On Thursday, June 1st, 1769, Admiral Harry Powlett (sometimes Paulet), the sixth Duke of Bolton, held a masquerade, or masked ball, at his Hampshire estate, Hackwood Park.
The sixth duke, shown at left in a portrait by Frances Cotes (courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; original here), had had an exciting few years. Widowed in 1764, he remarried early in 1765 and that summer succeeded to the ducal title after the suicide of his brother, the fifth duke. He had two or three daughters by 1769, one from his first wife who was probably in her teens by then, and at least one toddler by his second wife. The third daughter's date of birth is unknown, but as she was by the second wife, it was sometime after 1765, so there may have been another young girl in the family in 1769. More biographical information and details about his naval career may be found at Wikipedia.
The ducal title went extinct after the sixth duke died with no male children -- the Lord Bolton referred to by Jane Austen in 1799 ("One of my gayest actions was sitting down two dances in preference to having Lord Bolton's eldest son for my partner, who danced too ill to be endured.") was the husband of the sixth duke's heiress, an illegitimate niece. He was created Baron Bolton upon marriage. The ill-dancing eldest son was William, later the second Baron Bolton.
Though it is no longer owned by Bolton descendants, Hackwood Park has survived and continues to this day to be one of England's most famous estates. Its history goes back to the thirteenth century, with the current house having been built in the late seventeenth century and undergone significant changes to the facade in the early nineteenth. It is particularly famous for its "garden wood", which was to have been used for the Masquerade, though the plan didn't work out due to weather. The park was painted by Paul Sandby in the early 1760s. More information about the estate and its history may be found here and here. For those with money to burn, Hackwood Park has been on sale since 2016 (asking price then, around £65 million) and is currently listed by Christie's, with many gorgeous pictures, here.
The description of the Duke's masquerade was published on pages 296-297 of The Court Miscellany for June, 1769, a copy of which is held by the Watkinson Library at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. All quotes below are from this article.
The original plan had been for an outdoor entertainment -- "a grand illumination and supper in the Woods, which are the most beautiful and best calculated for that purpose that can be imagined" -- but due to bad weather, the party was relocated indoors, where a suite of six rooms was initially opened, possibly with five more opened at midnight; the two accounts in the article are a little unclear.
Around three hundred guests began gathering between seven and eight. By ten, the rooms were full. Sometime between twelve and one, the guests unmasked and proceeded to supper, after which they continued to celebrate until six in the morning, though the ladies complained that "the Faro Bank engrossed the attention of the gentlemen after supper". (Faro was a card game; many of the gentlemen apparently preferred gambling to dancing.)
The costumes were as extravagant as one would expect at an event of this era and class. Though the duke himself only wore a domino, his duchess was described as either a "Persian" or "Tartarian" Princess with a dress "embroidered all over with diamonds". Other ladies matched this magnificence with a "profusion of jewels". It was reportedly said that "there were two hundred and seventy thousand pounds worth of jewels between three ladies."
Younger ladies dressed as "girls of Patmos" and "vestal virgins". Other ladies chose historical costumes (Rubens' wife), comic ones (a French nosegay girl, an old woman), or national costumes (Savoyard, Venetian carnival).
Some of the men glittered as well. The Duke of Manchester wore "the old English dress...adorned with a great number of fine jewels." Others turned to religion-tinged comedy: there was a very witty Devil and a Methodist fanatic, who spent the evening "delivering most pathetic and persuasive discourses to the ladies". A gentleman dressed as a "most curious" Tiddy Doll (a gingerbread-seller) was also mentioned as giving "universal satisfaction".
Sadly, the one thing missing from the coverage of the party any description of the dancing, though as it was a ball, some may be presumed to have occurred both before supper and, if the gentlemen could be extracted from their card games, after. The dancing would likely have consisted primarily of country dances, which may simply have been too conventional to be worth mentioning.
My transcription of the original article from The Court Miscellany is below.
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An Account of the Duke of Bolton’s Masquerade
The following particulars relating to the duke of Bolton’s Masked Ball, given at Hackwood on Thursday the 1st of June, will doubtless be pleasing to our Readers.
