Chapter II: Preface

From the time of Dean Swift downwards to our own days many Political Histories of the Reign of Queen Anne have been written, but its Social Life we have been left to gather mainly from the efforts of novelists, who have been more or less conscientious, according to their knowledge, in placing it before us.

No doubt the drudgery of the work, the wading through all the newspapers, and reading all the literature of the time, has deterred many from attempting what, in its execution, has proved a very pleasant task; for in doing it, one has got to be thoroughly identified with the age--its habits and customs--which, being taken from the very words of the people, then living, writing for living people, who could contradict their statements, if false or exaggerated, a charm was lent to the task, which fully compensated for its labour.

All history, unless it is contemporary, must necessarily, if honest, be a compilation, and my idea is, that it should honestly be avowed as such, and the authorities given for all facts; and this I have done, even at the risk of proving wearisome.

In compiling it, my task has been similar to one who, having a necklace of old beads, finds it broken, and the beads scattered hither and thither. His business, naturally, is to gather them together, and string them so as to satisfy criticism. He may not pick them all up, and he may not please everyone's taste in his arrangement, but his course is clear--he should not add new beads of his own to supply deficiencies, but should confine himself to putting together all he can find in the best manner he possibly can.

The almost total absence of domestic news in the newspapers has compelled me to draw largely on the essays and descriptive books of the time, and in one or two instances I have ventured to transcribe (as in the case of Misson) from works published, or written, two or three years before Anne actually reigned--but the facts were precisely the same as then obtained, so that much has been gained thereby.

The Illustrations might, undoubtedly, have been made more artistic and unreal--but I have carefully taken them from contemporary prints, and prefer to present them in all their uncouthness and reality.

JOHN ASHTON.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION (BOYS).

Page

The Duke of Gloucester -- The Queen's refusal to marry again --
Treatment of children after birth -- Baptismal feasts -- A
christening -- 'Daffy's Elixir' -- Treatment of infantile
diseases -- The nursery -- Toys -- Children's books -- Horn-books
-- Private tuition -- Boarding and day schools -- Free schools --
Classical education -- School-books -- Penmanship -- Runaway boys
-- College education -- Charity schools 1

CHAPTER II.

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION (GIRLS).

Boarding schools -- Town and country educations -- Pastry schools
-- Dancing -- Toasts -- 'The Little Whig' -- Madame Spanheim 17

CHAPTER III.

MARRIAGE.

Eloping with heiresses -- Marriage between children -- Tax on
bachelors -- Valentines -- Marriage settlements -- Pin money --
Posies -- Drummers -- Private marriages -- Irregular marriages --
Fleet parsons -- Marriage Act -- Facility of marriage --
Liability of husbands -- Public marriages -- Marriage customs --
Bride's garters -- Throwing the stocking -- The Posset --
Honeymoon 22

CHAPTER IV.

DEATH AND BURIAL.

Longevity -- Undertakers' charges -- Costliness of funerals --
Mourning -- Burial in woollen -- Burial Societies -- Burial by
night -- A cheat -- Mourning rings -- Funeral pomp -- Monuments
-- Description of a funeral -- A Roman Catholic funeral --
Widows 35

CHAPTER V.

HOUSES, FURNITURE, ETC.

'Queen Anne' houses -- Vanbrugh's house -- Real 'Queen Anne'
houses -- Hangings and wall papers -- Letting and rent --
Prevention of fire -- A fire -- Insurance companies -- Water
supply -- Thames Water Works -- New River -- Coals -- Furniture
-- China -- Bedsteads 46

CHAPTER VI.

SERVANTS.

Number of servants -- Footmen -- Wages -- Liveries -- 'How d'ye'
-- The Upper Gallery -- Footmen's Parliament -- Accomplishments
-- White slaves from Barbary -- Negro slaves -- Runaways --
Apprentices 58

CHAPTER VII.

DAILY LIFE (MEN).

Out-of-door amusements -- A holiday -- Hatred of French fashions
-- Beaus' oaths -- Kissing -- Fops: their daily life 63

CHAPTER VIII.

