I read the story of Anne Lister recently. She lived... quite a life, let’s say. Apart from her lesbianism (not the point of my question), she was involved in coal mining. She was sort of well educated. She was a landowner and thus “the lead of her family” for the lack of better word, even when her father and aunt were both alive. She travelled far and beyond across Europe and even to the Caucasus, a quite unusual travel destination for westerners even today.
Even a small percentage, there must have been some other single women in England with significant inheritance during her time as well. But from what people say, Anne Lister’s life was very very unusual hence I suppose it wasn’t easy for others to duplicate her story...?
There's always more to be said, but I think this is well answered by a past comment of mine, which I'll copy here.
The major barrier you face is economic: women are unlikely to inherit significant amounts of money, and when they attempt to earn money they are typically paid less than men. If you have a brother, your parents are mainly intending for their wealth to pass to him on their deaths, with your lesser portion of inheritance intended for your dowry. If you don't marry, it will probably be willed to you for you to live on, but the income it generates is very unlikely to give you more than what will allow you to rent a genteel but unexciting home and take care of basic household expenses. If the only aspect of your path that disturbs you is the assumption that you will marry a man and raise children, then this is probably fine. If you want to actually settle down with a woman, even better! It is quite acceptable for two unmarried, older women to live together, either as intimate friends or, if there's a difference in income and social status, as patroness and companion. People will likely have some thoughts about your decision to ignore your true feminine nature, or your lack of such, but as long as you can support yourself/ves they're unlikely to have a real problem with you. Your family, on the other hand, could be really upset that you're not making an alliance with another good family. (For more on this kind of situation, you may want to look into Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, the "ladies of Llangollen".)
That being said, if you have no siblings and your parents' property is not entailed to the next man in the line of succession (an uncle or cousin), the world is your oyster. You are not beholden to anyone for a roof over your head, nobody can threaten to withhold financial support from you due to your behavior. If you're rich enough, nobody will cross you or express serious disagreement with your life choices, providing you don't do anything as extreme as wearing pantaloons in public. (There are a few good biographies about Anne Lister, a Yorkshire heiress of this period who lived a quite unconventional life.)
The job issue is ... complicated. There is no employment that you can have without risking your social status, because your social status as a woman is entirely based on whether or not you need to earn your own money. According to society, even if you're wholly dependent on a male relative, you're better off than if you were working for pay. Most jobs available to women are for the working class and if you choose to pursue them, you will lose everything - your friends and family, as well as your creature comforts - because it will be seen as a disgrace, and in reality it will permit you no more independence. Domestic servitude is the most common type of employment for women in your society, alongside agricultural labor, both of which are grinding work at the bottom of society. In more urban areas, there's the possibility of working for a dressmaker or milliner for long hours with very little pay. Becoming a dressmaker or milliner yourself is a more reasonable option, potentially providing yourself with enough money to live respectably, but you'll still suffer a significant loss of prestige and no longer be socially recognized by your peers. On the other hand, you could choose to disregard all respectability and "come upon the town" as a "gay lady" (ie, become a sex worker), which could lead to a very comfortable life if you are successful at beguiling men of fortune. If you save your money and live somewhat modestly, you can provide for yourself once you're too old for the game (like ... thirty), but you do face dangers: you could be unsuccessful and forced to walk the streets instead of being set up in a nice house, you could suffer an accident or illness that disfigures you and again ruins your ability to work, you could be given a sexually-transmitted disease.
Governessing is often thought of as the only resort of an impoverished but well-bred lady, so it is an option for you. Unlike regular domestic servitude, it's not seen as a complete degradation - you're above the servants, you're not performing manual tasks, you're displaying and training a young girl in the very things that make you well-bred. However, you are taking a big step down in social status (you will not be recognized as an equal by your employers and their friends, and your charges may very well treat you with contempt since they're above you as well) and are not likely to be paid that much more than a servant. A governess's life can in no way be described as independent or autonomous.
The last option available to you is the arts: becoming a writer, painter, singer, or actress. It is not really respectable to write or paint for money, and it's very disreputable to become a singer or actress - in the latter cases, you will probably be regarded by your family as though you had become a prostitute; in the former cases, you'll be greatly helped by having your own inheritance or a supportive family. You are unfortunately in a bit of a trough between periods where female authors and artists in Britain are well-regarded or at least normalized: in 1830, an Englishwoman's highest calling is regarded as marriage and domesticity, and the forthright female intellectuals of the previous generation are looked upon a bit askance. If you can be a successful in one of these fields, though, you will have the independence you crave!
(Another useful answer of mine is Was it common for a 19th Century British woman to be as active an industrialist and businesswoman as Anne Lister?