Wedding dress, 1742, Image @Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Anyone who had the opportunity to see “At Home With the Georgians” with Amanda Vickery was in for a treat. The BBC series, based upon her fabulous book, Behind Closed Doors: At Home in Georgian England, covered courtship and marriages in the 18th century in great detail. The perspectives of bachelors, spinsters, and married couples were taken into account.
One of the most intriguing portions of the series occurred when Amanda Vickery introduced A Master-Key to the Rich Ladies Treasury or The Widower and Batchelor’s Directory by a Younger Brother, published in 1742.
The witty saying on the frontispiece describes perfectly why this book of lists was compiled:
“He took his Stand
Upon a Widow’s Jointure Land.”
The author, a younger brother who had to make his way in the world by working or marrying rich, writes these shameless words to the woman of fortune he is courting:
“Begin then Madam, hasten to begin — Bless the thrice happy Compiler, make the Happiness of a Younger Brother equal to that of his Elder, — Let the Honourable Mrs. M——n in the Connubial State shine with Splendour equal to Miss F———n in the Maiden, and tell a mistaken World that the Appellation Wife bears with it every Sound of Dignity and demands an universal Reverence;…”
This book was compiled for those men who were unlucky to follow in their elder brothers’ shadows, for the laws of primogeniture dictated that the eldest son would inherit everything. The ladies are described in its pages with their names, where they live, the largeness of their reputed fortunes and of the stocks held in their names.
Marriage was the only option for ladies during the Georgian era, since they could not control their own fortunes or possess lands. All they “owned” was held in trust for them. Many a rich spinster or widow preferred choosing marriage over living a life alone.
One can almost hear this shameless Younger Brother courting his future bride (and plying her with gifts and poesies) as he charms her into marriage and publicly worships her with these words:
I could for ever dwell on the Repetion of your Charms, if I were not in immediate Expectation of the Possession of them: Whatever Pleasures, whatever Joys we earnestly covet, we surely anticipate of; when alone I am for ever repeating one Line of Dryden’s,
Happy, Happy Pair!”
Today many a suitor would be laughed off his knees if he said such a thing, but back then marriage was a serious business. An engagement represented the best financial arrangement that the pair could finagle. A gentleman had only a few means of making a fortune, one of which was by marrying rich, and a lady had only one means of supervising her own household, and that was in attaining the status of a wife. The Marriage Mart, as the pages in A Master Key imply, was strictly business. Oh, it helped if the people involved had pleasing countenances, good manners, and gentle hearts, but none of these attributes are discussed in this short list of women on the marriage mart in 1742.
I can imagine that many younger sons found comfort in these lists and made elaborate plans to be introduced to the women described so coolly inside of them. To these gentlemen the Younger Brother writes:
Whoever has read the Advertisements in the public Papers of Mr. C—-x, and the unknown Lady who accepted of his Proposals, will instantly acknowledge the Usefulness of the following Directory: The Dilemma that Gentleman was reduced for a Partner, determined the Compiler to set about it: He resolved to spare no Pains: He carefully examined every List of the Proprietors of the public Funds; and made afterwards the best Enquiry he was capable of, into their Fortunes exclusive: As it was impossible to give the exact Fortune of every lady in so large a List as the following, he thought proper to make in his Kalender, one Column under the Title of Reputed Fortunes.”
The Younger Brother’s advice is quite straightforward and required little embellishing:
Thus Gentlemen, have I in the following Sheets I think, opened a fair Field for Action for you; a fine Choice and a fine Collection of Ladies; — Open the Campaign directly then yourselves, that my next may be a new Sett. I have one favour to beg of you, and then I take my Leave; that no one of you, of what Degree soever, presume to attempt the Lovely Charmer I dedicate to; as to the Rest, I heartily wish you all Success …”
The Marriage Mart, I imagine, was a dance of the sexes, with the younger sons finding the best situation their charms were capable of, and the women choosing among the pool of men, hoping that their choice of mate will remain charming, moral, and kind and not turn into a selfish, wife-beating monster.
- A Master-Key to the Rich Ladies Treasury or The Widower and Batchelor’s Directory by a Younger Brother, published in 1742.
- Life had not changed much for women by the mid-19th century: Succinct account of women in the mid-19th century
- Listen to a podcast of an interview with Amanda Vickery about Behind Closed Doors
Jane Austen's World 
Given the social circumstances constraining people, especially women, at that time, I find the Marriage Mart refreshingly honest about the real goal of matrimony. A fascinating document.
Great post, Vic! Made me think of Harris’ list of Covent Garden prostitutes. Only this list is more callous in that it describes the lady merely in terms of what she is reputed to be worth!
Whoo! I have a pretty vivid imagination, but I can’t even imagine myself in such a situation! Thanks for another most enlightening post, Vic!
Thank you so much for this post.
“At Home With the Georgians” is one of my favourite documentaries and there are so many of the documents Amanda Vickery cited that I would love to read myself (especially some of the diaries). So it is fantastic to be able to see this list “in person”.
I agree with Joanna Waugh, this does remind me of Harris’s List as well, just for ladies of the other end of the social spectrum – a sad kind of equality there, if you ask me.
