This comes from a discussion over at /r/DowntonAbbey, so I hope you aren't too sick of answering questions stemming from that show.
I've been interested in the cultural category of the "old maid" for awhile, but it wasn't until a discussion about the nature of lady's maids that I realized the term "old maid" may actually come from the tradition of women in service remaining unmarried. I'd like to find out about the origins of this term. I know that by the mid-19th century, there were concerns in England about the proportion of women to men, and thus the large numbers of older, unmarried women, but I'm curious to know how this group became known as "old maids."
OED lists the earliest uses of the term as:
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 250/1 Oulde mayde, luberdine. 1616 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odyssey i. 16 The soft weeds he wore, Put off; and to the diligent old maid Gaue all. 1673 R. Allestree Ladies Calling ii. i. §5 An old Maid is now..look'd on as the most calamitous Creature in nature. 1683 R. Dixon Canidia v. iii. 34 'Tis a cursed thing to be an old Maid. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 7. ¶4 An old Maid, that is troubled with the Vapours.
Does anyone know more about Chapman's translation of the term in The Odyssey as listed above? And, can anyone point me the in direction of some useful articles about the history of the "old maid" trope? Thanks!
Look at the origins of the word "maid" rather than of the phrase "old maid".
The Online Etymology Dictionary gives this:
maid (n.) 12c., "a virgin, a young unmarried woman," shortening of maiden (n.). Like that word, used in Middle English of unmarried men as well as women (cf. maiden-man, c.1200, used of both sexes, reflecting also the generic use of man). Domestic help sense is from c.1300.
So, the phrase "old maid" seems to just be quite literal and descriptive. It means, "old virgin" or "old (as opposed to young) unmarried person".
I think it has little relation to the later use of the word "maid" to mean a woman servant.