THE SEASON

LONDON

As English society evolved throughout the nineteenth century, the social season became a

demarcation of who was “in” and who was “out.” Though many of the venues were public—the

races and the opera, most noticeably—those within Society created a space in which they

displayed their wealth, taste, and rank in safe confines. As an entity, the London social season

was unique. Unlike the seasons on the Continent, the English were not hampered by archaic rules

of protocol as seen in Russia, the German Empire, and especially Austria-Hungary, nor was

Society left bereft of a social leader in the form of royalty, as was the case in France. Most

marked was that despite the social season’s reputation as part of the annual “marriage mart,” it

was really built around the activities of English men. The London season was, astonishingly

enough, coincident with the parliamentary sessions, and as the nineteenth century wore on, built

heavily around sporting events.

By the Edwardian period, “the ‘ladies game’ of the fully-developed Victorian Season was

tacked onto a program of summer events that had in most cases been well established fixtures

before the Victorian era.” From February to July, the dinner parties and other entertainments

arranged for the amusement of the politicians and their families exceeded the sum of those given

in all the other European capitals. From the opening of Covent Garden, to the Royal Drawing

Rooms, to private balls and concerts, and to Ascot and Goodwood, London and its environs were

packed with not only Britain’s brightest and wealthiest, but Americans eager to rub shoulders
with “my lords” and “your majesties”, Colonial millionaires desiring entree into society and a

bevy of European aristocrats.

The fashionable world was composed largely of those connected with both houses of

Parliament, and their families generally came up to Town around the second week of February,

which was after the best of the hunting was over. During this pre-season, the Queen (and after

his ascension, King Edward) opened Parliament with much state and pomp, and its members

quietly began their business. This period of the season was quiet also because of Lent, and the

reigning monarch took advantage of this to host the year’s first levees and drawing rooms. Those

hostesses in London took the opportunity to host afternoon teas, At Homes, and a few intimate

dinner parties. However, when Parliament adjourned at Easter, society hostesses held large

country-house parties, while those who had neither country houses nor invitations took a jaunt to

the Continent or went to Brighton.

After Easter, there came a rush of people to London. The great houses were opened,

Hyde Park filled in the afternoon, and the Row was crowded every morning with a thousand

horsewomen. Lunches were frequent, dinners innumerable (forty people often sat to one

sumptuous board), and balls now began. The Queen’s drawing rooms were crowded, and most

theatres and operas were abandoned by people of fashion as it was impossible dine at eight and

attend a play on the same night. However, this whirl lasted but five weeks when another

Parliamentary recess was called and society flit again to the country at Whitsuntide (Pentecost to

Americans).

Society returned to London in late May and the traditional starting signal for the Season

was the Private View at the Royal Academy, where the latest frocks could be seen as ladies and
gentlemen strolled about examining works of art and discussing them with their artists. From this

point on was the height of the season. With late dinners and later balls, visits to old friends and

acquaintances, the Sunday Church Parade at Hyde Park (another event in which to see and be

seen), attendances at Covent Garden, charity bazaars, and young ladies and new wives of

qualified gentlemen making their curtseys in Court Drawing Rooms, days and nights were

packed to the brim.

With June came Derby day, Commencement at Eton, where families visit the boys for

speeches and a boat race, Ascot Week, and a fête and gymkhana at the Ranelagh Club. July

featured the major cricket matches between the Lords and the Commons, Oxford and

Cambridge, and Eton and Harrow, at Lord’s–all in one week. Garden parties in bungalows and

snug cottages along the Thames were held–Chiswick, owned by the Duke of Devonshire, but

leased to the Prince of Wales on the condition that two large breakfast parties were held each

week. The Queen opened the grounds of Buckingham Palace for garden parties as well, a trend

that lasts into this day.

The Duke of Richmond’s race-meeting at Goodwood, the Henley Regatta, Cowes Week

and Wimbledon, the last of the fêtes champêtres, were packed into the first weeks of August, and

as London began to empty, dinners, parties and the like were crammed in before it emptied

completely. August 12th, otherwise known as the Glorious Twelfth, was the end of the London

season, and those who didn’t hare off to shoot grouse or stalk deer in Scotland and the North

usually traipsed across the Channel for cures at the numerous Continental spas, leaving Britain

once more to the sporting set.

