346 The Ancient Styles and Designations of Persons. 
Ma’am. 
This style was till very recently, and probably is still, applied 
to old women who keep schools for little children in North Wilts 
similar to those called Dame Schools. These schools are called 
“‘Ma’am Schools,” and the persons who keep them have “ Ma’am”’ 
prefixed to their names. This is, I believe, not peculiar to Wilt- 
shire; for when I was a little boy, I remember a school of this 
sort at Berkeley in Gloucestershire, which was kept by Mrs. Parslow, 
who was always called ‘“ Ia am Parsley.” 
GoopwoMAN AND GooDWIFE. 
In the Ogbourne Churchwardens’ Book, before cited, there is in 
the subscription list for the Northampton Fire, “ Goodwoman 
Potter £0. 0s. 4d.,” and in a subscription list for ‘‘ the Redemption 
of all English Slaves which were lately taken by y* Turkish 
pyratts,”’ we find “ Goodwife Coleman £0. 0s. 6d.” and ‘ Goodw. 
Sheepreve £0. Os. 6d.” 
We must not, however, infer that a person thus designated was 
really good, or even supposed to be so, for in the books of the 
Corporation of Gravesend! is an entry of 2s. paid the porters for 
ducking of Goodwife Campion, who was probably not thought good 
for much. 
Mr. Aubrey, in his “ Collections for Wilts” (part 2, p. 12), under 
Tit. “‘ Yatton Keynell,” says— 
“* Note.—A tenant of my father’s here, one Goodwife Miller did dentire 
[t. e. had young teeth] in the eighty fifth yeare of her age or more.” 
And in the dinner bill of the Earl of Leicester in 1570, before 
cited, are many instances of the same kind, as: 
“For x lb of butter at iijd ob. the Ib. to Goodwife Segwekes _. ijs xj 
For iiij lb. of butter to Goodwife Rowe at iij4 the pounde . xij 
For iij lb of butter to Goodwife Essexe at iij4 ob the lb. . . xd ob” 
Winow. 
This appellation was often applied in the 17th and 18th centuries 
to the widows of persons in the middle and lower classes. This is 
1 See above, p. 71. 
