The London Season

The London Season is one of the most glamorous events in the world. Usually it starts after Easter and ends in August. Events include the horse races, the Derby, the even classier Ascot, the Chelsea Flower Show, concerts, balls, dances and The Proms, of course. However, the Season is not as elegant as it once was when young ladies were presented to the Court and men and women swirled around huge ball room floors in their finest evening wear.

The Season was regarded as a 'marriage market', a chance for the young men and women of the aristocracy and upper middle classes to meet each other and choose partners. As the girls were chaperoned it was difficult for them to meet privately so girls would often marry the first acceptable partner. Marriages were often not love matches but formed on the basis of eligibility, money and, perhaps, common interests. This was especially true in the Regency period when the idea of marrying for love was relatively new. An example of this is Fanny, in Mansfield Park, who was severely chided for refusing the rake Henry, by her uncle Sir Thomas Bertram. He regarded Fanny, who came from a poor family, as very lucky to receive this offer from such an eligible young man and told her that she may never receive another one!

Young women started off their Season with their presentation at Court. Unless they were presented they were unable to attend Court balls or functions so this was very important. They were required to wear a white dress with a train three yards long and feathers in their hair which could be seen by the Queen from the other end of the room. The neck and arms of the dress were bare in Victorian and Edwardian times. They had to walk down the length of the long room and curtsy before the Queen; their train was held by an attendant. The presentations took place at St. James's Palace.

Young men were also presented. Persons of rank and members of the professional classes and their wives were presented at Court, but not others.

Attendance at Almacks was very important during the Regency in order to find a suitable husband. The ladies who granted admission checked the girls to see that they were respectable and not 'fast' before they were given entry vouchers.

During the Season, young men and women spent their time in an exhausting round of balls, dances, exhibitions, concerts and plays. Balls and dances usually started at 10:00 pm and ended at about 3:00 in the morning. Dinner parties could involve a huge number of people, six or seven courses and a myriad of footmen and maids.

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