 The winter months in London were designated as the “little season,” wherein those

connected with the government, the diplomatic corps, the lawyers, literary people and those of

the gentry who had no large estates, remained in Town from November, with an interval of a

fortnight at Christmas, until February. This was a more intimate gathering of society and was

seen as the prelude to being accepted into the social round the following year.

The London season as seen in 1897. Though a few of the dates designated are unique to

that year, being the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the remainder of the activities are similar to the

normal social season, give or take a few exhibitions.

JANUARY

Race meetings held at Newmarket, Gatwick, Windsor and elsewhere

Pheasant shooting closes at the end of the month

FEBRUARY

Sandown Park races in Surrey

Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire

The Waterloo Cup–the premiere event of the hare-coursing year

MARCH

The Grand National, the most valuable National Hunt horse race in the world

APRIL

2 Inter-Universities Sports, Queen's Club

3 Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race

3 Football (Association) England v. Scotland at the Crystal Palace

7 8 p.m. Philharmonic Concert, Queen's Hall

7 Races : Derby Spring Meeting, two days

10 Lacrosse Match : North v. South at Crystal Palace

11 (Holy Week) Palm Sunday - 3.30. Last Sunday Concert for the Season at Queen's Hall

13 Races: Brighton Spring Meeting, two days

15 Maundy Thursday - Distribution of Royal Alms, Westminster Abbey, 1.30 p.m.

15 Opening of The "Oval " for Summer Season—Cricket

16 (Good Friday) - Performance of the " Messiah " by the Royal Choral Society, Albert Hall. 3

p.m. Performance of" Redemption," Queen's Hall Choral Society, Queen's Hall

18 (Easter Sunday) - Special Services at the Abbey, Cathedral, and other London Churches

19 Easter Bank Holiday; Primrose Day; Races : Kempton Park Kasler Meeting

21 Races: Newmarket Craven Meeting; Oxford Easter Term begins

23 S. George's Day

24 Royal Artillery Race Meeting at Aldershot; Races : Hurst Park, one day

27 Epsom Spring Meeting. Great Metropolitan Stakes; Easter Law Sittings, Royal Courts of

Justice begin
28 Cricket : Cambridge University v. M.C.C. and Ground at Lord's; Surrey v. Middlesex at the

Oval; Sussex v.. Oxford University at Oxford; Yorkshire v. Philadelphians at Sheffield; Epsom

Spring Meeting: The City and Suburban

29 Races: Sandown Park Spring Meeting

30 Private View: Royal Academy

MAY

1 May Day. Stock Exchange and Bank of England closed; Grand International Steeplechases,

Sandown; Hurlingham Club opens for Summer Season; Royal Academy Banquet

3 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition opens; Cricket: Surrey v. Leicestershire at the Oval

4 Races: Newmarket First Spring Meeting

5 M.C.C. and Ground v. Nottingham at Lord's; M.C.C. Meeting and Dinner, at Lord's; Aldershot

Spring Race Meeting, two days; Royal Water Colour Society Art Club Conversazione, 53, Pall

Mall, E.; Philharmonic Concert, Queen's Hall, 8 p.m.

6 Royal Choral Society, Albert Hall; Royal Society of Painter Etchers Summer Exhibition opens,

53, Pall Mall East

7 Races : Newmarket: One Thousand Guineas

10 Royal Italian Opera : Summer Season begins; Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Yorkshire, at

Lord's; Surrey v. Essex at the Oval

12 Races : The Chester Cup

13 Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Sussex, at Lord's; Cricket: Surrey v. Warwickshire, at the

Oval; Queen's Hall Choral Society ("St. Paul"), Queen's Hall, 8 p.m.

