Imogen Holst, Rosamund Strode, and Colin Matthews, who all served in the amanuensis role to Benjamin Britten, represent an important but often overlooked tradition of musical assistantship. This chapter traces the professionalisation of that position with Britten from one of close personal friendship with the composer, in the case of Holst, to something more formal when considering Strode and Matthews. Understanding the relationship between these individuals, alongside their contributions to the culture which surrounded Britten and his music at Aldeburgh, uncovers a rich tapestry of interconnections underscoring the collaborative nature of Britten’s achievements while also revealing how these figures contributed to the composer’s legacy.

Chapter 2 takes up the question of gendered labour via an investigation into five women editors involved with Frederick Furnivall’s New Shakspere Society (NSS) during the late nineteenth century. Focusing in particular on the story of Teena Rochfort Smith, it addresses problematic elements of Furnivall’s relationships with the women he mentored, offering a new reading of this seminal figure for the #MeToo era. It reveals the identity of Jane Lee, previously known only as the author of an NSS paper on the Henry VI plays, and discusses Emma Gollancz and Elizabeth Lee, sisters and collaborators of two major Shakespeare editors, and Charlotte Stopes, who suffered both personally and professionally for her unwillingness to subordinate herself and her ambitions to male colleagues.