How a reader broke down a research brick wall
Dating agencies, and their online equivalents, are not a modern invention. From at least Tudor times, parish priests would dabble in matchmaking by introducing people of similar social standing.
Commercial agencies emerged in Britain in the early 19th century, attracting clients who often valued class and income far higher than a good sense of humour. Greta Nicholls was surprised to discover that her great grandfather Mortimer Skates ran a dating agency that hit the headlines in 1895.