14 Races: Kempton Park Jubilee Meeting

15 New Thames Yacht Club Regatta, Harwich

17 Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Lancashire, at Lord's; Opening of Yachting and Fisheries

Exhibition by T.R.H. The Prince and Princess of Wales at Imperia Institute

19 Royal Botanic Society's Great Summer Exhibition, Regent's Park

20 Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Kent, at Lord's; Cricket : Surrey v Sussex, at the Oval

22 Official Celebrations of Queen's Birthday; Ministerial Banquets; "Trooping of the Colours."

Horse Guards' Parade

24 Birthday Of Her Majesty The Queen, 1819; Cricket: Surrey v. Derbyshire, at Oval; Opening

of " Victorian Loan Exhibition," Crystal Palace

26 Royal Horticultural Society's Great Flower Show, Temple Gardens

27 Royal Military Tournament opens

JUNE

1 Races : Epsom Summer Meeting; Royal Botanic Society Rhododendron Exhibition daily

throughout the month

3 Races : Epsom, The Derby; 8 p.m. Philharmonic Concert, Queen's Hall

4 Eton 4th of June Commencement; Races : Epsom, The Oaks

5 Crystal Palace Horse Show opens

7 Whit Monday. Bank Holiday; Cart Horse Parade, Regent's Park; Cricket : Middlesex v.

Somerset, at Lord's; Races : Hurst Park, two days; Lawn Tennis: Kent Open Championships at

Chiswick Park

10 Cricket : M.C.C. and Ground v. Derbyshire, at Lord's; Cricket : Sussex v. Somerset, at

Brighton

11 Richmond Horse Show opens

14 (Trinity Monday) Triennial Handel Festival, "The Messiah" at the Crystal Palace, first day;

Trinity House Banquet; Cricket: Middlesex v. Nottingham., at Lord's; Cricket: Surrey v.

Somerset, at the Oval; Lawn Tennis : Kent Championships at Blackheath; Richter Concert, St.

James's Hall

15 Races: Ascot, Ascot Stakes, Gold Vase, Prince of Wales's Stakes

16 Races : Ascot Royal Hunt Cup

17 Ascot Races: Gold Cup Day, New Stakes; Cricket: Middlesex v. Yorkshire, at Lord's;

Cricket: Sussex v. Philadelphians, at Brighton; 8 p.m. Philharmonic Concert, Queen's Hall

20 Queen's Accession Day, 1837, Completion of Sixtieth Year Of Her Majesty's Reign

20 Hospital Sunday; Inspection of Corps of Commissionaires, Chelsea Hospital

21 Royal Victoria Hospital Fete opens Royal Botanic Gardens, five days; Opening night of

Madame Sarah Bernhardt's "Season of French Plays," Adelphi Theatre; Lawn Tennis : "The
Championships," commence at Wimbledon; Last Richter Concert, St. James' Hall; Cricket:

Middlesex v. Philadelphians, at Lord's

22 The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebration

23 Royal Agricultural Society's Show opens at Manchester

26 Races : Kemp on Park June Meeting

28 Queen's Coronation Day, 1838; Lawn Tennis : The Championship, at Wimbledon

29 Races : Newmarket First July Meeting

JULY

1 Dominion Day, Canada; Cricket : Surrey v. Yorkshire (Henderson's Benefit), at the Oval;

Cricket : M.C.C. and Ground v. Oxford University (two days), at Lord's; 8 p.m. Philharmonic

Concert, Queen's Hall

3 Races : Hurst Park

4 Independence Day, U.S.A. Reception by United States Ambassador, at the Embassy

5 Cricket: Oxford v. Cambridge, at Lord's; Assembling of the Bishops. Lambeth Conference

(Pan-Anglican Synod); Lawn Tennis: Gipsies' Tournament

8 Cricket: Gentlemen v. Players, at the Oval

9 Eton and Harrow Cricket Match, at Lord's, two days

12 National Rifle Association Bisley Meeting begins; Cricket: Gentlemen v. Players, at Lord's;

Lawn Tennis : Queen's Club Tournaments

13 Races: Newmarket 2nd July Meeting

14 Henley Royal Regatta, first day

15 Henley Royal Regatta, second day; Cricket: Middlesex v. Surrey, at Lord's

16 Henley Royal Regatta, third day; Races : Sandown Park, Eclipse Stakes; Royal Cinque Ports

Yacht Club Regatta

19 Dover to Ostend Yacht Races

20 Royal Alfred Yacht Club Regatta

21 Chester Musical Festival, three days; Races : Liverpool July Meeting, The Liverpool Cup

22 Philatelic Exhibition opens, Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours

22 Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Philadelphians, at Lord's; Cricket: Surrey v. Kent, at the Oval