DAILY LIFE (WOMEN).

Receiving in bed -- A lady's life -- A fine lady's diary --
Walking -- Visiting -- Tea-table scandal -- Shopping --
Daily church -- Pets -- Dancing -- Books on ditto -- A
dancing-master 68

CHAPTER IX.

GAMBLING AND SPECULATION.

Games at cards -- Curious cards -- Price -- Tax on cards --
Female passion for gambling -- The Groom Porter's -- Gaming
houses -- Gamesters -- Noted gamesters -- Debts of honour --
Speculation -- Life insurances -- Marine and other insurances --
Shopkeepers' lotteries -- Government lotteries -- Prizes and
winners 78

CHAPTER X.

SUPERSTITION.

Astrologers -- Their advertisements -- Their tricks -- Witchcraft
-- Cases of witchcraft 89

CHAPTER XI.

COSMETICS, ETC.

Habit of snuff-taking -- Perfumes -- Charles Lillie -- List of
Scents -- Soaps -- Wash-balls -- 'Complections' -- Tooth powder
-- Hair-dye -- Spectacles 95

CHAPTER XII.

TRADE, ETC.

The penny post -- Dockwra's vindication of himself -- Abolition
of penny post -- Post days and rates -- Halfpenny post -- Method
of doing business -- The Exchange -- Description of frequenters
-- Bankers -- Curious advertisement of Sir Richard Hoare's 99

CHAPTER XIII.

MEN'S DRESS.

A beau -- An inventory of him -- Hats -- Wigs: their price:
varieties -- Hair powder -- Robbery of wigs -- Natural hair --
Neck-cloths -- Shirts -- Open waistcoats -- Colonel Edgworth --
Coats -- Cheap clothiers -- Stockings -- Boots and shoes --
Shoeblacks and blacking -- Handkerchiefs -- Muffs -- Swords --
Walking-sticks -- Watches -- Overcoats -- Night-caps --
Night-gowns 104

CHAPTER XIV.

WOMEN'S DRESS.

The Commode -- Description of ladies' dress -- The Petticoat --
The Bodice -- A costly wardrobe -- Underlinen -- Dressing like
men -- Scents -- Patches -- Patching Whig and Tory -- Masks --
The hood -- High-crowned hats -- Furs -- Umbrellas -- Pattens --
The fan -- Mobs -- Shopping -- Stuffs -- List of Indian stuffs --
Lace -- Linens -- Tallymen -- Jewellery -- Diamonds -- Plate --
Children's jewellery 123

CHAPTER XV.

FOOD (SOLID).

English fare -- Time of dining -- Pontack's -- Other ordinaries
-- Books on cookery -- Receipts -- Pudding -- Fish -- Oysters --
Poultry -- Assize of bread -- Markets -- Vegetables -- Lambeth
gardeners -- Fruit -- Dried fruit 141

CHAPTER XVI.

FOOD (LIQUID).

Beer -- Hard drinking -- 'Whetters' -- Wines -- List of French
and Spanish wines -- Wines of other countries -- Duties on wines
-- Spirits -- Liqueurs -- Homemade wines -- Prices of tea --
Adulteration -- Price of coffee -- Chocolate -- Its price --
Duty on 150

CHAPTER XVII.

TOBACCO.

Habit of smoking -- Women and children smoking -- Prices of
tobacco -- Customs duty -- Origin of snuff-taking -- The Vigo
expedition -- Snuff-rasps -- Ladies taking snuff -- Proper use of
the snuff-box -- Use of a spoon -- Prices of snuffs -- List of
ditto -- Duty on snuff 156

CHAPTER XVIII.

COFFEE-HOUSES AND TAVERNS.

Universal use of coffee-houses -- Their convenience -- Company --
First coffee-house -- Number of them -- Anecdote of Bishop
Trelawney -- Description of interior -- The news -- Advance in
price -- Chocolate-houses -- Famous coffee-houses -- Button's
Lion -- Lloyd's -- Sales by candle -- Jenny Man -- Don Saltero's
collection -- Taverns -- Noblemen frequenting them -- Drinking
own wine -- Purl houses -- List of old taverns 161

CHAPTER XIX.

