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WHEN WAS THE REGENCY?

he period of English history known as the Regency began in 1811 with the passing of a bill declaring the Prince of Wales to be on account of the madness of his father George III. The prince would go on to become TGeorge IV in 1820. But the term Regency is more generally applied to the period 1790-1830, especially in terms of style, fashion, and the arts. It was a period of turbulent change witnessing the French Revolution, the , and enormous change in with the rise of industrialisation, much of which led to social unrest. For the aristocracy however this was a time of high living, glamour, and luxury, famously captured in ’s novels, William Thackeray’sVanity Fair, and more recently in the Netflix production ofBridgerton . These years saw several generations of the living at Castle Howard, Frederick and Caroline, the 5th Earl and Countess of Carlisle; their son George and his wife Georgiana, Viscount and Viscountess Morpeth, and their large family of twelve children. MARY EVANS PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY

Fear swept across Europe after the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. , A Voluptuary under the horrors of digestion. In this caricature of 1792 George, Prince of Wales (1762-1830), is already depicted as a bloated glutton; at one point he weighed 20 stone (130 kg). PHOTO NETFLIXPHOTO

A scene from Netflix’s successful Regency drama , based on the novels by Julia Quinn. Here Lord Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page, brings his new bride, played by Phoebe Dynevor, to his seat, Clyvedon, where they are greeted on the steps by housekeeper Mrs Colson, played by Philippa Haywood. These sequences were filmed at Castle Howard in the summer of 2019. from Castle Howard

DAMN THE WHIGS THEY ARE ALL COUSINS

igh Society in Regency England was dominated by about 400 elite families who looked to maintain their wealth and power by inter-marrying. Not all of these Hwere arranged unions, they were often love matches, but for parents the social, financial, and political advantages would always be 1 a consideration. During these years the Howards built up an extraordinary network of connections across Britain, and many of these families shared their Whig 2 politics. For members of this privileged clan much of their time was occupied moving from one great house to another in a series of social, sporting, or political gatherings, as well as spending time in . It is little wonder that Tory prime minister Sir is said to have exclaimed ‘Damn the Whigs, they are all cousins’.

3 Houses and estates in the British Isles that became connected to Castle Howard by way of marriage in the 18th and 19th centuries. Each generation of children and grand-children extended this network of relationships.

1 Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland 4 2 Cawdor Castle, Nairnshire 3 Inverary Castle, Argyll 4 Howick Hall, Northumberland 5 Holker Hall, Cumbria 6 Bolton Abbey, 5 7 Goldsborough Hall, Yorkshire 6 7 8 Worsley Hall, Lancashire 8 9 9 , Yorkshire 10 Eaton Hall, Cheshire 26 11 Chatsworth, Derbyshire 11 12 Stone Park, Staffordshire 10 14 13 12 13 Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire 15 18 14 Haddon Hall, Derbyshire 27 16 17 15 Trentham, Staffordshire 16 Lilleshall, Shropshire 28 17 Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire 18 Holkham, Norfolk 19 20 19 Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire 21 20 Ampthill Park, Bedfordshire 21 Cliveden, Buckinghamshire 22 22 Longleat, Wiltshire 23 24 25 23 Quantock Lodge, Somerset, 24 Woolbeding, Sussex, 25 Compton Place, Sussex, 26 Carton House, Co Kildare 27 Gowran Castle, Co. Kilkenny 28 Lismore Castle, Co. Wexford from Castle Howard

DAMN THE WHIGS THEY ARE ALL COUSINS

etween 1802 and 1823 the 6th Countess of Carlisle gave birth to twelve children, six girls and six boys. For the best part of two decades she was, on average, pregnant every Beighteen months.

Harriet Georgiana Caroline

Under their mother’s guidance each girl made an advantageous match. Harriet married George Granville, 2nd Duke of Sutherland, one of the wealthiest men in England; Georgiana married MP George Agar-Ellis who was created Lord Dover in 1831; Caroline married William Lascelles, third son of the 2nd .