24 Moulsey Regatta; Kingston-on-Thames Regatta; Ostend to Dover Yacht Races

26 Royal Italian Opera Summer Season ends

26 M.C.C. v. Grange Club, Edinburgh, at Lord's

27 Races: Goodwood

28 Races : Goodwood Stakes; Cricket: Rugby v. Marlborough, at Lord's

29 Cricket : Surrey v. Philadelphians, at the Oval; Races: Goodwood Cup

30 Cricket: Cheltenham v. Haileybury, at Lord's

31 Oxford 8th Summer Meeting begins

AUGUST

2 Bank Holiday; Cricket: Canterbury Cricket Week begins: Kent v. Lancashire, at Canterbury;

Cricket: Surrey v. Nottingham., at Oval; Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Nottingham Castle, at

Lord's; Races: Hurst Park; Royal London Yacht Club Matches, at Cowes

3 Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta Week begins, at Cowes; Races: Brighton Summer Meeting, 3

days

4 Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta at Cowes, 2nd day; Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v.

Hertfordshire., at Lord's

5 Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta at Cowes, 3rd day; Canterbury Cricket Week: Kent v.

Yorkshire 6 Races : Lewes, 2 days; Cricket: M. C. C. v. Leicester, at Lord's

7 Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition closes

9 Cricket: Surrey?'. Hampshire, at the Oval; Cricket: Sussex v. Yorkshire, at Brighton; Lawn

Tennis : Derbyshire Championships at Buxton

10 Royal Victoria Yacht Club Regatta, 4 days; Races : Kempton Park Second Summer Meeting,

2 days 2 Grouse Scooting begins 2 Races : Windsor, 2 days

12 Cricket: Middlesex v. Sussex, at Lord's

14 Races: Alexandra Park

16 Royal Albert Yacht Club Regatta, 2 days; Cricket: Sussex v. Lancashire, at Brighton; Lawn

Tennis: Yorkshire Championships, at Scarborough

18 Meeting: British Association for advancement of Science, Toronto, Canada. Sir John Evans,

president; Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Worcestershire, at Lord's

19 Cricket: Surrey v. Lancashire, at the Oval; Royal Dorset Yacht Club Match, to Weymouth

20 Blackcock Shooting begins; Cricket: M.C.C. and Ground v. Cambridgeshire, at Lord's

23 Cricket: Middlesex v. Lancashire, at Lord's; Cricket: Sussex v. Kent, at Brighton; Lawn

Tennis: Bournemouth Championships Meeting

24 Sussex County Agricultural Show at Hastings, 2 days; Races : York August Meeting, 3 days

25 Oxford Summer Meeting; Races: York, Great Ebor Handicap

SEPTEMBER

The Holiday-months of all Londoners privileged to have or earn holidays, are August and

September. London, then, is what is called " very empty " There is little going on interesting to

the town beyond an occasional cricket match and race meeting.