CLUBS.

Origin -- October Club -- Calves' Head Club -- Kit Cat Club --
Other clubs -- Suggested clubs 179

CHAPTER XX.

SIGHT-SEEING AND FAIRS.

Royal visits to the City -- Lord Mayor's show -- The lions at the
Tower -- The Armoury -- Tombs at Westminster -- Bartholomew Fair
-- Description -- Shows -- Tight-rope dancing -- Natural
curiosities -- Theatrical performances, etc. -- Abolition -- May
Fair -- Lady Mary -- Pinkethman -- Shows -- Visit to -- Abolition
-- Southwark Fair -- Its Shows 185

CHAPTER XXI.

OTHER SIGHTS.

The Lincolnshire ox -- The large hog -- The whale -- Monkeys and
wild beasts -- 'The Lest Man and Hors in the World' -- Performing
horse Dwarfs and giants -- Human curiosities -- Helen and Judith
-- Conjurers -- Posture masters -- Mr. Clinch -- Waxwork -- Mrs.
Salmon, etc. -- Westminster Abbey wax-figures -- Powell's puppets
-- Moving pictures -- Glass-blowing -- Miraculous fountain --
Winstanley -- His waterworks -- The four Indian chiefs 201

CHAPTER XXII.

ROUGH SPORTS.

Bear-baiting -- Bear-gardens -- Bull-baiting -- Description --
Extraordinary bull-bait -- Cock-fighting -- Cock-pits -- Value
of matches -- Training 223

CHAPTER XXIII.

HORSE-RACING, HUNTING, SHOOTING, ETC.

The Queen's love of racing -- Visit to Newmarket -- Queen's
plates -- Value of matches -- Race meetings -- Tregonwell
Frampton -- His horse Dragon -- The Queen's love of hunting --
Sir Roger de Coverley -- Fox-hunting -- Stag-hunting --
Hare-hunting -- Coursing -- Packs of hounds -- Fishing -- Hawking
-- Netting -- The Game Act -- Shooting sitting and flying --
Match shooting -- Archery 228

CHAPTER XXIV.

SWORD-PLAY AND OTHER SPORTS -- GARDEN, ETC.

Challenges -- The stakes -- The combatants -- Description of
fights -- General combativeness -- Boxing -- Cudgel-playing --
Pedestrianism -- Tennis -- Cricket -- Football -- Skating --
Billiards -- Country wakes -- Bowling -- Bowling greens -- Formal
gardening -- Clipping trees -- Books on gardening -- Trees and
Flowers -- Town and country life -- Country labourers 237

CHAPTER XXV.

THE DRAMA.

The theatres -- Dorset Gardens -- Its demolition -- Performances
-- Lincoln's Inn Fields -- Theatre Royal, Drury Lane -- Its
company -- Mrs. Tofts -- The Queen's Theatre, Haymarket -- Its
foundation stone -- Its operas -- Pinkethman's theatre at
Greenwich -- The Queen and the stage -- Her reforms -- Strolling
players -- Behaviour at the theatre -- Orange wenches -- Stage
properties -- Actors -- Betterton -- Verbruggen -- Cave Underhill
-- Estcourt -- Dogget -- Colley Cibber -- Wilks -- Booth --
Pinkethman -- Minor Actors -- Actresses -- Mrs. Barry --
Mrs. Bracegirdle -- Mrs. Oldfield -- Mrs. Verbruggen -- The
ballet 243

CHAPTER XXVI.

OPERAS -- CONCERTS -- MUSIC.