Blanche Elizabeth Mary

Georgiana’s three younger daughters followed likewise. Blanche revived the union between Castle Howard and Chatsworth when she married Georgiana’s nephew William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire; Elizabeth married into the Grey family of Howick Hall in Northumberland; Mary, the youngest, married MP and widower Henry Labouchere, who was created Lord Taunton. All Georgiana’s children reached adulthood, but two died in their twenties, Frederick who was killed in a carriage accident, and Blanche who died in 1840.

A pencil drawing of her three elder daughters, Harriet, Georgiana, and Caroline Howard, dated 1821. Three of her six sons remained bachelors including George the future 7th Earl. Within two years each girl had married. In time this meant that the title passed to his young nephew. from Castle Howard

THE FAIR MAID OF DERBYSHIRE

orn in 1783 Georgiana Cavendish (1783-1858) was the eldest daughter of the glamorous 5th Duchess of Devonshire of . In May 1800, as Georgiana turned Bseventeen, she was presented to society, first at Court and then in a giddy succession of balls, masquerades, and fetes. Her mother was a consummate socialite and went to great lengths to ensure her daughter was seen as a desirable bride and heiress. When presented to the Queen, Georgiana was dressed in white crepe trimmed with silk lace, and was wearing the famous Devonshire diamonds, but her mother did not allow her to wear rouge on her face. Young Georgiana was praised for her unpretentious manner and dancing skills, and during the course of 1800 two potential husbands emerged. The Duke of Bedford, who was twice her age, had already fathered a number of illegitimate children, as well as keeping two mistresses. He was charming and

wealthy, and his family were Whigs like the Cavendishes; he had also loaned the COLLECTIONS. DEVONSHIRE ©THE TRUSTEES. SETTLEMENT PERMISSION CHATSWORTH REPRODUCED OF BY Duchess £6,000 to clear her debts. His rival was the twenty-seven-year-old George Howard, known as Viscount Morpeth, eldest son of the 5th . He too was set on a political career but the Duchess considered him a little pompous. He had also had a liaison with Georgiana’s aunt, Lady Bessborough: such were the fluid boundaries of love and marriage in Regency times. In December Morpeth proposed to Georgiana and the following March they were married at Devonshire House in London. Once more Georgiana was dressed simply in a cambric muslin robe but if her dress was understated her jewellery was not, she wore a diamond necklace and ear-rings said to have cost £1,000. A month earlier the Duchess had taken her daughter shopping in London to order her trousseau, and the haberdashers’ bills alone came Portrait of Georgiana when she was 6th Countess of Carlisle in 1815, painted by George Sanders. to more than £3,000. The 5th Earl settled £5,000 on his son, and Georgiana’s She is holding a miniature of her mother who had died dowry from her father was 20,000 guineas (this might equate to £1.5 million nine years earlier. in today’s money). The young couple divided their time between Castle Howard, George Howard (1773-1848), at the time of his engagement to Georgiana Cavendish, when he was London, and staying with friends and family across the country. Viscount Morpeth, miniature by Henry Edridge c.1800.

A miniature version of Sir Joshua Reynolds’ famous double portrait of the Duchess of Devonshire and her baby daughter Georgiana in 1785. Georgiana brought this copy by the miniaturist William Grimaldi to Castle Howard after her marriage as a memento of her mother.