1 Partridge Shooting begins; Races: Derby

2 Cricket: North v. South, at Scarborough

3 Races : Sandown Park

4 Races: Sandown

4 to 13 Berlin Regatta Week

6 Lawn Tennis : Brighton Tournaments begin

7 Races: Doncaster

8 Races: Doncaster, The St. Leger, Tattersall Sale Stakes

9 Races : Doncaster, Rous Plate; Hastings Cricket Festival begins: North v. South, 3 days

10 Races : Doncaster, Doncaster Cup

11 Races : Kempton Park

13 Hastings Cricket Festival: Gentlemen v. Players, 3 days; Lawn Tennis: South of England

Championship Meeting begins, Eastbourne

16 Races: Great Yarmouth T. Y. O. Stakes

23 Races : Manchester

25 Races : Hurst Park

28 Swearing in of the Sheriffs, at the Guildhall

29 Races : Newmarket October Handicap; Newmarket Hopeful States

30 Races : Newmarket, Jockey Club Stakes

OCTOBER

Cubbing in Ireland

Aristocratic weddings in London

NOVEMBER

Hunting season begins

Country Ball season

DECEMBER

Christmas in the country

Boxing Day

Twelfth Night celebrations

ABROAD

Up to the mid-nineteenth century the great leisure center of Europe were the German

spas. However, when gambling was outlawed, the pendulum swung towards France and Monaco.

The greater ease and inexpensive fares offered by both railways and ocean liners enabled society

to hare off to Monte for a bit of gambling, to a tiger hunt in Bengal, or hunting on Baron de

Hirsch’s estate in Austria. By the end of the London season, most, if not all, of society, having

eaten its way through autumn to August required a place where their system could recuperate.

A notorious gourmand, the Prince of Wales encouraged the trend for rich, heavy sauces,

multiple courses a la russe, and snacking at all times of day and night–washing it all down with

copious amounts of wines and champagne (pink was his favorite). To remedy this painful

consumption of food day and night, Bertie also set the trend for the late-summer jaunts to Baden-

Baden, Marienbad or Carlsbad, where he and other gourmands were placed on a strict regime

that combined diet, exercise and the taking of the waters.

 The German spas were also a great place for the person with a slightly sullied reputation

to mingle with people they wouldn’t necessarily have been able to meet in Paris, Vienna or

London. A young lady of fortune or without fortune viewed Ems, Homburg and Marienbad as

the ideal terrain for post-Season husband-hunting. The general atmosphere of “here today, gone

tomorrow” encouraged liaisons and friendships otherwise avoided. And even the king wasn’t

exempt from the somewhat permissible atmosphere of the spas: ladies of dubious antecedents

and reputations regularly propositioned Edward through his equerry Sir Fredrick Ponsonby, who

tells in his memoirs of a particularly aggressive lady of easy virtue who, when the King turned

her down, then offered herself to him!

After Christmas, the travelers would return to the Continent and throw themselves into

the South of France Season, which lasted until mid-May. The Riviera stretched from Marseilles

to Monte Carlo, and many books extolled the sunshine, dry warmth and gorgeous scenery as an

ideal setting for those suffering poor health. While consumptives and hypochondriacs toddled to

Cannes and Nice, those with money to burn (and sometimes with pockets to let) dashed to Monte

Carlo and its world-famous casino where the ordinary gambling unit was a mille, worth about 40

pounds. In its season, Monte Carlo attracted the super-rich Americans traveling over in yachts,

widows both wealthy and on the prowl, and so many Russian princes and Grand Dukes that it

seemed the court of St. Petersburg was replicated many miles (or versts to the Russians) away. A

few, such as Alice Keppel, Edward’s maitresse-en-tête, preferred Biarritz, a small French city

founded by Empress Eugenie, where the English influence was very strong.

Towards the end of the 19th century a few sporting enthusiasts discovered skiing in

Scandinavia and brought it south, causing the Alpine resorts of Wengen, Gstaad, Davos and
Adelboden–all located in Switzerland–to take off. By the mid-1900s, winter sports became so

popular there were plans to include them into the aborted 1916 Olympics.

Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end. After the hustle and bustle of Monte

Carlo and the German spas, society returned to England with lighter pockets and trimmer

waistlines, only to begin the social round again, sparking a continuous cycle of gluttony and

excess counteracted with a period of diet and restriction.

SCOTLAND

After the close of the London social season, society packed its bags for either the

Continent, or other country house parties, but most traveled up north for the Scottish season.

Partly focused in Edinburgh and partly focused in Balmoral Castle, or other Scottish castles

and/or hunting seats, this time was marked by August 12, otherwise known as the “Glorious

Twelfth.”

