"The Fashionable Season.
The Marchioness of Salisbury returns to town this day. We understand the season will commence in a fortnight, and that it will be more prolific, in refined amusements, than any ever before known. The Countess of Jersey will dispute the palm; and it is supposed the two stars of fashion, Mrs Watson Taylor and Mrs Stuart Wortley, will be particularly brilliant and attractive."
[Morning Post, 8th February 1819]
The London social season was the time of year when the highest classes came together in town to mingle with friends and equals, attend parties or other entertainment, and contract advantageous marriages for their eligible daughters.
In countless historical novels, The Season also provides the backdrop for romance, drama and action.
Who could participate in the London Season?
"Colonel and Mrs Beaumont arrived, on Saturday last, in town, from their seat in Yorkshire: that very fashionable Lady's presence will add much to the eclat of the approaching gaieties of the season."
[The Morning Post, 26th January 1813]
The Season has always revolved around the highest classes in Society, although money and lineage also played their part. You didn't have to be a peer to enjoy the season but family connections were helpful and wealth—or the support of wealthy friends—was invaluable. Diana Beaumont, the wife of Colonel Beaumont mentioned above, was the eldest illegitimate daughter of Sir Thomas Wentworth. She inherited a large part of his fortune and Bretton Hall near Wakefield upon his death in 1792, and enjoyed her time in town during the season.
Spending the season in town could be expensive and some modern historians suggest that you needed an income of £10,000 a year to fully participate, particularly if you were using the season to introduce a daughter to society, but possessing a fortune was not enough on its own.
During the 18th century, fashionable events and parties entertained the Royal Court, the peers in the House of Lords and their families, Members of Parliament and their families, some of the wealthier and well-connected gentry, and the foreign Ambassadors temporarily residing in London.
However, at the end of the 1700s, fortunes were being made by the new Manufacturing class, and some of them could also afford to spend the season in London. This caused the social elite to close ranks, and make their entertainments more exclusive and private than they had been previously. By 1795, there were fewer open, public events that anyone could attend. They were increasingly replaced by private parties and public events whose attendance was strictly controlled through expensive subscriptions and vetted by committees to ensure the guest list remained exclusive.
In this situation, they would be more likely to welcome a peer with an income of three thousand a year than a commoner whose larger fortune was made through trade.
When did the Season begin and end?
"There is plenty of society for those who seek it in London, but the season will not begin this year till after Easter, and will be at its height in June."
[1st April 1813, The Diaries & Letters of Sir George Jackson, vol 2, pub. 1873]
There were no fixed dates for the beginning and end of the Season during the Regency era. It was only later, during Queen Victoria's reign, that the dates of the social season became a little more formalised.
One of the few published descriptions of the pre-Victorian Season comes from the American writer James Fenimore Cooper, who was living in Europe between 1826 and 1833:
"A London season lasts during the regular session of parliament, unless politics contrive to weary dissipation. Of course this rule is not absolute as the two houses are sometimes unexpectedly convened; but the ordinary business of the country usually begins after the Christmas holidays, and, allowing for a recess at Easter, continues until June or July. ... The shooting and hunting seasons occupy the autumn and early winter months; the Christmas festivities follow; then the country in England, apart from its sports, is less dreary in winter than in most other parts of the world, the verdure being perhaps finer than in the warm months; and London, which is to the last degree unpleasant as a residence from November to March, is most agreeable from April to June. The government is exclusively in the hands of the higher classes, or so nearly so as to render their convenience and pleasure the essential point, and these inhabit a quarter of the town in which one misses the beauties of the country far less than in most capitals. ... The men are much on horseback of a morning, and the women take their drives in the parks, quite as agreeably as if they were at their own country residences."
[England, with sketches of society in the Metropolis, by James Fenimore Cooper, pub. 1837]
Although the social season revolved around Parliament and the Royal Court, the arrivals and departures of peers and their families could also be impacted by General Elections, Royal birthdays, wars and even the weather. Over time, due to improvements in the roads and transportation in general, the dates when Parliament sat began to drift later in the winter, because families didn't have to arrive so early to avoid travelling in the worst of the winter weather.