An early 19th-century view of Chatsworth by Thomas Allom. from Castle Howard

BURIED THREE TIMES

he on 18 June 1815 was one of the most momentous events during the Regency period. Many aristocratic families with officer sons in the army Twere affected, and as Byron wrote, ‘The havoc has not left a family out of its tender mercies’. One such casualty was Major Frederick Howard, son of the 5th Earl of Carlisle, who was an officer in the 10th Hussars. Late in the day he led a cavalry charge against retreating French forces at Waterloo but was hit by musket fire. Initially he was buried at Quatre Bras nearby, where there is a plaque commemorating him inside the church of St Joseph. But in August 1815 his remains were brought to England to be interred at Streatham. Byron remembered his cousin fondly: ‘Poor Frederick Howard, the best of his race, I never saw or heard but good of him’, he declared. After touring the site of Waterloo in 1816 he met an old school friend who had been at the battle and learned how Howard had been shot during a charge; half an hour afterwards he died in a house nearby. In his poemChilde Harold Byron bade farewell to ‘young, gallant Howard’: ‘There have been tears and breaking hearts for thee.’ In the same lines he also acknowledged ‘I did his sire some wrong’, alluding to his quarrel with Howard’s father. Howard left a widow and one young son; at the time of his death she was pregnant with their second child. More than sixty years later his body was moved for a third time and buried in the family mausoleum at Castle Howard.

Frederick Howard (1785-1815), pencil

portrait by John Jackson, c.1805. DOMINIQUE OF TIMMERMANS COURTESY PHOTOGRAPH The plaque to Howard in the church at Quatre Bras, one of thirty memorials commemorating British losses.

Howard was immortalised in Daniel Maclise’s famous depiction of Waterloo, The Meeting of Wellington and Blucher, in 1858-59. An engraving of the preparatory cartoon (for the finished mural in the ) shows three British infantrymen lifting the corpse of an officer of the Hussars from amongst the carnage. from Castle Howard

ADVENTURES ON THE CONTINENT Travelling with a Chicken

he 5th Earl’s eldest child Caroline Howard married In March 1815 the couple John Campbell of Stackpole Court, Pembrokeshire, learned of ’s escape in 1789. During the 1790s Cawdor was a captain in the from Elba, and whilst most TPembrokeshire Volunteers and helped repulse a French landing English tourists hurried north there; a year later he was created Baron Cawdor. for home she and her husband decided to continue their tour. In 1814 following the Treaty of Fontainebleau peace returned to Europe. One evening near Rome their After years of war tourists could cross the Channel, and the Cawdors set off carriage was accosted by two for a tour of the Continent. Lady Cawdor’s journal is a spirited account of her MUSEUMS©NATIONAL SCOTLAND/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES riders; fearing bandits, Lady journeys through France and Italy, and began in a colourful fashion as she Cawdor reached for the pistols described the ordeal of landing at Calais at low water, when a ‘parcel of absolute she carried with her, but in the savages, jabbering some strange dialect’ jostled around the vessel waiting dark she caught hold of a cold to carry passengers through the water before depositing them on wet sand. Dismayed by the poor food at inns and hotels, like a true Englishwoman Lady Cawdor frequently made tea for chicken leg instead, which She was disappointed with social gatherings in Paris which she found dull, herself using a portable kettle and tea service similar to this French travelling nécessaire of 1803. had been crammed into the especially as noble families were too poor to entertain properly after years coach compartment as a snack. of revolution and war. The couple journeyed north via Venice and Switzerland, arriving in Paris Crossing the Alps terrified her, and in Rome she was perplexed by the custom shortly after Waterloo, where she received confirmation of the death of her during carnival of showering people with sugar plums as a compliment. brother Frederick. REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF THE DOWAGER COUNTESS CAWDOR COUNTESS PERMISSIONDOWAGER THE REPRODUCED OF WITH

Like many tourists, when visiting Naples the Cawdors climbed nearby Mount Vesuvius. On their arrival the couple found the French capital filled with English troops, as recorded in this view by Lady Long in 1815.

Miniature of Lady Cawdor (1771-1848) by Henry Bone, c.1800, after a portrait by John Hoppner.

