Mistress of the Robes: The Ladies in Waiting Rota

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Date:1850

Description:After compiling the rota for the Ladies in Waiting, the rota would be presented to the Queen for her inspection. A document from St James’s Palace dated November 12th 1850 relates to the ‘Arrangement for the Rota of the Ladies of the Bedchamber’ for 1851 which is attached to the letter in a separate document.

The document provides a list naming the ladies and their ‘Instructions and Wishes’. This is followed by a list of dates to fit the ladies’ requirements, and a ‘Rota of the Ladies according to their last waits 1850’.

The periods of waiting were divided into a fortnight, and then a month. A note of ‘General Memorandum’ is included in the document which states ‘The Fortnight Waits to begin at the end of January, and to last till about the end of July’.