The Pinnacle of Country Entertaining
Invited to Pemberley? Here’s what you might expect.
Summer vacation season is rapidly descending upon us. As we are trying to plan a bit of a vacation later in the summer, I naturally began thinking about the sort of summer vacations that might have been planned during the Regency era—because of course that is what everyone things about while contemplating summer travel, right? Yes, that is my husband shaking his head in the background.
Although trips to visit various natural and man-made wonders were certainly undertaken, one Regency era option struck me as very unlike modern options, the centuries old tradition of the country house party.
On the whole, during the Regency era, the upper echelons of society generally preferred to congregate in London whenever possible. After all, it was the center of all things cultured and good. But the heat of August made London extremely unpleasant—hot, sticky, smelly. So, with Parliament out of session and the all-important ‘Season’ winding to a close, (not to mention the hunting and shooting seasons starting soon) those who could afford to do so headed for the cooler climes of the countryside.
The fortunate few with country seats often invited friends and family to gather with them on their estates—an opportunity to lengthen the social season a bit, with limited and particularly chosen company in the comfort and slower pace of the countryside. These informal gatherings of friends could simply be convivial in nature, but it wasn’t uncommon for social, marital or political advancement to be underlying motives as well. (How better to gain the ear of an influential parliamentarian than to have him at your dining table and drawing room night after night? And who could possibly object to giving eligible young people the opportunity to get to know each other away from the London crush? So, yeah, they could also be the focal point for a lot of interpersonal drama, but I digress…)
House parties lasted anywhere from three to four days up to a month. With the difficulties and expense of traveling over dangerous and badly maintained roads, long stays made sense—at least for the guests. What the hostess thought of them could be an entirely different matter—and the subject of an upcoming post.
Find out more about Regency era amusements here
Find out more about Gentlemen here
Find out more about Ladies here
Find out more about House Parties here
References
Hatch, Donna. “Regency House Parties.” Donna Hatch. June 15, 2018. Accessed May 10, 2019. https://donnahatch.com/regency-house-parties/.
Scott, Regina. “The Delights of a Regency House Party.” Regina Scott. Accessed May 10, 2019. http://www.reginascott.com/houseparty.html.
Lane, Maggie. Jane Austen and Food. London: Hambledon Press, 1995.
Pool, Daniel. What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew. New York: Simon and Schuster,1993.
The poor hostess… having a hoard of people in your home to entertain, feed, have sufficient servants to take care of all their needs and for an indeterminate period of time??? La! I break out in hives just thinking about it. Or having to go somewhere I didn’t want to go in order to further a political career, matchmake a son or daughter and or maintain social obligations and connections. I shudder at the thought. I guess I am too much of a recluse or introvert to tolerate such a group. We once held a dinner [potluch thank goodness] for my husband’s relations and had thirty plus people. Hubby doesn’t like crowds in the best of times and we only hosted that one time. He likes his quiet and solitude. Sounds like Mr. Bennet doesn’t it? I can’t wait to see what you show us next. Hope you have a delightful and relaxing vacation.