John Campbell, 1st Baron Cawdor (1755-1821) by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1778. from Castle Howard

THE IMPLACABLE POET I have lashed him with my rhymes

he 5th Earl of Carlisle’s mother, Isabella, came from the Byron family of Newstead Abbey, Nottinghamshire. In her later years she spent time in France much to the Tembarrassment of her son, who fruitlessly sent envoys to bring her back to England. But another member of the Byron family was PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY to cause him even greater problems. Carlisle was appointed guardian to his mother’s young grandnephew, the famous Romantic poet (1788-1824), whose fame and reputation captivated Regency society. Relations between the two men were never easy and in 1809 an enormous family row erupted. On coming of age Byron had expected Carlisle to assist his formal entry into the House of Lords with a personal introduction. Carlisle declined as the correct protocol was for Byron himself to present proof of his aristocratic lineage to the Chancellor. Byron took this as a snub, ‘Lord Carlisle has used me so infamously,’ he complained. He was so enraged he replaced his flattering description of Carlisle’s own abilities as a poet and playwright with new lines in his poem English Bards and Scotch Reviewers that savagely mocked Carlisle’s verses:

No muse will cheer with renovating smile The paralytic puling of Carlisle

Declaring that Carlisle’s rhymes only grew worse over time, and that his plays sent theatre audiences to sleep, he condemned his guardian as dull in youth and drivelling in age. Intermediaries, including the poet’s sister Augusta, asked Byron to apologise, but he nursed this grudge, which he called ‘a never to be adjusted family quarrel’. In 1814 he was still declaring, ‘This is no time for concessions’. The famous portrait of Byron in ‘Albanian’ costume by Thomas Philips, 1814.

The dedication from Byron to the 5th Earl in a later edition of his volume Hours of Idleness in 1820, marking a softening on his part with regard to the quarrel. MARY EVANS PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY COURTESY MUSEUM OF THE SHENANDOAH JULIAN WOOD GLASS VALLEY, JR. RON COLLECTION. BY BLUNT. PHOTO

The House of Lords in 1809. Byron was at fault as his guardian was never in a position to accelerate Portrait of the 5th Earl of Carlisle by George Romney, 1780-81. his entry into the House of Lords. The two men were never properly reconciled but in 1824 Carlisle sent his carriage to Byron’s funeral as a mark of respect. from Castle Howard

AN ACCIDENTAL PARSON

n the summer of 1809 the Howards acquired a new neighbour, clergyman and essayist Sydney Smith (1771-1845) who took up Ithe living at Foston, five miles from Castle Howard. After the pleasures and excitement of London Smith felt marooned in rural Yorkshire, and famously declared that it was ‘so far out of the way, that it was twelve miles from a lemon’. His introduction to the 5th Earl and Countess came about in dramatic circumstances when the couple’s coach became stuck in a nearby field. Carlisle and his wife were ushered into the rectory while locals rescued the carriage. This moment marked the start of a long friendship between Smith and the Howards. Somehow he was able to penetrate the stiff reserve of Carlisle, and in 1815 he reported: ‘We are become acquainted with Lord Carlisle, who has broke out this year into a fit of most extraordinary politeness towards his neighbours’. The two men shared a common interest in politics, religion, society, and even farming; Smith was also granted access to the library The rectory at Foston designed and built by Smith. at Castle Howard. At times they clashed, and Carlisle warned Smith that his witty opinions in conversation were one thing, but they could cause offence when they appeared in print: ‘For God’s sake consider that what often is forgiven from the tongue is not endured from the pen’, he counselled. As an essayist Smith invited attack from his opponents, and the older Carlisle cautioned: ‘Now this

PETER SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY world is a most tough old Lady, very like a whale, most difficult to harpoon and often upsets the boat which attempts it. No one ever undertook your voyage, who was not shipwrecked’. Smith also became friendly with the 6th Countess of Carlisle with whom he shared a light-hearted correspondence. Once, after pronouncing how bad the food at Harewood House had been, with poor potatoes and an insignificant salad, he sent her a basket of local potatoes but urged her to hide them from the greedy housekeeper Mrs Flynn. His very happiness he asserted ‘depended upon potatoes’. Smith described the delicate Georgiana as having lived all her days in the ‘greenhouse of prosperity’, and liable to shrink without such shelter. Like him, she was prone to low spirits, and in 1820 he sent her a list of twenty remedies All Saints Church, Foston. against melancholy.

