Moving a bit forward in time, the coming of age ball of Mr. Samuel Palmer, junior, on Tuesday, March 1st, 1831, was accorded detailed coverage the following Saturday, March 5th, in The Norfolk Chronicle and Norwich Gazette. The family seems to have been a prominent one, since they convinced then-Mayor Edmund Preston to lend them a hall and the whole town to deck itself out in celebration of their son's birthday. And, of course, they were wealthy enough to throw a ball for several hundred guests. Piecing together public records, I am reasonably certain that the birthday boy's full name was Samuel Thurtell Palmer (c1810-1850), whose parents were probably Samuel and Susanna (Thurtell?) Palmer.
Most of the article was, as usual, devoted to lengthy lists of guests and their costumes, but there were some interesting tidbits here and there. The transcriptions below include all of the article with the exception of the lists that just named the attendees and their outfits.
First, the town spiffed up for the occasion with flags on buildings and ships in port flying flags:
FANCY DRESS BALL.
The port and town of Yarmouth were on Tuesday last the scene of popular animation and of festive gaiety, on SAMUEL PALMER, Esq. coming of age; an event which that Gentleman celebrated in the most liberal and generous manner by giving a Ball and Supper at the New Hall, to between 400 and 500 Ladies and Gentlemen, among whom, besides the principal families of the place & its immediate vicinity, were many from more distant parts of Norfolk and Suffolk. The cordial sympathy of local feeling with the occasion was shewn in the display of flags on various buildings and of colours on the vessels in the Quay and roadstead, among other unequivocal testimonies of respect and good will towards the individual whose entry into independence was thus spiritedly made.
Interior decor was the typical evergreens and flowers, but the floor decorations went beyond the norm: not just chalk, but "distemper painting" (which seems to have been a sort of chalk-based, water-soluble whitewash), and not just designs, but also mottoes:
The interior preparations for entertaining so numerous an assemblage of invited guests were all upo [sic] an correspondingly extensive scale of arrangement, in which the hand of taste and the sentiment of hospitality appeared alike conspicuous and prevailing. The floor of the banqueting room in the Hall appropriated as the Salle de Danse was covered with designs and mottoes in chalk and distemper painting, executed in an artist-like style; the contour of the window recesses. and the pillars and pannels [sic] of the gallery, were decorated with a mixture of evergreens and artificial flowers, producing a chaste and cheerful effect.
As usual, guests began to arrive at nine and dancing started an hour or so later. I found it interesting that the only people mentioned as receiving the guests at the entrance were Samuel and his mother. I haven't traced his family in detail, but I assume that his father was dead.
—The company began to arrive about nine o’clock, at which time Mr. Palmer and Mrs. S. Palmer, his mother, had already stationed themselves near the entrance of the Ball-room to receive the different parties as they entered. The well-illuminated Hall filled rapidly, and soon exhibited a brilliant and interesting appearance. Such a striking variety of costumes—such a diversity of personations—and such contrasts of figures, it has seldom fallen our lot to see, assembled under circumstances so auspicious and influences so exhilarating, or mingled together in social harmony so long and uninterruptedly sustained. The dresses of the Gentlemen served for the most part either by their richness or their peculiarity to give that character of splendour and those features of whimsicality, which come nearest to our preconceived ideas of a magnificent Fancy Ball. And it may with the greatest truth be added, that the Ladies in elegance and fashion were its crowning grace, as in youth and loveliness its brightest ornament.
Amongst the company we observed Lord and Lady Huntingfield, Sir Jacob Astley, Lady Lacon, the Mayor of Yarmouth and Mrs. Edmund Preston, Lieut.-Col. Mason, Capt. Annesley, R. N. Capt. Blake, R. N. Major Gibbs, Kerrison Harvey, Esq. &c. &c.
The usual lists of costumes followed. Several of the ladies, starting with the hostess, were singled out for special attention, though in many cases it's not clear whether they were meant to be any specific character or were just well-dressed:
Many of the Costumes were particularly good and very characteristically supported: such for example, among the Ladies as the following:—
Mrs. S. Palmer, as Lady of the festival, appeared in a rich velvet robe, with a white satin petticoat, and a most splendid toque, ornamented with a superb feather falling over the right shoulder.
