The meaning of the word “matron” varies, depending on the content. In its earliest sense, a matron was a married woman or a widow. Over time, the word evolved to be used to describe a female supervisor in a situation like an orphanage, school, prison, or hospital. In nations which use British English, the “matron” is the head nurse, responsible for the oversight of the nursing department. Readers of British novels may also be familiar with “matron” in the sense of supervisor or nurse in a boarding school, as injured characters are usually sent off to the matron for attention.
The term is derived from the Latin mater, which means “mother.” The Romans used the word matrona to refer to a married woman, since married women generally became mothers. The word was also used to describe widows and women of high social standing, implying a sense of authority derived from their motherhood and married position. By the 1300's, the word had entered English as “matron” to describe married women, and in the 1500's, it began to be used to describe a female supervisor or head of department.
Early matrons were usually the wives of male superintendents. In a prison, for example, the warden's wife might oversee health care and basic comforts for those imprisoned, while the warden handled administrative paperwork, prison processing, and punishments. Matrons would also have overseen female prisoners. In schools, the matron was often the wife of the schoolmaster. Over time, the matron became a standalone position, as seen in hospitals today.
Some people think of matrons as mother figures. In the sense of being formidable organizers, they are sort of like mothers, but they may not necessarily dispense the comfort associated with mothers. A matron is often a very busy woman, responsible for a large crew of people and for ensuring that her charges are well cared for. In a hospital, the matron oversees patient care, staffing, cleanliness standards, scheduling, catering, and so forth, ensuring that the hospital runs smoothly and efficiently.
The position of matron was one of the earliest positions of authority to be associated with women. Matrons laid the groundwork for future generations of women to work in a wide range of industries and positions by showing society that women were perfectly capable of management, whether that management take the form of looking after a boarding school or handling a busy hospital.