Romantic Love in Words and Objects During Courtship and Adultery C
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1 Romantic Love in Words and Objects during Courtship and Adultery c. 1730 to 1830 Sally Anne Holloway Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in the History Department, Royal Holloway, University of London 2013 2 Table of Contents Page Declaration of Authorship 4 Abstract 5 Acknowledgements 6 List of Figures and Tables 7 Conventions and Abbreviations 13 Chapter One: Introduction 16 Chapter Two: ‘Many hearts did I see exchanged for fairings of cherry 53 colour’d ribbon:’ Courting Couples and the Material Expression of Affection Chapter Three: ‘I opened, I read, and I was delighted:’ the Emotional 90 Experiences of Love Letters Chapter Four: ‘Perhaps it may be best to burn this:’ Secret Codes, 123 Disappearing Ink and Adulterous Exchanges Chapter Five: ‘Sensibility must be Love’s best advocate:’ Shaping the 157 Language of Romantic Love Chapter Six: ‘Oh fatal love, what mischiefs dost thou occasion:’ 195 Heartbroken Women and Suicidal Men Chapter Seven: ‘Engagement to marry is not merly a spiritual matter:’ 229 Breach of Promise Cases in the Common Law Chapter Eight: Conclusion 263 3 Appendix One: Index of Relationships Consulted 275 Appendix Two: Detailed Biographical Index of Key Couples 289 Appendix Three: Breach of Promise Cases in the Common Law Courts 311 1730 to 1830 Bibliography 328 4 Declaration of Authorship I, Sally Holloway hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly stated. Signed: Sally Holloway Date: 22 nd July 2013 5 Abstract This thesis explores romantic love during premarital and extramarital relationships in England between c. 1730 and 1830. It is situated within the fields of Cultural History, Gender History, the History of Emotions, Marriage, the Life-Cycle and Material Culture. It uses evidence from sixty-eight different relationships, from which twenty-seven were selected for detailed scrutiny. These include both courting and adulterous couples, which have previously been problematically elided by historians. It draws upon a broad source base, including letters, material objects, newspaper reports, novels, ballads, poetry, prints, paintings, religious texts, medical treatises and court records. After the historiographical introduction in Chapter One, Chapter Two explores the indispensable role played by creating, exchanging and physically handling love tokens on the path to matrimony. Chapter Three reveals the quasi- public nature of love letters, the myriad dichotomies between male and female epistles, and the haptic power of letters as material objects. Chapter Four unearths the secret codes and disappearing ink utilised by adulterous couples, outlining the unique features of the language of forbidden love. Chapter Five challenges preconceptions of romantic love as ‘innate’ or ‘transhistorical’ by outlining the religious, medical and literary developments shaping conceptions and expressions of love. The final two chapters focus on the darker side of love; Chapter Six argues that languishing from heartbreak was redefined as a uniquely female malady from the mid-1750s, while men were expected to resist to maintain their pride and self- control. Chapter Seven charts the evolution of breach of promise actions under the common law, and the objects invoked as ‘proof’ of an attachment. The thesis recognises that the understanding and expression of romantic love was historically and culturally contingent upon social and cultural shifts. It locates romantic relationships firmly within the material world, as letters and tokens guided couples from initial intimacy to a deeper emotional connection. 6 Acknowledgements The enthusiasm and encouragement of Amanda Vickery provided the catalyst I needed to embark upon this thesis and enter academia. She has inspired me to develop my confidence, arguments, research profile and wardrobe (!) over the past three years, providing a role model for female historians with her oft-repeated motto ‘Floreat Clio!’ My advisor Jane Hamlett has provided much-needed support at key moments during my PhD, and has provided insightful comments on more papers, chapters and applications than I can count. The incisive criticisms of Ludmilla Jordanova were also essential in crafting the MA dissertation at King’s College London which laid the foundations for this thesis. I have found immeasurable friendship and encouragement in my fellow students Antonia Brodie, Polly Bull, Alice Dolan, Leonie Hannan, Tul Israngura Na Ayudhya, Mia Jackson, Kat Rawlings, Beth Robinson and Ya-Lei Yen. Leonie and Tul, plus Judith Hawley, Sarah Lloyd, Markman Ellis and Susan Whyman have generously read drafts of my chapters. Hannah Greig, Hi’ilei Hobart, Joelle Del Rose, Sarah LaVigne, Jacqui Livesey, India