Introduction of Italian opera -- Its rapid popularity -- Mixture
of Languages -- Handel -- His operas, and visit here -- Singers
-- Abel -- Hughs -- Leveridge -- Lawrence -- Ramondon -- Mrs.
Tofts -- Her madness -- Foreign singers -- Margherita de l'Epine
-- Nicolino Grimaldi -- Isabella Girardeau -- Composers -- Dr.
Blow -- Jeremiah Clarke -- Dean Aldrich -- Tom D'Urfey -- Henry
Carey -- Britton, the small coal man -- His concerts -- His death
-- Concerts and concert rooms -- Gasparini, the violinist --
Musical instruments -- Musical scores 268

CHAPTER XXVII.

PAINTERS AND ARCHITECTS.

Wollaston -- Murray -- Hugh Howard -- Lewis Crosse -- Luke
Craddock -- Charles Jervas -- Richardson -- Sir James Thornhill
-- Sir Godfrey Kneller -- Closterman -- Pelegrini -- Sebastian
Ricci -- Vander Vaart -- Laguerre -- Dahl -- Boit -- Class of
pictures in vogue -- Water Colours -- Drawings -- Engravings --
Sculpture -- Grinling Gibbons -- Architects: Sir C. Wren --
Vanbrugh 279

CHAPTER XXVIII.

SCIENCE, ETC.

Its infancy -- Virtuosi -- Gresham College -- Visit to the Royal
Society's Museum -- Their curiosities -- Their new house --
Geology -- Experimental philosophy -- Courses of chemistry --
Mathematics -- List of patents -- Hydraulic machinery -- Savery's
steam-engine -- Description 286

CHAPTER XXIX.

LITERATURE, THE PRESS, ETC.

Authors -- Public libraries -- Their condition -- George
Psalmanazar -- Hack writers -- Poverty of authors -- Their
punishment -- The Press -- _Daily Courant_ -- List of newspapers
-- _London Gazette_ -- _Postboy_ -- _Postman_ -- _Dawk's News
Letter_ -- _Dyer's_ -- Evening papers -- Dearth of domestic news
-- Amenities of the press -- Roper and Redpath -- Tutchin -- His
trial -- Press remuneration -- Mrs. Manley -- 'The Essay Papers'
-- The half-penny stamp -- Its effect -- Advertising -- Almanacs
-- List of them -- Moore's -- 'The Ladies' Diary' -- 'Poor
Robin's Almanack' -- 'Merlinus Liberatus' -- The Essayists and
Partridge -- His false death -- His elegy and epitaph -- An
amateur magazine 293

CHAPTER XXX.

MEDICAL.

List of diseases -- Quackery -- Bleeding, etc. -- Physicians --
Surgeons -- Apothecaries -- Dissension between the physicians and
apothecaries -- The Dispensary -- Pharmacopœias -- Some
nostrums -- Prescriptions -- Cupping -- Treatment of lunatics --
Physicians' carriages -- Dr. Radcliffe -- Sir Samuel Garth -- Sir
Hans Sloane -- Dr. Mead -- His duel with Woodward -- Study of
anatomy -- Surgical instruments -- Oculists -- Sir William Read
-- Roger Grant -- The Queen touching for the evil -- Description
of the ceremony -- Quack remedies -- Quacks' harangues 313

CHAPTER XXXI.

SPAS AND BATHING.

Bath -- Manners of the company there -- Description of Bath --
Its gaieties -- Sale of the water -- Tunbridge -- Epsom --
Hampstead -- Other spas -- Turkish baths -- Controversy on hot
and cold bathing -- The Hummums -- Description of a Turkish bath
-- Other bagnios -- Cold bathing and baths 329

CHAPTER XXXII.

RELIGIONS.

Inactivity of the Church -- Dulness of Sunday -- Contempt of the
clergy -- Low estimation of a chaplain -- Dress of the clergy --
Church furniture -- Traffic in benefices -- Forged Orders -- Dr.
Sacheverell -- 'The Modern Champions' -- Queen Anne's Bounty --
Its history -- Fifty new churches -- Protestant tone of Church
feeling -- The effigies on Queen Elizabeth's birthday --
Oppression of Roman Catholics -- Religious sects -- Eminent
Nonconformists -- Daniel Burgess -- Dislike to Quakers --
Examples -- William Penn 337

CHAPTER XXXIII.