A good friend of mine did a masters degree at the Institute of Education in Roehampton, (South London) a few years ago. She researched her dissertation on 18th century prostitution in London. Harris’s list was a great discussion point at dinner parties. Pat knew where all the 18th century London bordelos had been.She could give a great tour of the South Bank and Southwark She was doing her research on women’s studies and this was a topic that appealed to her.
Here is a description:
.Miss B____rn. No. 18 Old Compton Street, Soho….This accomplished nymph has just attained her 18th year, and fraught with every perfection, enters a volunteer in the field of Venus. She plays on the pianoforte, sings, dances, and is mistress of every manoeuver in the amorous contest that can enhance the coming pleasure; is of the middle stature, fine auburn hair, dark eyes and very inviting countenance…In bed she
is all the heart can wish; her price two pounds.
Oh, this is not a description of Pat and her many undoubted talents. It’s a description from Harris’s list. I don’t want to cause any confusion. Sorry!!!!
Tony: Here is the link to the eBook: http://books.google.com/books?id=JxpOAAAAcAAJ&dq=Harris's+list&source=gbs_navlinks_s
What of Gretna Green? One of my ancestors, an only daughter, was abducted and carried off to Gretna Green by a young Cornet in the Artillery. How common was this?
I’ve read of instances in which heiresses were abducted and bedded, so it is interesting to hear of an actual situation. Before the Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753, any abduction that led to seduction would have made the girl the abductor’s wife, especially if there were witnesses. Before the marriage act, a man could be compelled or shamed into to marrying the woman he seduced. In fact, all a couple had to do before 1753 was announce that they were wed, and they would be regarded as man and wife. Fleet marriages and clandestine marriages were common at the time, and a woman of fortune was fair game. There was no need before 1753 to take an arduous 3-day trip to Gretna Green.
The Marriage Act was designed to prevent clandestine marriages and bigamous marriages. After the Act was passed, only marriages that were performed in a local parish church with a license (and with the banns having been made public for 3 successive Sundays) were considered legal. (A couple could also be married by special license, but this was expensive and could only be granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.) Scotland did not pass the act, and therefore couples who wanted to marry right away eloped to Gretna Green, where a woman under the age of 21 could still legally marry a man.
Whether she married him willingly or not, the husband could take immediate possession of her fortune, for she had no legal rights. In addition, she would have given up the protection of the marriage settlements. Normally, before marriage, the bride’s father or guardian would legally arrange to protect her assets so that the principal amount of her fortune could not be touched by her husband. Eloping to Gretna Green gave her no such protection. Thus eloping was a stupid economic decision for the woman. Her husband could gamble her fortune away, leaving her destitute, and there was nothing legally that she or her family could do about this after the fact.
The Marriage Act presented a new host of problems for the woman, turning any seduced female into a whore and ruining her reputation. If she had a child out of wedlock, it would be labeled a bastard. The number of “bastards” recorded in Great Britain between 1753 and 1800 jumped by 25%.
Thank-you for your very informative answer Vic. The upside I suppose was that the young Cornet, later Sir George Shiffner, did become a responsible and respected member of the West Sussex gentry. The estate, Coombe Place, still exists today. His wife, Mary Bridger, was the daughter of Sir John Bridger. Their children, who went by the surname Bridger-Shiffner, would also become respected members of West Sussex society. Curious that both surnames were used. I would assume that was because the Bridgers were a well-known family in West Sussex from the 16th century onward. One would not wish to lose that association I suppose. Wonderful site. Colin.
Another informative and interesting post! Thanks. :) I’m currently reading Vickery’s book, The Gentleman’s Daughter, and I’d really like to see the documentary you mention.
I wonder how the commentators on this post would like to describe themselves in the terms of a Harris’s List description. There were men as well as women on the list. Some had amazingly evocative names.
Now, how could I describe myself?
“Captain Thunder Thighs!! above normal height, muscular of arm and thigh,manly of attribute in the groin, twinkiling of eye, masterful and quick to passion, amorous of lips, heated in action. Guaranteed to produce sighs and blushes and a quickening of the breath, taking every lovely lady to heights of ecstasy never reached before.
Price £2 and well worth the pecuniary outlay.
To be found in residence at The White Heart, Southwark, a short stroll across London Bridge.”
Of course I exaggerate!!!!!!!!!
All the best,
Tony
Oh, Amanda Vickery’s series is available for viewing at:
http://ww3.tvo.org/program/167735/at-home-with-the-georgians
I do not know if the link will work where you are, but good luck.
Colin.
Colin, I tried it but it didn’t work. I do not have tivo and wonder if that is the problem! Thank you for the link!
Sorry, it’s probably because I’m in Canada.
For a harrowing account of how a husband could & did abuse an heiress (aided & abetted by friends & society, I might add), I recommend reading “Wedlock: How Georgian Britain’s Worst Husband Met His Match” by Wendy Moore. An unflinching biography of Mary Eleanor Bowes & her fraudulent marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney, a handsome Irish soldier/fortune hunter, whose life served as the inspiration for Thackeray’s Barry Lyndon.
[…] I wrote my post about the Master Key to the Rich Ladies Treasury, a number of readers mentioned Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies. To my delight Google […]
[…] 5, 2012 by Hard Bound When I wrote my post about the Master Key to the Rich Ladies Treasury, a number of readers mentioned Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies. To my delight Google […]