Apart from a brief visit by George IV in 1822, no British monarch had crossed the border

since the reign of Charles I. This changed when twenty years later, Queen Victoria, on tour of

her realm, went to Scotland and fell deeply in love (dare I say her love of Scotland and all things

Scottish rivaled her love of Prince Albert?). She and Albert returned frequently, gladly

entertained and protected by her noble Scottish hosts (Marquess of Breadelbane), but an idea

percolated in her brain: a castle of her own.

Balmoral was a small castle on Deeside. It was a simple, sturdy building so cramped, that

when the gentlemen played billiards, the ladies had to get out of the way. That had to go. In its
place, a magnificent castle testifying Victoria and Albert’s love and appreciation for Scotland.

However, no one could call the castle comfortable, and the wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-ceiling tartan

decorations gave many guests a headache.

Early on, the gatherings at Balmoral were a family affair, but aristocrats followed the

Queen up North and saw an opportunity for new sport. And as with all matters important to their

male kith and kin–and eligible gentlemen–the general social season fit itself around the Scottish

one. Deer-stalking occupied the men, and many cash-poor/land-rich Scottish aristocrats found

themselves inundated with rich English peers willing to rent their outlying deer-forests for

outrageous sums. Five thousand pounds for ten weeks’ sport was not unusual. This influx

revitalized the Scottish Highlands: glens that had lain barren save eagles and rutting stags since

the Highland Clearances of the 1780s rang once again with human activity. Carpenters,

timbermen, and other artisans found themselves with more work than ever as these English

aristocrats needed impressive hunting lodges to go with the vast tracts of land they purchased.

In later autumn, country house parties gathered for partridge shooting followed by

hunting, an activity par excellence which brought together local people and those involved in

London Society. The high point of the Scottish season was the Hunt Ball. It was a somewhat

public function, where tickets were sold, though many were also sent to the best private

householders in return for a subscription.

In Scotland, everyone seemed more relaxed, most likely due to the Highland practice of

leaving ones doors open to all, and thus an informal and pleasant mode of intercourse sprang up

between guests.
 Colonies & Commonwealths

When stationed abroad–or sent away for some nefarious reason or other–the English

imported the manners and mores of Home to their new locale. As the British Empire grew,

spreading across Asia, Africa and Down Under, it was imperative to maintain ‘civilization’ and

‘culture’ in the midst of ‘brutish’ nations. Though the leading official of Britain’s colonies, and

later, commonwealths, were referred to as “Viceroys,” their accurate title was that of either

Governor-General or Lord Lieutenant. Of the Viceroyalty, India, that jewel in the crown of the

Empire, was the most coveted position.

In these territories, society revolved around the Government House. Though an invitation

to Government House was considered no more exclusive than attending a Court ball in London,

it was coveted as a symbol of at least hovering on the fringes of society. In Melbourne, Australia,

the scattered position of the suburbs created a number of elite circles, but there remained but one

creme de la creme–and in Sydney, the same thing occurred. However in Adelaide, there was but

one society, and they were considered the most English and exclusive. However exclusive these

circles may be, class was a fluid concept because of the skewed ration of men versus women.

Australian writers describing their country bemoaned the frequency of mesalliances, and detailed

stories of being invited to dine at the home of a cultured man and discovering the man’s wife

dropped her h’s and ate her peas with a knife. Richard Twopeny, in his book “Town Life in

Australia” noted that the rule of Australian society was to avoid asking questions about or
making reference to the early days of a colonist–it was likely that a society leader and her

husband were formerly a scullery maid and shop-keeper, respectively.

This melding of various classes and socio-economic backgrounds led to a startling

informality. The man-about-town would dress down rather than up for his Sunday stroll (a top

hat, gloves and waistcoat would bring jeers), and the dearth of servants–for people emigrated to

start anew!–induced many Australian ladies to pitch in and clean their homes and cook

themselves. New Zealand society was just as informal, if not more so. They had their

Government House in Wellington, and to receive an invitation to a ball, one had only to sign

their name to the Visitor’s Book and await the square of pasteboard to arrive. New Zealand

ladies thought nothing of setting out to pay formal calls on foot–though with a pistol handy in

case of emergency. Because of the great distances between settlers and cities, social gatherings

went on for days: one dance last for a day, a night, and another night. Of other amusements and

entertainments, the opera was very popular, and there was a mania for gambling. Not

surprisingly, long after the fad for rinking (roller skating) was introduced to England and

America, it became a craze in Australia–and it was noted that there was no set hour for the

fashionable to use the rinking rings; a maid could sail past her employer and even link arms with

the daughter of the house. Sports were a given past-time, with pony races and dingo hunts

indulged in by the men.

