Titel: SV: Translation help
Skrivet av: Ingemar Sundewall skrivet 2020-01-26, 14:15
Hello Don,
I think "lady" is a bad translation of "mamsell", since it is a marker for nobility. In the 18th and 19th centuries there were four titles in Sweden that would be used for unmarried women:
1. Fröken - originally only daughters of noblemen, later also upper middle class men (non-noble commissioned officers, wealthy traders, bankers etc.) as well as non-noble owners of larger estates. 2. Mamsell - daughters of tradesmen, master craftsmen, petty officers, sea captains etc. plus professional people like doctors and clergymen. 3. Jungfru - daughters of small-time tradesmen, journeyman craftsmen, merchant ship mates, etc. 4. Piga - daughters of farmers and workers.
Since Lovisa was the daughter of a petty officer she would have been titled "mamsell"