Mrs. Munro, as Anna Boleyn, with a handsome black satin robe, beautifully embroidered with pearls, and a most elegant cap of the same material, covered with pearls and diamonds, and diamond ornaments.—Master Sayers officiated as page to Mrs. Munro.
Mrs. Isaac Preston as Mary Queen of Scots, with a most superb figured purple satin robe, ornamented with wide gold lace, and a cap of the same costume, made entirely of chased gold and blonde.
Miss Preston appeared in a splendid court dress; Miss Anne Preston as Lady Rowena; also Miss Caroline, the youngest daughter, in a simple fancy dress.
Mrs. E. Sayers as “Sweet Anne Page.”
Mrs. Marsh in a splendid dress, as Queen Elizabeth, and transparent hat, with a beautiful pearl spray & plume of feathers, tastefully arranged.
Miss Hurry, in a charming fancy dress, ornamented with silver flowers, and her head tastefully decorated with a rich court plume.
Miss Preston (South-street), in a simple Swiss dress with a pretty transparent hat, ornamented with a wreath of lilac.
Miss Thurtell appeared in a pretty dress, and a transparent Spanish hat, decorated with rich feathers, tastefully displayed.
The Preston family seems to have been another locally prominent one which had produced at least four mayors over the previous two decades: Edmund (current), Jacob, Isaac, and Isaac, junior. I'm not sure how the "South-street" Miss Preston fit into this. Miss Thurtell was presumably some sort of cousin.
A long list of forty-five other ladies and their outfits, which I have not transcribed, came next. Outfits were mostly the usual run of national costumes (Spanish, Polish, Turkish, Scottish), peasants (Luccase, Neapolitan, Swiss), "gipseys", shepherdesses, Quakeresses, "fancy dresses", etc., though one wonders of what exactly Mrs. Hurnard's "ancient costume" consisted. A few wore court dress, and one was "Lady of the Lake".
A relatively large number of gentlemen were singled out as well, starting with Samuel himself in court dress:
Of the Gentlemen, the habiliments most deserving notice were those of the worthy Donor of the Fete, Mr. S. Palmer, a Full Court Dress rich and elegant; Mr. Munro, as Count Ulric; Mr. Chas. Baker, Sir Roger de Coverley, or Gentleman of 1700; Mr. J. Borrett, a Knight Templar, Baron de Bois Gilbert; Mr. Caldecott, a Bavarian Broom Girl, excellent; Mr. Paget, in a complete suit of plate armour, as a Red Cross Knight; Mr. Ambrose Palmer, a Mandarin, exceedingly good; Mr. Crome, as Grand Master of a Turkish Lodge; Mr. Wm. Cory, a singular but correct specimen of the modern Peruvian costume; Mr. T. Steward, Sailor: Mr. Charles Preston, do.; Mr. Samuel Cory, a Friar; Major Gibbs, an English Gentleman or dandy of the fifteenth century, with long turned up shoes, wanting only to have the points fastened to his knees with silver chains to have been a perfect exquisite of that early age; Mr. Saml. Marsh, as a Jew, in Shylock’s costume; nor ought we in this selection to omit for propriety of garb, and for admirable adaptation of look, manner, and general address, the grey-bearded Edie Ochiltree of Mr. R. N. Bacon.
I'm highly amused by the attention drawn to Major Gibbs' shoes (poulaines, I assume) and impressed that Mr. Paget attended in a complete suit of plate armor, not to mention the presumed Spenser reference. Presumably neither of them did much dancing! I'd also love to know what "modern Peruvian costume" meant. And it's always interesting, though not uncommon, to see a cross-dressing gentleman like Mr. Caldecott: "a Bavarian Broom Girl, excellent".
The following list of eighty-one other gentlemen and their costumes is mostly interesting because of its sheer length. I doubt there were twice as many gentlemen at the ball as ladies, and the lists don't come close to adding up to four or five hundred people, so they're obviously incomplete, but why are around twice as many gentlemen as ladies listed by name overall?
