GET OUT AND ABOUT

Becoming the social butterfly of the season

There were a variety of activities to keep the ton entertained while in London for the season, such as card parties, museums, horse races, dinner parties, rides in the park, and the theatre. The more you were out and about, the more opportunities you had to socialise with others.

A classic season activity was to go promenading – a leisurely walk in a public place – allowing you to see and been seen by other members of high society. Courting couples would often promenade together, always in the presence of a chaperone, to show off their relationship.

Ladies and gentleman would also find themselves clamouring to be accepted into a range of exclusive social clubs in the city. The most famous and exclusive of them all was Almack’s Assembly Rooms, also known as ‘the Marriage Mart’, where gentlemen would look for a suitable bride.

Almack’s was run by the Lady Patronesses, the six or seven most influential ladies of the ton. These ladies decided who could be admitted into Almack’s to attend the club’s weekly ball and you could only purchase a voucher with their permission. This voucher could also be taken away by the Patronesses if they deemed you were not worthy after all, something that amounted to social disaster.

Their control over the club did not sit well with everyone, with Captain Gronow, a Welsh Grenadier Guards officer and writer, claiming “the female government of Almack’s was a pure despotism and subject to all the caprices of despotic rule”.

Another popular place to go was London’s public pleasure gardens, such as the iconic Vauxhall Gardens. Visited by people from all social classes, these pleasure gardens hosted concerts, masquerades, costume balls, fireworks, amusement rides and even zoos – some even offered hot air balloon rides. However, under the cover of darkness the gardens also offered an opportunity for couples to mingle without a chaperone or even sneak off, something that would cause a huge scandal if they were caught.