The delightful informality of society in New Zealand and Australia ended there. Society

in places like India, Hong Kong and Shanghai centered around Government House, but the

presence of the military in other British colonies and dominions reinforced English social

patterns–though the elite of Hong Kong and Shanghai society were more likely to derive from

the merchant classes.

 The seasons–cold, hot or wet–dictated the pattern of British society in India, and the club

did the rest. Every center except the smallest had a club, whether it be called a club or were

actually a polo or gymkhana club, and joining it was the most important step in becoming

accepted in that area’s society. The cold season, lasting from November to April, was marked by

the arrival of the “fishing fleet”–the collective name given to girls with family connections in

India who came out to snare a husband. Christmas, with pea fowl rather than turkey, and presents

ordered from Home in October, was the climax of this portion of the season, and after that, the

Viceroy’s Ball at Delhi carried he message that the hot weather, with its temperatures of 130

degrees in the shade, would shortly begin. Society decamped to hill stations like Simla (Shimla),

Musoori (Mussoorie) and Darjeeling to escape the heat, and left the men behind to their

employment and masculine pursuits. The hills were very much the woman’s world, and was

organized along the lines of the London season. This “hot” season ended in October, when the

memsahibs and their families once more returned to the Plains for the “cold” season.

Society in Hong Kong and Shanghai was unlike any other. Here, merchants ruled

supreme, though to outsiders, the hierarchy was extremely puzzling: why should Mrs. X whose

spouse exports tea be “haut ton,” while Mrs. Y whose husband imports cigars is not to be called

on? A further source of surprise was that officers in the Indian Army were not considered

eligible dancing partners for the daughters of the Hong Kong elite. The firm of Jardine Matheson

was the “Princely Hong” since the founder, William Jardine, a ship’s surgeon, could claim to

have “discovered” the island of Hong Kong. A Crown Colony ruled by a Governor-General and

a Council, society was less formal than India, though not as informal as Down Under. Because of

its position as a major port, the British mingled with a bevy of nationalities and occasionally the
very wealthy Chinese. However, the stench of opium trading hung over both Hong Kong and

Shanghai, lending the two trading ports a sinister air.

Like India, Hong Kong society was dictated by its season: for six months out of the year

the island was extremely hot, and that was alleviated only by a southwest monsoon. To escape

the summer heat, society built houses on the Peak–though this was little better for it was

extremely wet and foggy. Fog would sometimes envelop the Peak for days and drown everything

in moisture–books became moldy and dropped from their covers, shoes turned green with a

single night’s experience, and clothes were so saturated with the clammy touch of the mist that

they could not be worn. To combat this, every house had a drying room, where fires burned all

day long, and where bed-clothes and garments were dried. Shanghai was divided into three

settlements–English, French, and American–and the Chinese city of Shanghai proper was two

miles distant and walled, for the Chinese were forbidden to move freely without permission. The

best weather occurred between September and May, and after that, it was frequently described as

“hell.” It was a bit more sophisticated and cosmopolitan than Hong Kong, influenced by the

lavishness of the American element, and many considered it a rival to the best cities in Europe.

Regardless of how far away they were from England, most colonist considered that to be

“Home.” After the turn of the century, colonists in places like Canada, Australia and South

Africa were the settlers began to see themselves as anything other than British, and began to

develop unique identities as “Canadian” or “Australian.” However, despite the strict adherence to

British social customs in colonized countries, the influence went both ways, with the countries

adopting certain aspects of British culture, and British culture absorbing the customs of the other

country.