The original intention of this elegant Entertainment was to have consisted in a grand illumination and supper in the Woods, which are the most beautiful and best calculated for that purpose that can be imagined ; but the badness of the weather preventing the company from assembling in the open air, they met in the house, where there was a suit of six rooms open for their reception.
It would be impossible to be particular in describing 300 persons, all of the first rank, and all richly and elegantly dressed, but I shall mention a few, who seemed most to claim attention.
“Her Grace the Duchess of Bolton was habited like a Persian Princess, with a magnificence that seemed truly eastern. Lady Waldegrave and Lady Mary Hay, as eastern Sultanas, drew every eye by the richness of their dresses and their graceful appearance. Lady Harriet Williams and Lady Gideon were covered with a profusion of jewels, and which were dressed with great taste as well as richness. Two young ladies in very elegant habits, as girls of Patmos, were extremely remarked for their beauty and dress. Lady Stanhope charmed the company with admirably supporting the character of a French nosegay girl, which she kept up with great humour. Lady Archer appeared in the character of Ovisa, and made a very fine appearance. An officer of the guards, in the character of the Devil, afforded great entertainment by his management of the character. Mrs. Ligonier was an elegant Savoyard : and a young lady who accompanied her, was a beautiful Chanoinese. Mrs. Garrick made a very fine figure in the Venetian carnival habit. A gentleman in the character of Tiddy Doll, gave universal satisfaction. The Duke of Manchester was richly habited in the old English dress, and adorned with a great number of fine jewels. Captain Deburgh, in the character of Osmyn in the Mourning Bride, Capt. Pye, as Tancred, and his lady as Ruben’s wife, were perfectly well dressed in their respective characters ; or must I omit two ladies in the habit of vestals, whose simplicity pleased as much as the finest dresses. It was said, that there were two hundred and seventy thousand pounds worth of jewels between three ladies. The Duke of Bolton wore a domino.
“The whole company kept on their masks till about one o’clock, when they removed down to supper, to which they were conveyed thro’ a corridor, beautifully illuminated with wax lights. The entertainment did great honour to the taste of the noble hosts, and the whole evening was past with the highest satisfaction; nor did the company part till six the next morning, all in high spirits, tho’ the ladies seemed to complain that the Faro Bank engrossed the attention of the gentlemen after supper. The illuminations in the woods, and the buildings erected there, were in admirable taste, and made it greatly to be lamented that the inclemency of the season prevented the enjoyment of them.
“Upon the whole, it may be justly reckoned the most elegant thing of the kind that has been seen in England for many years, and sets an example worthy of being followed by those whom fortune has enabled not only to shew their taste, but to do great good in benefiting trade ; an advantage which this species of entertainment possesses above all others.”
Another friend has favoured us with the following, which, as it in some parts differs from the above, we have likewise printed for the amusement of our readers :
“The company began to assemble at Hackwood between seven and eight in the evening, and by ten o’clock, the rooms were very full of masks. About twelve five different apartments were opened, in which the most elegant and plentiful side-boards were prepared, the illuminations at which were prettily conceived, and finely executed ; as was also a lighted temple, and some other buildings in the gardens.
“The dresses in general were extremely magnificent, and particularly her Grace the Duchess of Bolton, whose habit was that of a Tartarian Princess, and embroidered all over with diamonds. There were also some admirable comic characters. Mr. James, the same gentleman who got so much applause in the witch at the King of Denmark’s masquerade, appeared at Hackwood in the dress of the Pope, and supported the character in a most masterly manner. Mr. Askew uttered many witticisms and threw out many strokes of satire, in the dress of the Devil, and his Infernal Highness had a larger audience than even the fanatic himself, (assumed by Mr. Littleton), though it was impossible better to ridicule the reigning folly of Methodism, than this gentleman did throughout the whole evening, delivering most pathetic and persuasive discourses to the ladies. There was also a most curious Tiddy Doll : and the old woman by Lady M___y L___r exceeds all description.”
As usual, ther dresses were much more interesting to them then the dances. Was it a common practice to be both masked and have a fancy dress for a masquerade? Between the dancing, fancy dresses and masks, were these three usually combined in 19th century England as well?
Posted by: Rostislav Kondratenko | November 02, 2018 at 05:50 AM