Salisbury is located in Southern England. The city was built around Salisbury Cathedral which was founded in 1220. Stonehenge is approximately 8 miles northwest of the city (Encyclopedia Britannica). Pictured is Salisbury Cathedral, etched by Wenceslaus Hollar in 1672.

The Mirror was a periodical started by Scottish novelist Henry Mackenzie’s essay-reading society in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mackenzie, the editor and primary contributor, began publication of The Mirror in January 1779, and continued to edit the paper until May 1780 (Henry Morley, ed., “Editor’s Introduction” in Henry Mackenzie, The Man of Feeling, 1886).

Milsom Street was a very fashionable street in Bath, filled with expensive shops (Janet Todd, Jane Austen in Context, 213).

"A person, traditionally the female head of a household, who manages the running of a household" (OED).

In this context, housekeeper means the female head of the household, typically the wife of the homeowner, not a domestic servant.

“A long, narrow piece of linen, muslin, or other fine cloth, worn around the neck and either tied under the chin in a knot or bow with long flowing ends” (OED).

“Without a dowry” (OED).