[2] Ida Arenhold was born in Herzberg am Harz, a small country town between Hanover and Göttingen.

In 1822, after a long illness, her mother died: Ida was left to take charge of her father's substantial household and look after her seven younger siblings.

With seven other women, also from upper Middle-class backgrounds, Ida Arenhold was inspired by the pioneering work of Amalie Sieveking in Hamburg to set up, in Hanover, the "Frauenverein für Armen- und Krankenpflege" ("Women's association for the care of the poor and sick") with the stated objective of supporting people helping themselves ("Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe").

The members met regularly, with Arenhold chairing their meetings between 1840 and 1863, in order to discuss how best to deal with individual cases.

[3] The basic records of their practical help were set out in a "Minute Book" in which the ladies made notes about their house visits.

[2] British custom disregarded the Salic law, as a result of which Hanover and Britain no longer shared a single monarch.

The name, which has remained unchanged for one and three quarter centuries, honoured the memory of Queen Frederica who had died three years earlier.