Between 1790 and 1799, the most common month for Parliament to open was November and it closed most often in June. Between 1800 and 1809, Parliament opened most frequently in January, and most often closed in July. From 1810 to 1819, the opening of Parliament was equally split between November and January for the majority of that period, while it closed in July for eight of those nine years.
Even when the MPs and Lords were sitting in Parliament, that didn't necessarily mean the parties would begin. Families with a strong interest in politics could spend longer in town than those who were purely interested in the social aspect of the season. In 1810, Parliament opened on the 1st November, and on the 23rd of that month, Countess Grenville observed that "London is trying to be a little gay. The Duchess of Gordon gives parties, but I hear they are dull ones."
There would have been some fashionable entertainment available throughout the Parliamentary session, but the number of people in London was highest between Easter and June. In the church calendar, the date for Easter Sunday is movable, meaning its date changes depending on the year. Between 1790 and 1820, the earliest Easter Sunday was 22nd March 1818 and the latest was 22nd April 1810.
A book published in 1810, which included a "Review of the state of society in 1807" adds that: "London becomes a mere blank after the 4th of June. Nobody remains in Town; it is too hot, too suffocating! Every body, therefore, retires to their seats, if they have them; and the rest fly to Margate, Ramsgate, and Brighton."
The very latest Parliamentary session ended on 14th August 1807, but that was an unusual circumstance. Parliament had been dissolved in April that year prior to a General Election and they didn't return until 22nd June. The gentlemen and lords in Parliament would normally prefer to be back on their country estates comfortably before the 12th of August, which was the beginning of the grouse shooting season.
A Brief Calendar of the London Season
Because the season mirrored Parliament, the following twelve-month list of events runs from October to September, to give a better overall view of events through the Parliamentary year as they might have been available. This list includes specific events that might be celebrated, places where the Ton would congregate, and businesses that offered entertainment for them.
Throughout this period, most of the entertainment would have been provided by private fashionable parties, and these are described in more detail under the chapters on "Fashionable Entertainments".
Opening and closing dates changed over time as businesses appeared or disappeared, or new events were inaugurated. Theatre opening and closing dates in particular could vary from year to year. The following calendar has been compiled from sources published 1802, 1804, 1807, 1813 and 1818.
~ = dates not fixed, and could vary a few days before or after.
October
1st - British Museum opens.
~5th - Royal Circus, Astley's Amphitheatre of Arts* and Saddler's Wells Theatre closes
~5th - Royalty Theatre and Astley's Olympic Pavillion opens
(* in some years Astley's Amphitheatre and the Royal Circus remained open to the beginning of November)
November
~7th - Mr Sheldon's Lectures on Anatomy at the Royal Acadamy begin. Continued every Monday.
December
King's Theatre, Haymarket, closes this month.
Opera House, Haymarket, opens this month. Offered Italian opera every Tuesday and Saturday until the middle of July.
January
18th - Grand Gala in honour of the Queen's birthday.
~20th - Lectures commence at the Royal Institute.
~22nd - Masquerade and Supper at Ranelagh in honour of the Queen's birthday. (outside their usual season - final event Jan 1803)
30th - King Charles' Martyrdom. The House of Lords walked in procession to Westminster Abbey. The House of Commons went to St Margaret's Church.
Covent Garden, Drury Lane, Regency and Sans Pareil Theatres opens in this month.
Pantheon Opera House opens this month.
European Museum, Du Bourg's Exhibition and Pidcock's Exhibition of wild beasts opens this month.
Concerts by the Academy of Ancient Music begin at the Crown & Anchor Tavern, Strand. Six or eight performances, once a fortnight.
Masquerades continue occasionally at the Opera house and the Pantheon Between January and June.
During cold winters, Ice Skating might be possible on the Canal or the Serpentine in this month.
February
1st - The series of concerts of Ancient Music commenced at the King's Theatre, held every Wednesday until the end of May.
8th - Subscription concerts at King's Theatre commenced.
11th - British Gallery opens to exhibit and sell paintings by British artists.
