So what shall we do tonight?

Jo here, apologizing for being late. We have heavy rain predicted -- it's just starting, in fact -- and I've been trying to get some planting out and sowing ahead of it.

I'm talking today about parties, which fits a holiday Monday. That is, social events in the London season. Whilst researching something else, I discovered records of events during 1817 (time period for next year's Regency, A Shocking Delight) in the Morning Chronicle.

Here we go!

We ladies here would not have been invited to commemorate Mr Pitt's birthday on May 28th, but it would seem that an excessively good time was had by all! That was Pitt the Younger, BTW, prime minister at aged 24.

They enjoyed their dinner, then "After the cloth was drawn Non Nobis Domine was sung "(that's the touching song from the end of the film of Henry V sung as they're clearing the corpses after Agincourt. It starts at about 1.40.) It's a sensitive song, so I hope they sang it thoughtfully.

Then the toasts. As you'll see there are a lot. No wonder they got through many bottles of wine! Also, a lot of singing. I can't imagine how long it all took!
The King, with three times three -- song and full cheers, God Save the  King.
The Prince Regent, with three times three -- song Glee -- Hail! Star of Brunswick.
The Queen, with three times three, Glee,Glorious Apollo
The Duke of York, and other branches of the family 3x3, Song When Vulcan Forged.
Toast to Pitt, 3x3 Song, The Pilot that Weathered the Storm.
The Navy, song and chorus, Rule Britannia
The House of Brunswick and may they never forget the principles which  seated them on the Throne of These Realms (nice dig there!), 3x3 Glee The King and the  Church
His Grace the Duke of Wellington, 3x3 See the Conquering Hero Comes
Ministers 3x3 "No Longer To France"
The Protestant Ascendancy, Britons Great And Brave.

I bet they all needed carrying home after that!

Now on to some events ladies could have attended in early June 1817.

Which would you choose, assuming you received an invitation?

Most reports were after the event, and I suspect the hostess, or rather a minion, sent a report to the newspaper. As you'll see, some over-egg it a bit, as they say over here. A few are ahead of the event, and I'm not quite sure what the purpose of that was, as I assume they didn't want gate-crashers.

Note the word "fashionables" which I hadn't come across before.

The Marchioness of Salisbury gave an elegant conzervatione in Arlington Sreet

Lady Castlereagh entertained a select party of fashionables with a grand supper on Saturday evening, after the opera, at her residence in  St James's Square.

The Countess Dowager of Clermont had a card party on Saturday evening  at her house in Berkeley Square

Lady Hampden entertained a select circle of fashionables yesterday evening at her house in Green Street, Grosvenor Square

Mrs. Fitzherbert gives a grand ball and supper this evening at her  residence in Tilney Street.
(I assume this is the Mrs. Fitzherbert.)

Not the right sort of ball, but a slight idea.

Lady Hyde Parker has a large assembly on Thursday next at her house in  Cumberland Place

(There really were people called "Hyde Parker" which sounds so made up!)

The Countess of Mansfield gave a large rout on Thursday at her  residence in Pall Mall.

The Dowager Countess of Essex has a card party on Wednesday at her  house in Curzon Street, Mayfair

The Countess of Mingden gives a grand rout on Friday next at her residence in Gloucester Place

Mrs Boehm has issued cards of invitation for a grand masked ball on the 19th instant at her house in St James's Square

Mrs Anson has issued cards for a large rout on the 15th at her house  in Queen Street.

The Marquess  and Marchioness of Abercorn gave a grand entertainment on Wed at their  residence in Stratford Place.

(It's more normal for the event to be under the name of the lady, who is the hostess.)

TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cumberland gave a large entertainment yesterday atCumberland House
Lady Halford gives a grand ball this evening at her house in Curzon  Street.

Mrs. Robinson gave a splendid rout yesterday evening at her house in  Albemarle Street, which was very numerously attended.

Lady Codrington gives a grant rout tomorrow evening at her house in  Charles Sreet, Berk Square

The Dowager Countess of Cork has a large assembly tomorrow evening at  her house in Burlington Street

Mrs. Bevill had a grand musical party last night at her house in King   Street, Portman Square, which was attended by a very elegant assemblage of  distinguished fashionables.

The Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley give a grand entertainment tomorrow to a  large party of distinction at Cholmondeley House. The link will take you to an 18th century picture of this house. I can't be sure it was still there is 1817, but it seems likely. Suited to a grand entertainment.

Count and Countess Lieven entertained a select party of fashionables yesterday  evening at their house in Harley Street.

(Here's the over-egg. An over-anxious hostess, perhaps, desperate to impress those who failed to accept an invitation?)
The Lady of Sir William Clayton, Bart, gave an elegant quadrille ball  on Tuesday evening at her house in Gloucester Square. The interior was  fitted up in a nouvelle and beautiful style. A temporary room was  erected in the garden, parallel with the first flight of the grand  staircase. This apartment was fitted up as a Turkish tent. The two  draw rms were brilliantly illuminated and appropriated for the  dancing, which commenced at 11 o clock, and was kept up tll nearly 5  
in the morning.

 

It is rather a nice overview of a society ball, however, and shows how even an elegant London town house was too small for a ball without expansion. That's Grosvenor Square above.

So, what takes your fancy?

Do you have any questions about the above? Did anything surprise you? The term "fashionables" surprised me.

Happy partying!

Jo

http://www.jobev.com

 

 

Comments

[Mary Jo Putney]

This gives me an idea of why the Season was such a rush of events! I can see that the party for Pitt, while short of women had no lack of wine and song. *G*

Now that I think of it, I'm not sure I've ever seen "fashionables" used like this, but it's such a useful and appropriate description here that I might not even have noticed it as unusual if you hadn't pointed it out.

Just reading about all that socializing brings out the introvert in me!

[HJ]

I do think a "rout" sounds such fun. I wonder if that's because it reminds me of "riot"?

[Jo Beverley]

LOL, HJ. I think like that, too. I'm not sure why they used that word (they also used "drum", which is also a bit military.)

It was an event where people turned up, greeted the hostess, moved through rooms chatting, and left. It was a way of reciprocating a lot of invitations without a ball, and needed no extra space. Except that apparently they cleared away most of the furniture! To where, I don't know.

[Lil]

I'm feeling a bit weary this morning so I think I will opt for one of the card parties and rest my feet. If I temper my indulgence in wine and keep count of the cards, I may even come out a winner at whist. :-)

[Maria M.]

The description of the rout reminds me of National Day Receptions in Embassy residences that I have attended. Usually most of the furniture is removed on those occasions (to the private rooms) to make more space. If there is too much of it, you can have a moving company temporarily store it.

[Donna]

I second Mary Jo's "introvert" comment! ;-) It was fun to read the actual record of the events. The surprise for me was the picture of Grosvenor Square - I had never seen one and I think I pictured it more like our historical district downtown - larger mansions with at least some lawn and beautiful gardens.

[Jo Beverley]

Maria, I would say it's exactly like those receptions. It was a see and be seen, duty visit sort of thing.

[Jo Beverley]

Donna, Grosvenor Square is a square, so there are gardens in the middle, but the houses are nearly all in terraces, as was true of most new housing built in London in the late Georgian and Regency period.

Land in the fashionable areas was expensive.

The houses in the picture were large. Most Regency terraces were narrower with fewer rooms.

[Cynthia Kirk]

Non Nobis Domine was our school song, sung as a canon every speech day. Its origin is supposedly medieval - possibly connected to the Knights Templar. The canon is apparently sixteenth century in origin, more simple than some other versions I have heard and the most widely used, so maybe this was the version sung for Pitt's birthday. How very solemn - no 'Happy Birthday to you, squashed tomatoes and stew...'

Cynthia K

[LouisaCornell]

What a wonderful and informative post, Jo! I think I might like the dancing, but eventually my feet would demand I settle for an evening of whist and gossip!

I do love all of the singing involved at Pitt's birthday party. I am afraid the old-fashioned singalong has gone the way of the dodo which is a real shame.

[Jane Lark]

What a great portrayal, thanks for sharing, it’s a real insight into Regency life 

Jane

[Ella Quinn]

You weren't nearly as late as I am. It's interesting how many routs and card parties there were. Thanks for the post!!

[Nancy]

Why the House of Brunswick? The prince Regent was of the house of Hanover, wasn't he? His wife and aunt were of the House of Brunswick but neither he nor his father were.

[Jo Beverley]

Nancy, it was an alternate term for the House of Hanover, which was Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg

Jo