Queen Victoria Did Not Wear Any Knickers.

Chapter 1

We are all cognisant with the main events in English History : the Vikings , Alfred the Great and the Battle of Hastings the Norman Invasion, the Armada, Henry VIII's Break with Rome etc.But if one digs deeper below the grand events as it were, there are other aspects of how the English accommodated the practicalities and social norms of their days.

In this instance I have chosen the Regency and early Victorian period. Hence my current obscure obsession with underwear facts of that time. Ladies first. They wore such volumous layers of petticoats, that in order to perform their bodily functions the use of underwear was dysfunctional. Going "commando" i believe is the term now.

Likewise with the male species. No jockey shorts for them. No thermals or patterned briefs from Mark's and Spensers. No. Shirts were tailored much longer and the lower half was tucked between the legs.

In fact in both instances I believe it was more beneficial getting greater air circulation around the privates. Also more comfortable with fewer instances of crotch rot. As noted in the title, this extended in society from the Queen herself to all members of the upper class.

In the next chapter I will endeavour to convey what society comprised of by exploring as an example the Almack Club in St Jame's, London

Welcome, Mani. Your present subject of research is certainly unusual.

Lol, agreed... waiting with bated breath for your new installments :)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor

I think you got a best seller there, Mani.
If they make it into a movie, how about this for a theme song:
The Old Red Flannel Drawers That Maggie Wore

Hi Danik. It's a spin off from a biography of Lord Palmerston by Jasper Ridley that I am currently reading.

Don't bate too long TS.

Hi Sancho. Your imagination is as free wheeling as mine. Haha. Take care.

Chapter 2.

The Regency Period on the social norm cannot but better be perceived than by looking at one of more celebrated institutions namely the Almack Club in St Jame's, London.

It was most exclusive for those of a certain class, irrespective of monetary wealth. It was also interesting in many aspects in so far as it was mixed sex membership, ruled by seven lady patroness'es and gained the reputation of being a gateway between society and Society.

One had to be proposed by another member of the opposite sex. But the final decision rested with the august grandes dames previously mentioned. These comprised: the Countesses of Jersey, Sefton , Cowper, Leven, along with Vicountess Castlereagh Lady Willoughby and Princess Esterhazy.

It was in reality a marriage mart for Society, a place to see and be seen and a network for others of their caste. Once joined one's social standing soared.

Dinner was at 4.30pm, exclusive of wine which men paid for and supper was at 11pm, after which no furthermore admittance was accepted irrespective of rank or title. The dress code was rigid and uncompromising. For men knee breaches held up by suspenders or braces, white cravat and a chapeau-bras. On one occasion the Duke of Wellington was reminded when wearing trousers and effected a strategic retreat.

Wednesday night was the occasion of a bal, where the women were in elegant dresses, invariably white to symbolise purity. There was at the time an accepted view that English ladies were virtuous and unattainable, wheras foreign ladies were weak and dissolute.

The dances until 1814 were English country style and Scottish reels, but later Lady Jersey introduced the quadrille. Controversial occurred when the walz came later. The occasion was when Countess Lieven danced it with Tsar Alexander when he visited London in 1816. It disturbed social norms initially, the concept of a gentleman siezing a lady around the waist and clasping her to him.

Chapter 2.

The Regency Period on the social norm cannot but better be perceived than by looking at one of the more celebrated institutions namely the Almack Club in St Jame's, London.

It was most exclusive for those of a certain class, irrespective of monetary wealth. It was also interesting in many aspects in so far as it was mixed sex membership, ruled by seven lady patroness'es and gained the reputation of being a gateway between society and Society.

One had to be proposed by another member of the opposite sex. But the final decision rested with the august grandes dames previously mentioned. These comprised: the Countesses of Jersey, Sefton , Cowper, Leven, along with Vicountess Castlereagh, Lady Willoughby and Princess Esterhazy.

It was in reality a marriage mart for Society, a place to see and be seen and a network for others of their caste. Once joined one's social standing soared.

Dinner was at 4.30pm, exclusive of wine which men paid for and supper was at 11pm, after which no furthermore admittance was accepted irrespective of rank or title. The dress code was rigid and uncompromising. For men knee breaches held up by suspenders or braces, white cravat and a chapeau-bras. On one occasion the Duke of Wellington was reminded when wearing trousers and effected a strategic retreat.

Wednesday night was the occasion of a ball where the women were in elegant dresses, invariably white to symbolise purity. There was at the time an accepted view that English ladies were virtuous and unattainable, wheras foreign ladies were weak and dissolute.

The dances until 1814 were English country style and Scottish reels, but later Lady Jersey introduced the quadrille. Controversial occurred when the walz came. The occasion was when Countess Lieven danced it with Tsar Alexander when he visited London in 1816. It disturbed social norms initially, the concept of a gentleman siezing a lady around the waist and clasping her to him.

Who would think of the Waltz being controversial at its introduction to polite English society... scandalous ! Enjoying :)

Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor