Women of the Waves

The team here at the SS Great Britain are gearing up for a spectacular May Half Term as we introduce Women of the Waves!

Costume characters will take over the ship and dockyard to interact with visitors and share stories of what life at sea was like for Victorian women.

We’ve dug into our collection and have found some amazing stories to share that have inspired the characters you can meet during half term.

The Stewardess

In 1866 the formidable Margaret Lynch stepped aboard the SS Great Britain for the first time and ended up making a grand total of 21 voyages across 6 years. Margaret was a Stewardess, employed to care for First Class ladies who didn’t have their servants travelling with them.

She was paid a grand sum of £5 a month – more than some of her male co-workers. There is even an article in the Western Daily Press which mentioned her, “Mrs Lynch, the stewardess, has been in the vessel several years and is an institution.”

The Performer

Austrian ballet dance teacher, Josephine Weiss, and her ballet troupe of girls embarked on a journey to perform in New York on 22 September 1846.

Their trip came to a frightening halt when the SS Great Britain crashed into the coast of Northern Ireland on day one of their voyage. Madame Weiss kept her cool, finding shelter for her troupe whilst “the Viennese children kept crying violently.”

The girls were sent home but just 2 months later they travelled again and toured America for 2 years. Despite the traumatic beginning their performance was described as “the realization of fairy dreams.”

Many actors, musicians and performers travelled on board steamships to share their craft with the wider world.

The Emigrant

Moving to a new country can be a big and scary change and it was no different for Victorians. Rachel Henning experienced this when emigrating to Australia with her brother in 1853. She felt out of her element and travelled back home to the UK.

But Rachel didn’t let the bad experience define her. She boarded the SS Great Britain again in 1861 this time keeping a detailed diary recording her experiences on board.

Highlights include the discovery of a stowaway who became the surgeon’s assistant, a visit to the engine room in her long Victorian dress and the birth of a baby who was named after the ship’s captain, doctor, and newspaper: John Gray Morland Hocken Great Britain Magazine!

British & Australian governments wanted young single women to emigrate to Australia in the 1850s offering free or discounted tickets through “assisted passage” schemes. Discover more about how this worked and why Victorian women chose to travel to the other side of the world this May half term.

The Scalper

Steamship travel was not always full of hope and glamour for everyone. Some passengers never even made it on board the ship they had a ticket for. Thanks to the Scalpers that populated the busy and often chaotic docks from where the ships would depart.

Scalpers were people who falsely promised upgrades and better deals to unsuspecting travellers. It sounds like an awful thing to do – and indeed it was – however many felt it was their only option after being swindled themselves. Women and men spent their time scamming prospective travellers to earn money, or better, a ticket for safe passage on board a ship.

You can meet the charming scalpers, brave emigrants and formidable stewardesses on board this May half term!