Smith’s recommendations for physical and mental health included: An engraving of Smith from a portrait by J. Wright in 1817. Live as well (and drink as much wine) as you dare. Beneath the assured exterior he mocked himself as Be as busy as you can. ‘an accidental parson with no tap root in the soil’. See as much as you can of those friends who respect and like you. Make no secret of low spirits to your friends, but talk of them freely. Attend to the effects tea and coffee produce upon you. Don’t expect too much from human life – a sorry business at the best. Be as much as you can in the open air without fatigue. Make the room where you commonly sit gay and pleasant. Don’t be too severe upon yourself, or underrate yourself, but do yourself justice. Keep good blazing fires. from Castle Howard

GOOD MANNERS & HIGH SOCIETY

he was a time of polite manners, precise observance of etiquette, and exact social rituals. Wit, humour, and eloquence were prized, even more so if Tcarried lightly. Behind this elegant veneer lay a world that was full of double standards: it was acceptable for husbands and wives to have affairs – the offence was for them to become a public scandal; duelling, although illegal, was recognised as an honourable way for men to settle disputes, even if it resulted in death; refined conversation often masked insults; satires debunked folly and other human failings, and were even enjoyed by those who found themselves depicted in the caricatures of James Gillray or . In his later years the 5th Earl of Carlisle (1748-1826) penned an essay on politeness arguing for two kinds of good manners: ‘simple’ which meant taking care not to cause offence, and ‘refined’ which was about going out of one’s way to please people. Bad manners were defined by anti-social couples whispering and withdrawing from ‘that easy vehicle of life, general talk’. Gillray’s famous satire of 1792 on A particular bugbear was punctuality and he condemned mothers who excused the Duke of , with his buckled shoes resting between the dainty their daughter’s late arrival at dinner: not only was this rude but ‘the honour slippers of the Duchess. of the cuisine was at stake’, and as conversation dried up the gloom of silence The fatal result of a duel with was invariably ‘disturbed by the audible lamentations of empty stomachs’. pistols, a scene from The Life of a Nobleman, c.1830. PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY On the other hand young Georgiana Howard found her grandfather entertaining and not always a reactionary figure. He felt that women should not have to give up drawing and music when they became married; he also believed it was not always a good thing for parents to determine marriages for their children. Matches arranged from an early age could only lead to unhappiness, it was far better for young women to ‘know and see something of the world’, and be better judges for themselves.

During his lifetime the 5th Earl witnessed changes in fashion and etiquette, but the ritual of courteous greetings and farewells, especially towards women, remained the same. Attention to these social niceties also demonstrated one’s own good breeding. Print by Henry Heath, c.1830. MARY EVANS PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY from Castle Howard

BALLS, ROUTS & SUPPERS How soon it is at an end!

or aristocratic society (or the Haut Ton as it was known) the first half of the year was dominated by the Season. Families would forsake their country seats for the capital Fwhere the social calendar revolved around securing husbands for daughters. The most important thing was to be seen, and to make an impression: best of all was to be written up in the newspapers.

