age, I thought, and slim. She had dark hair and green eyes and looked as if she took after her mother. Helena, on the other hand, had a mop of curly blonde hair that looked as if it would need a lot of attention if it were not to get completely out of control. She had large blue eyes and looked quite angelic. It did not take long to discover that she was no angel!
After the girls had been dismissed to go into the garden, the Earl once again made it clear that he expected me to improve the girls' discipline and that I was to feel free to use any corporal punishment that I chose.
"I believe that the last governess relied on her slipper. Not that it appeared to have any noticeable effect. You will find a variety of implements in the large cupboard in the hall. Feel free to use any of them. You will get no complaints from me I can assure you. The same principles apply to James as well. He will be away at school most of the time, of course, but when he is at home you will be in charge of him and I will make it clear that you may beat him as and when you consider it appropriate. Please stand no nonsense from any of them, Miss Campbell!"
Well that was clear enough! Although I had a nervous sinking feeling in my stomach and wondered what on earth I was letting myself in for.
In fact, for the first two days I had no problems at all. The girls were polite and well behaved and we made a good start at developing a daily routine for them. Then their parents left to go to London for a week. Almost immediately their behaviour changed. They began to be late for their sessions with me; not dreadfully late, but not on time. They became less careful in their work and distracted by the slightest thing.
After a day of this I was quite exhausted and almost at my wits' end. I had hoped that I would have won them over by being pleasant and reasonable. I was close enough to them in age that some degree of friendship could have developed. Clearly I was being naïve and would have to do something quickly if they were not to run all over me. For a long time I sat in my room and thought. A little part of me wanted to give up and go home, but my mother had always commented to other people about my determined attitude and I did not want these girls to think they could get the better of me. Eventually, by thinking back to my own childhood and school days, I decided upon a plan.
After dinner that evening I went to the cupboard in the hall that the Earl had described and looked inside. Amongst the general outdoor wear there were canes, riding crops, leather straps and a fearsome looking tawse with two tongues. There was also a whip and something that looked like a paddle although it was leather rather than wooden. I selected one of each implement and took them with me to my room. Once the girls had gone to bed I went to each of their rooms and instructed them to come to my room in five minutes time. They arrived together, looking very pretty in their nightdresses, but the effect was rather spoiled by the sulky looks on their faces.
"Stand over here by the bed, girls, please, and see what I have found in the hall cupboard."
They did as I asked and gasped as they looked at the array of punishment implements laid out before them.
"Today your behaviour has been completely unacceptable. I know that you can do better, as while your mother and father were here you behaved perfectly well. I can only assume that you behave well in case one of your parents beats you whereas I am not regarded in the same light. Well I can tell you that your father left me with strict instructions that I was to stand no nonsense from you and beat you if you deserved it."
At that I lifted the tawse from the bed and, raising my arm high above my head, brought it crashing down onto a pillow. The two girls jumped at the sound and blanched.
"If you behave the same way tomorrow as you did today then be assured that your bottoms will feel one or more of these implements! Now off to bed with you."
The girls left the room silently and I hoped that I would not have to make good my threat. Before I went to bed myself, however, I practised a little with each of the implements using a pillow as a substitute bottom. I did not sleep well that night, I can tell you!
The next morning at the breakfast table I also informed the girls that I was instituting a system of demerits for minor matters of indiscipline and that five or more demerits in any week would mean a spanking.
"Alicia, you were late down for breakfast this morning so that is one demerit against your name already."
The older girl gasped and was about to protest but saw the look on my face and thought better of it. By lunch time they each had gained a further two demerits and I pointed out to them that given that they had a whole week to use up only five they were not doing well. They both scowled and I laughed and told them that the answer lay in their own hands. They cannot have believed me, however, for immediately after lunch a crisis occurred.
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