Mandelkern and Sally Osborn have also helpfully sent me references, photographs and even transcripts of sources. Tul in particular has been untiring in sharing archival sources, providing a breath of fresh air in a discipline where so many scholars zealously guard their material. I am grateful to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding my doctoral research, and the Friendly Hand Charitable Trust for funding vital research trips. Everyone at the British History in the Long Eighteenth Century Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, and the Centre for the History of the Emotions at Queen Mary has asked searching questions and suggested new resources and approaches which have greatly aided the development of this project. The completion of a thesis relies on an immense amount of personal support, and I must thank Belinda Narayanan and Edward Peel for occasionally dragging me away from it. My research has been built upon the unwavering love and belief of Lesley, Peter, Caroline and Iris Holloway. My parents have made every sacrifice they could in providing for my education and helping me to achieve my dreams. Finally, for his seemingly limitless generosity, encouragement and culinary talents, I must thank Dexter Bonner, who is the subject of my own love story. 7 List of Figures and Tables The following institutions have kindly granted permission to reproduce images in this thesis; the Bedford Archives Service, Birmingham Museums Trust, British Museum, Derbyshire Record Office, Fairfax House, Lewis Walpole Library, Lockdale Coins Ltd, London Metropolitan Archives, Museum of London, National Gallery Picture Library, National Maritime Museum, National Trust, Paul Mellon Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, Washington State University, Wellcome Collection and Winterthur Museum. Fig. 1 – Richard Newton, Matrimonial Speculation , London, 1792, hand-coloured etching, 47.6 x 74.7 cm, British Museum, London, AN179207001, © The Trustees of the British Museum. Fig. 2 – William Hogarth, Marriage A-la Mode: 1, The Marriage Settlement, England, c. 1743, oil on canvas, 69.9 x 90.8cm, The National Gallery, London, NG113. Fig. 3 – William Edwards after WM Craig, Hot spiced gingerbread , London, 1804, engraving, 20 x 27cm, Museum of London, 001132. Fig. 4 – Mother and daughter selling oysters from baskets on their heads, Plate 10 from The Twelve Cries of London , 1760, 20 x 27cm, Museum of London, 008704. Fig. 5 – Thomas Rowlandson, Extract from Sports of a Country Fair: Part the Second , London, 1810, hand-coloured etching, plate mark 24.1 x 35.1cm, Lewis Walpole Library, Farmington, CT, 810.10.05.02. Fig. 6 – Giles Grendey, walnut chairs with needlepoint depiction of the four stages of courtship, London, c. 1725, seat 46cm (D) x 55cm (W front) x 48cm (W back), chair 105cm (H), Fairfax House, York. Fig. 7 – Pink and brown ribbon left as a token for foundling no. 8,857, a female infant admitted on 10 th June 1758, London Metropolitan Archives, A/FH/A/9/1/115. 8 Fig. 8 – Blue ribbon with scalloped edge left as a token for foundling no. 7,846, a female infant named Jane, on 24 th March 1758, London Metropolitan Archives, A/FH/A/9/1/90. Fig. 9 – A bunch of yellow, blue green and pink silk ribbons cut by clerks to identify foundling no. 170, a female infant admitted on 9 th December 1743, London Metropolitan Archives, A/FH/A/9/1/3. Fig. 10 – George Morland, Johnny Going to the Fair , Great Britain, late eighteenth century, oil on canvas, 45.7cm (H) x 34.3cm (W), Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 541-1882. Fig. 11 – Detail of men’s champagne ribbed silk waistcoat embroidered with roses, ribbons and sequins, 1775-85, Charles Paget Wade Collection, Snowshill Manor, National Trust Collections Online, 1349012, © National Trust / Richard Blakey. Fig. 12 – Detail of men’s cream silk tabby waistcoat embroidered with acorns and oak leaves, 1780-90, Charles Paget Wade Collection, Snowshill Manor, National Trust Collections Online, 1349025, © National Trust / Richard Blakey. Fig. 13 – John Field, Silhouette of an Unknown Man, watercolour on ivory set in a bracelet of woven hair , England, c. 1810, 3.2cm (H) x 2.1cm (W), Victoria and Albert Museum, London, P.169-1922. Fig. 14 – William Ward after George Morland, The Pledge of Love , London, 1788, mezzotint, 38 x 27.5cm, British Museum, London, AN189747001, © The Trustees of the British Museum. Fig. 15 – Anonymous, Eye Miniature, England, c. 1790-1820, watercolour on ivory with pearls and diamonds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, P.56-1977. Fig. 16 – Isaac Cruikshank, The Illustrious Lover, or the D. of Cumberland done over , London, 1804, coloured etching with watercolour, Wellcome Library, London, 12198i. 9 Fig. 17 – ‘Engraved Georgian Halfpenny Love Token: George