sb. [f. as prec. + -ESS1. Cf. ESQUIRESS.] A female squire; the wife of a squire or country gentleman.
Freq. in 19th c., esp. coupled with squire.
1823. T. Moore, Fables Holy Alliance, 176. The Squires and their Squiresses all, With young Squirinas just come out.
1834. Ritchie, Wand. Seine, 68. An attorney’s wife who suddenly finds herself … the squiress and lady of the manor.
1880. Burgon, Twelve Good Men (1888), II. 35. The squiress who was also the Lady-Bountiful of the village.
So Squiress v. intr. (with it), to play the squiress. rare–1.
1786. Anna Seward, Lett. (1811), I. 109. Your old acquaintance,… who married a Warwickshire squire,… squiresses it with much loquacious importance.