In this competitive milieu hostesses would worry over their guest lists – it was ©MUSÉE CARNAVALET/ROGER-VIOLLET/MARY EVANS normal for several hundred people to be invited, and the presence of royalty and foreign dignitaries was prized. As with any party, decoration and food were also important. One thousand people were invited to the Duchess of Devonshire’s ball in June 1800, where the interiors were perfumed with flowers and citrus trees. The Duchess of Gordon filled her home with laurel leaves, roses, and honeysuckle; and the Marchioness of Abercorn created a pastoral scene of hop fields in her house in Grosvenor Square. A society ball in a large drawing room in 1819, with couples dancing and men asking ladies for a dance. Typically a private ball, or ‘rout’, would start at 10.00pm. In the early hours dancing would pause for supper, a light meal that might be seasonal fruits and pink silk muslin turban with gold spangles in bunches worn by the 5th Countess jellies. In 1801 the Marchioness of Abercorn served turtle soup, asparagus, and of Carlisle. Lilac and silver were popular colours but gowns would be embellished French beans: whereas Mrs Milne presented an array of pineapples, peaches, with splashes of colour, stripes, or flower patterns. The press would diligently and nectarines. An hour later dancing would resume before ending around record who attended and describe the costumes worn by ladies. 5.00am when guests departed. The Earl and Countess of Carlisle were frequent guests at these fashionable Ladies followed the fashion of the day, at the Devonshire ball white and silver gatherings, as were their son Viscount Morpeth and his new wife Georgiana. dresses were complemented by diamonds or pearls, and exotic headwear, like the They would also enjoy occasional dances at Castle Howard.

In addition to private gatherings public balls were frequently held. These might be by subscription, open to ticket-holders, or they might mark official occasions, such as the Lord Mayor’s Ball at the Mansion House, London, in 1825, depicted by Robert Cruikshank. ©FLORILEGIUS/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES ©FLORILEGIUS/BRIDGEMAN from Castle Howard MARY EVANS PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY

Dancing a quadrille, two fashionable couples at Almack’s assembly rooms in London, c.1815. DANCING The most enchanting of all human amusements

ancing was central to social life in Regency England. It was so important that for many people Waterloo was famous not for Wellington’s victory over Napoleon but for the Duchess of Richmond’s celebrated ball held Din Brussels on the eve of the battle. The most popular dances of the day were square dances such as the cotillon and quadrille performed by four couples, and which involved light, skipping movements; these dances were suitable for drawing rooms as well as large ballrooms. Scottish reels, where sequences of dancers would weave amongst themselves, were another popular dance. Around 1810 the waltz became fashionable in England, a more intimate dance that involved couples embracing as they glided across the floor. The etiquette of dancing was fastidious, and balls were often supervised by a master of ceremonies; a young woman had to be asked by a man and this was only after he had met the approval of her elders. The pleasure of dancing, quite apart from the exertion, was physical contact, allowing couples to communicate through shared movement, and the waltz even permitted discreet conversation. In this most public of settings private exchanges were possible.

The Duchess of Richmond’s ball as depicted by Robert Alexander Hillingford in the 1870s. TRUSTEES OF THE GOODWOOD COLLECTION GOODWOOD THE OF TRUSTEES ©BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES.

Couples performing a waltz from Thomas Wilson’s Correct Method of Waltzing, 1816. from Castle Howard

WHAT TO WEAR Dress is a frivolous distinction

he beginning of the saw a transformation it dominated ladies’ fashion in Britain for in male and female fashions. Clothes had long been over twenty years. However, by the 1820s the waistline was gradually descending, and

used to signal status and influence, and expensive attire IMAGES BRIDGEMAN Tshowed how the wearer was above physical work. In the aftermath petticoats became fuller, a precursor to the of the revolution in France the extravagant fashions of the aristocracy return to wide skirts in the . were rejected. Ladies were expected to dress appropriately at all times, with different categories of For men this marked a departure from ostentatious outfits full of colour and clothes for various times of day. ‘Undress’ frills, knee breeches, and powdered wigs. In Britain there was a new emphasis was informal daywear, and required the on meticulous tailoring and muted colours. Breeches were replaced by trousers, arms, wrists and neck to be completely wigs discarded, and cravats elaborately knotted. A slim physique was better covered. There were variations on this suited to this style, and by the 1820s many young men wore corsets to achieve style depending on the activity, whether an idealised figure. at home or out walking or shopping. ‘Full Fashionable women of the late 18th century wore decorated, hooped gowns dress’ was worn for evening events, such with a narrow waist, accompanied by tall hairstyles with long feathers. as formal dinner parties and balls, and was As with male fashions, events on the Continent led to a move away from such characterised by short sleeves and very low- decadent styles. From the early 1800s women looked to the ancient world for cut necklines. ‘Half-dress’ was somewhere inspiration and, mimicking classical sculpture, their dresses were now made in between, a fancier version of ‘Undress’, from free-flowing fabrics such a muslin and crepe, with a very high waist that perhaps with richer fabrics and trimmings, sat just below the breasts. The relative comfort of this new style ensured that worn for less formal occasions.

