Charwoman

A char or chare was a term (of work) in the 16th century, which gave rise to the word being used as a prefix to denote people working in domestic service. The usage of "charwoman" was common in the mid-19th century, often appearing as an occupation in the UK census of 1841. It fell out of common use in the later decades of the 20th century, often replaced by the term "daily (woman)". Unlike a maid or housekeeper (typically live-in positions), the charwoman usually worked for hourly wages, usually on a part-time contract, often having several different employers. ==In fiction==

The position has often featured as a stock character in fiction. Literature In British literature, Victorian examples includes Mrs. Dilber, Ebenezer Scrooge's charwoman, who appears in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. In the short story "The Diary of Anne Rodway", by Wilkie Collins, Anne investigates the murder of her friend Mary and learns that the suspect's wife is a woman "ready to turn her hand to anything: charing, washing, laying-out, keeping empty houses..." A charwoman appears in Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis (1915). In 1926, Lord Dunsany's fantasy novel ''The Charwoman's Shadow'' was published to good reviews. A woman granted eternal life, but not eternal youth, finds herself working forever as a magician's charwoman. A charwoman, Sarah Cobbin, is a critical character in the detective novel Part for a Poisoner (1948) by E.C.R. Lorac. In the comic strip Andy Capp (from 1957), Andy's wife Flo is a charwoman. Another well-known fictional charwoman is Ada Harris, the central character in Paul Gallico's novel ''Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris'' (1958) and its three sequels. Acting Charwomen have often appeared on stage, radio, film, and television. The music hall comedian Arthur Lucan portrayed throughout his career a feisty Irish charwoman named Mrs. Riley opposite his wife Kitty McShane, who depicted Mrs Riley's daughter. The public's enthusiasm for these stage characters prompted the couple to make the pair a part of their repertoire and this led to sixteen Old Mother Riley films, from 1937 to 1952. In the radio comedy series ''It's That Man Again (1939–1949), Dorothy Summers played the part of Mrs Mopp, an office char whose catchphrase was "Can I do you now, Sir?" (i.e., "May I clean your office now, Sir?" but with an obvious double entendre). Coronation Street'' character Hilda Ogden (Jean Alexander) achieved mass popularity in the United Kingdom, and has become synonymous with charwoman due to her several jobs cleaning for businesses and neighbours in the show's local area, Weatherfield. In 1963, Peggy Mount starred in Ladies Who Do, in which a group of charwomen go into high finance under the guidance of the eccentric Colonel Whitforth (Robert Morley), in order to save their old neighbourhood from a team of ruthless developers led by Harry H. Corbett. In 1966–67, Kathleen Harrison starred as a charwoman who inherits £10 million from her employer, on the television series Mrs. Thursday. Mabel (played by Barbara New) was the lowly charwoman and a main character in the 1990s British sitcom ''You Rang, M'Lord?'', which was set in the 1920s. American comedian Carol Burnett made a charwoman character into a signature routine during her television career with Garry Moore and later on her own popular long-running variety show. ==See also==