Post by Vic on Oct 29, 2008 7:34:16 GMT -5
Hi All,
I received a rather interesting question on my blog, and I've been mulling the topic over in my mind. The question from a young student assumed that the Regency rich led indolent lives because they could not work and because they had money to burn.
I want to craft a series of responses that deal with the complexities of Regency society. The peerage followed a standard code of conduct and adhered to a rigid order of precedence. Within the upper ten thousand, however, one ran across a gamut of behaviors, from responsible people who pursued magnificent careers to the profligates who squandered their fortunes.
I would love this group's input about regency society, and why people behaved as they did, and thank you in advance! Below sits my partial answer to the young student:
The rich indulged back then for the same reasons that they do today: conspicuous consumption meant power. Also, there was an element of keeping up with the Jonese's and being the first on the block to try something new. Some of the rich during the Regency were bankrupt, drawing upon credit to lead sham lives and keep up appearances.
The London Season coincided with the sitting of Parliament. (All peers of the realm automatically sat in the House of Lords.) The Ton arrived after hunting season was over, some time after Christmas, and left for their country estates around May or June to escape the heat of London. They would entertain lavishly on their estates, sometimes feeding a party of 30 guests and their servants, for weeks at a time. Often, the King's prolonged visit with his retinue would practically bankrupt his host, but his host was obligated to treat him royally and lavishly. Then there were the Dandies, who affected perfection in clothes and an air of boredom. If you look at their behavior, it is all about posture and affectation, but one that was rooted in a defiance of the old ways, and an alliance to Romanticism.
The rich liked to consolidate their power, and the Marriage mart was a way to align great houses, lands, and estates.
It is true that the rich did not sully themselves by working in trade, but the more responsible men spent countless hours with their estate managers overseeing their properties, making improvements, and studying esoteric subjects (many, like Thomas Jefferson in America, were inventors, scientists, philosophers, and writers). Great ladies oversaw glittering salons that attracted poets, painters, and the intellectual elite.
I received a rather interesting question on my blog, and I've been mulling the topic over in my mind. The question from a young student assumed that the Regency rich led indolent lives because they could not work and because they had money to burn.
I want to craft a series of responses that deal with the complexities of Regency society. The peerage followed a standard code of conduct and adhered to a rigid order of precedence. Within the upper ten thousand, however, one ran across a gamut of behaviors, from responsible people who pursued magnificent careers to the profligates who squandered their fortunes.
I would love this group's input about regency society, and why people behaved as they did, and thank you in advance! Below sits my partial answer to the young student:
The rich indulged back then for the same reasons that they do today: conspicuous consumption meant power. Also, there was an element of keeping up with the Jonese's and being the first on the block to try something new. Some of the rich during the Regency were bankrupt, drawing upon credit to lead sham lives and keep up appearances.
The London Season coincided with the sitting of Parliament. (All peers of the realm automatically sat in the House of Lords.) The Ton arrived after hunting season was over, some time after Christmas, and left for their country estates around May or June to escape the heat of London. They would entertain lavishly on their estates, sometimes feeding a party of 30 guests and their servants, for weeks at a time. Often, the King's prolonged visit with his retinue would practically bankrupt his host, but his host was obligated to treat him royally and lavishly. Then there were the Dandies, who affected perfection in clothes and an air of boredom. If you look at their behavior, it is all about posture and affectation, but one that was rooted in a defiance of the old ways, and an alliance to Romanticism.
The rich liked to consolidate their power, and the Marriage mart was a way to align great houses, lands, and estates.
It is true that the rich did not sully themselves by working in trade, but the more responsible men spent countless hours with their estate managers overseeing their properties, making improvements, and studying esoteric subjects (many, like Thomas Jefferson in America, were inventors, scientists, philosophers, and writers). Great ladies oversaw glittering salons that attracted poets, painters, and the intellectual elite.