George ‘Beau’ Brummell (1778-1840) is credited with instigating the changes in men’s fashion in the Regency period. He was the archetypal dandy, a man preoccupied by appearance and known for his witty, nonchalant manner. MARY EVANS PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY PICTURE EVANS MARY LIBRARY

Miniature of Lady Cawdor by Francois Ferrière, 1795. She is wearing a fashionable white dress and turban embellished with pearls, and diamond ear-rings.

Two young women in evening and walking dresses, 1819. A pink ball dress of 1823. from Castle Howard

ENTERTAINING AT CASTLE HOWARD

ompared to grand events in London, gatherings at Castle Howard were more modest affairs where small parties of guests might be joined for the evening by local worthies. CIn 1818 Grand Duke Michael, brother to the Tsar of Russia, came to dinner, and each autumn the 5th Earl would hold a house party. After assembling in the Great Hall dinner would be held in one of the state rooms if numbers were small, or in the newly furbished Long Gallery for larger groups. Dinner was the main meal of the day and it was fashionable to dine around 7.00pm. As a host the 5th Earl could be charming as well as intimidating. When Harriet Granville and her husband stayed in 1813 she described him sitting ‘like a nightmare’ at the head of the table, eating his own bowl of soup which he did not offer to share with anyone; the difficult atmosphere was only broken by his wife chattering and laughing nervously. Dinners at Castle Howard were ‘insufferable’ Harriet declared.

The Regency diet focused heavily on meat. At Castle Howard beef was reared on the estate, like these prize-winning oxen in 1838.

The meal was governed by rigid etiquette, your place at table governed by social For the grand finale of dessert, silver would be swapped for porcelain like this standing. Food was served à la française, with all the dishes for each course Crown Derby botanical service, often these services would include an elaborate arranged in the centre for diners to help themselves. Here the table at Castle centrepiece to display exotic fruits. Howard is set with dishes and plates from a service commissioned from the London silversmith Paul Storr between 1807 and 1812. PETER SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY from Castle Howard

ENTERTAINING AT CASTLE HOWARD

Following dinner guests would retire to hold polite conversation or play card games such as whist or quadrille, as in this engraving of 1798 by Jean Bosio, depicting a convivial French drawing room. BRIDGEMAN IMAGES BRIDGEMAN ©THE BRITISH SPORTING ART TRUST/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

Guests might listen to a piano or harp recital, possibly one of Georgiana’s compositions. If dancing Men might retire to gamble, and play at billiards, cards or backgammon. Huge sums could be lost or took place a small band of musicians would be hired, and a light supper would usually be served at won; the young 5th Earl nearly bankrupted the family with his debts, but in 1810 the 6th Countess’s the end of the evening. In this watercolour of a society drawing room, c.1830, a footman is bringing brother-in-law won more than £1,000 over ten days. This print of 1823 advised the unlucky on how refreshment to the room. to bear their losses. from Castle Howard

Exhibition Acknowledgements

Castle Howard would like to thank the following for their support and assistance towards Regency Episodes from Castle Howard.

Bridgeman Images Susanna Feder Warren Butson The Dowager Countess Cawdor Graham Griffith The Chatsworth Settlement Trustees Mary Evans Picture Library Tom Gillmor Lucinda Gosling Jessica Talmage The Trustees of the Goodwood Collection James Peill Barrie and Sue Kaye Netflix The Shenandoah Valley Museum Nicholas Powers Peter Smith Photography Den Stubbs Dominique Timmermans CLW Event Design Charlotte Lloyd Webber Adrian Lillie