Harrison's and Barthelemon's Vocal Concerts begin at the end of February or early March, and continue weekly for six months.
"During the winter season, there are generally a variety of occasional exhibitions, particularly at the Lyceum in the Strand, as Phillipstall's Phantasmagoria, Lonsdale's Egyptiana, Mr Porter's Pictures &c."
[The Picture of London for 1802, by J. Feltham]
The Assemblies held at Almacks and the Argyll Rooms might begin in this month, although in some years the first assembly was March or April. The number of evenings varied depending on the year.
March
"Towards the end of this month, and during most of the spring and summer, are to be seen reviews, and other military spectacles, in Hyde Park, generally two or three mornings in the week."
[The Picture of London for 1802, by J. Feltham]
The events beginning in this month depended on the dates for Easter, which occurred either during March or April.
~Easter Monday - Stag Hunt in Epping Forest, where "the equestrian feats of the Cockneys will furnish rich treat to a stranger."
~Easter Monday and Tuesday "are days of great frolic and revelry in Greenwich Park, and there are scenes deserving of notice."
~Easter Monday - Ranelagh Gardens opens, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, until the beginning of July when it opens on Fridays only. [Ranelagh closed in 1803]
~Easter Monday and Tuesday "are days of great frolic and revelry in Greenwich Park, and there are scenes deserving of notice."
During Easter "several of the summer theatres commence":
Sadler's Wells theatre opens on Easter Monday.
Royal Circus, St George's Fields, opens on Easter Monday.
Astley's Amphitheatre opens on Easter Monday, and the Olympic Pavillion closes.
April
Kensington Gardens opens. Although Hyde Park remained open all year, in April the number of visitors would start to increase:
"In this month (or earlier when the weather is favourable) and during the summer, every day, but particularly on Sunday, from two o'clock till five, Hyde Park is a great promenade, both on foot, on horseback, and in carrages. Kensington-gardens are also, during the same time, a place of great and fashionable resort."
[The Picture of London for 1802, by J. Feltham]
May
1st - Chimney Sweeps parade in the streets, "drest in fantastical finery".
3rd - Annual Exhibition of the Royal Acadamy opens.
15th - Theatre Royal, Haymarket, opens.
~16th - Annual Benefit Concert of the Royal Society of Musicians at the Kings Theatre.
~20th - Barthelemon's Annual Concert takes place at the New Rooms, Hanover Square.
Masquerades at the Opera House and Pantheon end this month.
King's Theatre, Haymarket, opens this month. (some years early June)
June
~3rd - Vauxhall Gardens open. (some years "middle of May")
4th - The King's Birthday. Grand Drawing Room at St James's Palace. At 5pm the mail coaches, decorated with ribbons, form a procession from the Post Office to St. James's Court and back again in honour of His Majesty's birthday.
~12th - The exhibition of the Royal Academy closes.
15th - Astley's Annual Rowing Match for Watermen, in honour of His Majesty's birthday.
17th - Ranleigh's Annual Rowing Match. (until 1803)
Covent Garden Theatre closes "soon after the King's birthday"
Drury Lane Theatre closes.
"During this and other summer months are a variety of Cricket matches at Lords ground, Mary-le-bone and Montpelier-gardens, Walworth."
[The Picture of London for 1813, pub. 1813]
July
~4th - Vauxhall Gardens sailing cup open to Gentlemen's pleasure boats.
~7th - Kew Gardens and Richmond Gardens open.
~21st - Opera House closes.
~31st British Museum closes for two months.
The last Assemblies at Almacks and the Argyll Rooms were usually held in this month.
August
12th - Prince of Wales' Birthday. Gala night at Vauxhall.
18th - Camberwell Fair.
21st - Peckham Fair.
"In this dull season for amusement, these two fairs afford great diversion to all descriptions of persons."
[The Picture of London for 1802, by J. Feltham]
30th - Vauxhall Gardens closes.
Ranelagh Gardens usually closed "after the birthday of the Prince of Wales". [Except for its final year when it closed in July 1803]
September
3rd - Bartholomew Fair runs for three days.