LEGAL.

The different branches of the law -- Briefless barristers --
Green bags -- Forensic wigs -- Attorneys -- Knights of the Post
-- Lord Somers -- Lord Cowper -- His abolition of New Year's
gifts 353

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE RIVER.

Use as a highway -- River slang -- Rates of watermen --
Description of wherries -- Pleasure parties and barges -- The
Folly -- Its frequenters -- Gravesend tilt boat -- Fares at the
Horse Ferry -- The Fleet Ditch 356

CHAPTER XXXV.

THE STREETS.

Size of London -- Pall Mall -- London in wet weather -- Early
morning -- Street cries -- A list of them -- Roguery in the
streets -- Orderly regulations -- State of the roads -- Rule of
the road -- Street signs -- Description of the streets --
Milkmaids on May Day -- Hyde Park -- Its regulations -- Lighting
the streets -- The streets at night 362

CHAPTER XXXVI.

CARRIAGES, ETC.

Smithfield -- Horse coursers -- Waggons -- Stage coaches --
Travelling in them described -- Bad roads -- Posting -- Hackney
coaches -- Their fares -- Hackney coachmen -- State coaches --
Other carriages -- Suburban drives -- Mechanical coach --
Mourning coaches -- Harness -- Sedan chairs -- Chairmen 372

CHAPTER XXXVII.

THE MOHOCKS.

Scourers, etc. -- Bully Dawson -- Two outbreaks -- That in 1712
-- Hawkubites -- Exploits of the Mohocks -- Sir Roger de Coverley
-- Swift's fear of them -- Emperor of the Mohocks -- Gog and
Magog -- The Queen's proclamation -- Decline of the scare --
Constables and watchmen 382

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

DUELLING.

Its prevalence -- Bullying -- Fielding's duels -- Favourite
localities -- Its illegality -- Col. Thornhill and Sir Cholmley
Dering -- Their quarrel and duel -- Duke of Hamilton and Lord
Mohun -- Story of their duel 390

CHAPTER XXXIX.

THE ARMY AND NAVY.

Sale of commissions -- General practice -- Its illegality --
Arrears of pay -- Descriptions of officers -- Army chaplains --
The rank and file -- Description of them -- Irregularity of pay
-- Rations -- Recruiting -- Bounty -- Gaol birds -- Vagrants --
Desertions -- Story of seditious drummers -- Train bands -- The
navy -- Its deeds -- Unpopularity of the service -- Pressing --
Desertion -- Rewards for capture -- Pay -- Description of
Admiralty -- Mercantile marine 396

CHAPTER XL.

CRIME.

Capital punishment -- Its frequency -- An execution described --
Behaviour on the scaffold and way to execution -- Revival after
hanging -- 'Peine forte et dure' -- Hanging in chains --
Highwaymen -- Claude du Val lying in state -- Ned Wicks and Lord
Mohun -- Their swearing match -- A highwayman hanged --
Highwaymen in society -- Highway robberies -- Footpads --
Burglars -- John Hall -- Benefit of clergy -- Coining --
Pickpockets -- Robbery from children -- Perjury -- Sharpers --
Begging impostors -- Gipsies -- Constables -- Private detectives
-- Commercial frauds -- 'Society for the Reformation of Manners'
-- Statistics of their convictions -- The pillory -- Ducking
stool 407

CHAPTER XLI.

PRISONS.

Dreadful condition of prisons -- Bridewell -- Description of --
Flogging -- Houses of Correction -- Compters -- Description of
the Poultry Compter -- 'Garnish' -- Newgate -- Description of --
Marshalsea -- Queen's Bench -- Fleet and Ludgate -- Poor Debtors
-- Kidnappers -- Country prisons -- Bankrupts 425

CHAPTER XLII.

WORKHOUSES, HOSPITALS, ETC.

The London Workhouse -- Life therein -- Bedlam -- Its building --
Regulations -- Description of interior -- Governors --
Bartholomew Hospital -- St. Thomas's -- Almshouses 435