Among the gentlemen's standard mix of uniforms (including "Austrian officer"); national costumes (Spanish, Polish, Greek, Scottish); sailors; friars; and characters from Shakespeare (Hamlet), Scott (Ivanhoe), and opera (Don Giovanni) were a few standouts, such as the three "party coloured" (presumably "parti-colored") outfits: "party coloured, half and half", "party coloured, Day and Night", and my personal favorite, "party-coloured, half-pay and full pay". There was also one gentleman wearing the outfit of "a Gentleman Usher at Coronation of Geo. 4th."; perhaps he'd had it in storage for the previous decade?
Finally, at the very end, we get to a bit of dance detail. Only one country dance is mentioned, the opening one, which of course was led off by Samuel himself, partnered by a Miss Burton:
At ten o’clock the Ball was opened in a country dance by Mr. Palmer and Miss Burton; Quadrilles followed, and were kept up with great vivacity to the music of a band, fully qualified both as harmonists and as timists to fill this essential department of the Ballet, which on this occasion was advantaged by the personal directions of Mr. Eager.
A single (token?) country dance is often mentioned in other ball descriptions of the late 1820s and early 1830s. I suspect "Miss Burton" to have been Augusta Burton, youngest of the Burton daughters, whom Samuel would marry on May 17th of that year (as announced in the Wednesday, May 18th, 1831 issue of The Bury and Norwich Post), but by strict etiquette, the use of "Miss Burton" without a first initial would mean it was the eldest Miss Burton. Sadly, we do not know (either?) Miss Burton's costume, as only two Burton sisters, Misses E. and H. Burton, appeared on the list of ladies in attendance.
Also of note here is the mention of Mr. Eager, who was both a musician/conductor and a dance teacher, though it's not clear from the structure of the sentence above whether he was present here as the conductor of the band or of the quadrilles, or perhaps of a short Ballet entertainment.
There were refreshments offered between the dances and a full sit-down supper, served at one:
During the intervals between the sets, Tea, Coffee, Ices, Negus, and other refreshments were handed about, or supplied to those who wished for them, in the adjoining rooms, by the numerous servants in waiting: the male portion of whom had put their faces into fancy mourning à la mode de “Mungo.”
The references to the faces of the male servants being in "fancy mourning" in the style of Mungo is a roundabout way of saying blackface. Mungo was a comic character in the opera The Padlock, by Charles Dibdin, who also starred as Mungo, a black West Indian servant. A portrait of Dibdin in character with blackface makeup (relatively restrained by comparison to later American minstrel-show versions) may be seen here.
Supper was then served at one:
A little after one o’clock, the worthy Host led the Mayoress and his assembled friends to the supper-room, where a very handsome cold collation, including wines, punch, and confectionary, was set out in abundance; and partaken of with the zest which the active recreations of the evening were so happily calculated to give. The Mayor’s health with “thanks to him for his polite acquiescence in allowing the use of the Hall,” having been proposed by Mr. Palmer, and drank by the Company—Mr. Preston returned his acknowledgements in a neat speech, taking occasion to observe that it would also afford him real satisfaction to comply at any future period within his year of office with a similar request provided that it was for a purpose equally conducive to rational enjoyment and the benefit of the town.
Note that in contrast to the opening dance, for which he got to partner someone who was probably more-or-less his age, for the formal supper, Samuel led in the ranking lady, the Mayor's wife.
After supper, the younger guests went back to dancing, now with a very up-to-date mix including quadrilles, waltzes, and gallopades, then quite new to England, before the ball wrapped up around five:
On retiring from supper, the more youthful portion of the guests resumed dancing; quadrilles were succeeded by waltzes, and waltzes by gallopades. It was not till between four and five o’clock that the company began to depart, which they did however, with one universal feeling of gratification at the courtesy of their reception; and of delight with the hospitable pleasures of this well conducted FANCY BALL.
Samuel T. Palmer went on to serve as a city councillor in 1835 (per the Chronological Retrospect of the History of Yarmouth and Neighbourhood, From A.D. 46 TO 1884) and then as Mayor of Yarmouth in 1840, 1842, and 1845 (per The History of Great Yarmouth, 1856). He died tragically young, at only forty years of age, in 1850. He and his son Samuel, who died in infancy, are buried in the Holy Trinity Church cemetery in Loddon, Norfolk, England.
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