~13th - From this date, Drury Lane and Covent Garden theatres open. "about three weeks each perform alternately, three nights a week; then four and five nights, till in the course of six weeks they play every night."
15th - Theatre Royal, Haymarket, closes.
16th - Annual rowing match at Deptford.
23rd - Annual rowing match at Greenwich.
Kensington Gardens closed in "autumn".
The end of the Season
"The season has closed with a dandy ball;—but I have dinners with the Harrowbys, Rogers, and Frere and Mackintosh, where I shall drink your health in a silent bumper, and regret your absence till "too much canaries" wash away my memory."
[Letter from Lord Byron to Thomas More, 25th July 1813]
Whenever the season ended, and Parliament completed their session, the fashionable families would leave London. Even Mayfair was considered too hot and dusty to be comfortable in August. Those who possessed country estates would retreat to their shady lawns and clean air, often inviting friends to join them.
Others might instead choose to visit one of the many seaside towns, spa-towns or other watering holes, where they could continue to enjoy the company of like-minded people. Seaside towns and spa towns often had their own summer seasons designed to entertain their visitors.
Yes, some people would have stayed in town, but it would have been uncommon among the most fashionable families. One reason for a family to remain in town was if the wife was pregnant and close to her due date. Many wealthy families would only trust a London based man-midwife for medical help at this time.
London Out of Season
"The party arrived in Berkeley Square at a season of the year, when, to use a fashionable expression, there was nobody in town; and as Mrs Newburgh did not intend to lengthen her absence from the island beyond the latter end of February in the following year, there would be few inducements to tempt her into company, even if she wished to join in the gay circle of fashion."
[Chapter 37, Montague Newburgh; Or, The Mother and Son, vol 1, by Alicia Catherine Mant, pub. 1817]
Although the most fashionable people would not wish to spend time in London outside of the season, London would not have been completely empty or without entertainment.
A gentleman of modest income who couldn't afford to bring his wife and children to London during the fashionable season might spend a week or two enjoying the sights at Vauxhall, the Royal Theatre and Astley's Amphitheatre while they were still open. Wealthy businessmen without a country estate would still be in town, visiting the theatres. It just wouldn't be full of the glittering high society.
During the early 1800's, Saddler's Wells Theatre, Astley's Amphitheatre and the Royal Circus closed in early October. The Haymarket Theatre closed around the middle of September. Drury Lane and Covent Garden Theatres opened in September, and the British Museum opened in early October, but other than that entertainment was very limited compared to the main social season.
The Little Season is occasionally referred to in Regency romance stories, and most writers describe it as a period, roughly between September and December, when a small pocket of Society might socialise in London.
It's also described in "Georgette Heyer's Regency World" as an opportunity for some younger daughters of the ton to be "brought out in advance of the season proper and to try their social wings a little before embarking on the intensive round of engagements that made up the season."
The Little Season definitely existed. It was described in an Australian newspaper like this: "London, October 8 - (from our correspondent) As a rule, the Little Season, which begins early in October and lasts until Christmas has a goodly number of entertainments, even if the chief gatherings are arranged for the season proper, which opens in May."
However, this newspaper entry was published in November 1931, when Georgette Heyer had already started writing her novels, and London's Little Season would have been familiar to her.
Searching through published novels, books and newspapers of the early 19th century, I've found no mention of the "Little Season". There may have been some informal socialising among families who happened to be in London during that time, particularly when Parliament convened early. However, it wasn't known as, or referred to, as the Little Season, or at least never recorded as such in books, newspapers or letters of the time.
The most common mention of the phrase "a little season" was when it was used to mean a short period of time, or as we would say today: a little while; an ancient meaning also found in the Book of Revelations and the writings of Homer.
The only similar thing I have come across is the occasional mention of "Demi-saison", French for half-season or mid-season, which seems to relate mostly to fashions that were worn in autumn. One example was a "Demi-saison bonnet", mentioned in a fashion plate from October 1820.
[Image: Astley's Amphitheatre, from Ackermann's Microcosm of London, pub. 1809. [Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons]]