Pada Abad Pertengahan, [[Margaret ofdari FrancePrancis, QueenPermaisuri of EnglandInggris|MargaretMargareta, ofputri FranceRaja Prancis yang menjadi Permaisuri Inggris]], diketahui didampingi tujuh orang perwara yang terdiri atas tiga orang perwara yang sudah berkeluargabersemenda, yang disebut ''Domina'', dan empat orang [[dayang kehormatan|dayang-dayang]], tetapi keberadaan perwara utama tidak disebutkan,<ref>William J. Thoms: The Book of the Court: Exhibiting the History, Duties, and Privileges of the English Nobility and Gentry. Particularly of the Great Officers of State and Members of the Royal Household, 1844</ref> and until the 15th century, the majority of the officeholders of the Queen's household were still male.<ref name="erenow.com">Alison Weir: ''[http://erenow.com/biographies/elizabethofyork/15.html Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828061924/https://erenow.com/biographies/elizabethofyork/15.html |date=28 August 2017 }}''</ref>
As late as in the mid-15th century, [[Elizabeth Woodville]] had only five ladies-in-waiting,<ref name="erenow.com"/> but in the late 15th century and early 16th century, ladies-in-waiting were given a more dominant place at the English court, in parallel with developments in France and the continental courts. The court life of the Duchy of Burgundy served as an example when [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] created the ''Black Book of the Household'' in 1478,<ref name="Duindam date? page?"/> and the organisation of the English royal household was essentially set from that point onward.{{sfn|Gosman|Macdonald|Vanderjagt|p=}}{{page needed |date=April 2017}}
