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Lady Davers is the daughter of Lady B and the sister of Mr. B. Initially, she doesn’t appear in the novel but represents an escape—a person to whom Pamela might be able to turn to escape her abusive boss, Mr. B. But by the end of the novel, things have reversed: Mr. B takes care of his new wife Pamela while Lady Davers refuses to accept the legitimacy of the marriage. Lady Davers’s poor treatment of Pamela reflects the prejudices of the upper class against the lower class and how class concerns dominated life for people in 18th-century Britain. Nevertheless, Lady Davers eventually comes around to liking Pamela, providing further evidence of how Pamela’s virtuous behavior has a positive effect on those around her.
Lady Davers Quotes in Pamela
The Pamela quotes below are all either spoken by Lady Davers or refer to Lady Davers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Letter 31 Quotes
Their Riches often are a Snare;
At best, a pamper’d weighty Care:
Their Servants far more happy are:
At least, so thinketh Pamela.
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The Journal (continued) Quotes
But canst thou have the Vanity, the Pride, the Folly, said she, to think thyself actually marry’d to my Brother?
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’Tis even so, my Dear, replied he; and you remember my Sister’s good-natur’d Hint of Miss Sally Godfrey? I do well, sir, answered I. But this is Miss Goodwin. Her Mother chose that name for her, said he, because she should not be called by her own.
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Lady Davers Character Timeline in Pamela
The timeline below shows where the character Lady Davers appears in Pamela. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Letter 4
...have much to write about and will sound vain repeating praise others have given her. Lady Davers , Mr. B’s sister, complimented how Pamela looks and acts, although she also advised Pamela...
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Pamela continues her letter. Later, Mrs. Jervis confirmed to Pamela that Lady Davers and Mr. B were praising her. Lady Davers did suggest, however, that perhaps Pamela was...
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Letter 5
...with them so much when he delivers them. She has no news about going to Lady Davers ’s house yet, but she assures her parents that Mrs. Jervis treats her like a...
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Letter 7
...Mr. B was probably just dressing her nice to get her ready to go to Lady Davers ’s place. Pamela admits to her father that she was still uneasy about accepting the...
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Letter 9
...writes to her mother and father to tell them that she still hasn’t moved to Lady Davers place. Mr. B has apparently been stalling the move, claiming that he’s afraid Lady Davers’s...
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Letter 11
...hear him out. He asked if it’s true she’d prefer to go to his sister, Lady Davers . Pamela said she would—she was used to serving Lady B and would like to...
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Letter 20
...recent delay in her letters is because Mr. B has sent the footman John to Lady Davers ’s house. She continues her story from her last conversation with Mrs. Jervis. After that...
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Letter 24
...B told Mrs. Jervis that Pamela should stay at least long enough to see if Lady Davers needs her. But later, Pamela heard a rumor from Mr. Jonathan that on a different...
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The Journal
...Williams to help her find someone new to stay with who is more virtuous, perhaps Lady Davers . She promises to keep her correspondence with Mr. Williams secret.
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...women who might be able to host Pamela. He’ll also discreetly sent a letter to Lady Davers . Pamela instantly writes back to praise him for his good character. She also asks...
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...Mr. Williams and Pamela to marry). He plans to go to London with his sister, Lady Davers , for about three weeks, then will decide Pamela’s “fate” when he gets back.
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The Journal (continued)
...Jervis and Mr. Longman, blaming these servants for contributing to a rift between him and Lady Davers . He kisses Pamela’s hand and leaves, and Mrs. Jewkes promises to watch over her....
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...paid to get Mr. Williams out of jail. He then shows her a letter from Lady Davers . In the letter, Lady Davers says that Mr. B has caused a scandal by...
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Pamela finds Lady Davers ’s letter sad. She feels her family’s blood is just as pure as any rich...
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...riding with Pamela, and Mrs. Jewkes suddenly treats Pamela as respectfully as if she were Lady Davers . Still, in the back of her mind, Pamela still fears a sham-marriage. They talk...
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...week, they finally land on the next Thursday. Mr. B picks Mr. Williams to officiate. Lady Davers continues to disapprove, and her husband recently sent Mr. B a letter, which Mr. B...
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...his goodness, but she worries about how the wedding will affect Mr. B’s relationship with Lady Davers . Pamela feels that despite everything, Mr. B should try to maintain a good relationship...
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Mr. B says he doesn’t want to deal with Lady Davers until he and Pamela are back home at his main house in Bedfordshire. As they...
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...content at breakfast, but she tells Mr. B that he must eventually make amends with Lady Davers . He agrees. Meanwhile he requests that she continue to dress well, even after they’ve...
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...like to go visit the family of Simon Darnford. But before Pamela can do anything, Lady Davers herself arrives at the house with Lady Davers’s nephew Jackey. Lady Davers immediately begins interrogating...
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Lady Davers (who still doesn’t know about the marriage) is rude to Pamela and makes her cry....
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At dinner, Lady Davers pulls off Pamela’s glove and notices her wedding ring. She still doesn’t believe it to...
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Lady Davers refuses to drop the issue, insisting that Pamela and Mr. B must not be really...
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Lady Davers slaps Pamela’s hand to discipline her and tries to box her ear, but Mrs. Jewkes...
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Pamela tells Lady Davers that she is just as married as Lady Davers herself is, infuriating Lady Davers. Eventually,...
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...as Pamela describes the humiliation she suffered earlier that evening, all the guests agree that Lady Davers treated Pamela unfairly. Mr. B assures Pamela that he likes her just how she is.
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While Mr. B doesn’t approve of how Lady Davers treated Pamela, he believes his sister nevertheless has some good qualities. Pamela agrees that this...
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TUESDAY Morning, the Sixth of my Happiness. Lady Davers gets up early and knocks on the door to Mr. B’s room (where Pamela is...
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Mr. B tells Pamela that Lady Davers continued to be in denial, still believing that perhaps somehow Mr. B faked his wedding....
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...already married, Jackey was more accepting, figuring there was nothing else that could be done. Lady Davers just called Jackey foolish. Later, at dinner with Pamela there, Mr. B tries to raise...
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Lady Davers feels that Mr. B seems repentant about Sally Godfrey, so she decides she’s gone too...
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...forgive either of them, still too angry about the mention of Sally Godfrey. But when Lady Davers kisses Pamela in preparation to leave, Mr. B is moved. He puts aside his anger,...
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Lady Davers prepares to leave, and she kisses Pamela again. She says she hopes Mr. B’s neighbors...
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WEDNESDAY, the Seventh. Pamela goes to see Lady Davers in her room the next morning. Lady Davers asks if Pamela has loved Mr. B...
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Lady Davers says she believes Pamela will be a good wife and that she has also heard...
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...gives the servants at Lincolnshire their money, including Mrs. Jewkes, who cries with gratitude. SATURDAY. Lady Davers leaves on Thursday, making Pamela promise to send her part of her journal so that...
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...in the community who might benefit from charity. Pamela plans to send some papers to Lady Davers , but she’ll exclude her reflections on Lady Davers’s angry letter to Mr. B.
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...to think about it first. He begins telling Pamela the story of Sally Godfrey, which Lady Davers knew all along but which Lady B never knew. As Mr. B tells it, Sally...
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...achieves fame for her many virtues. Mr. B remains a kind and loyal husband, while Lady Davers is also affectionate. Finally, Miss Goodwin eventually grows up to marry a rich and worthy...
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...the story. Mr. B was a libertine, but his open-mindedness helped him overcome his past. Lady Davers was too proud, and this caused her to look ridiculous. Mr. Williams showed that even...
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