Paper 36

Programme for a Second Royal Ball, 1813

Contributed by Paul Cooper, Research Editor

We've previously shared a paper investigating the dancing at a Royal Ball held at Carlton House in early February 1813. This paper continues the theme by investigating a second Royal Ball that was held at Carlton House, this time on Wednesday 30th June 1813. We'll compare and contrast the dancing at these two events, held just four months apart, you may like to read the earlier paper before proceeding with this one.

The tunes we'll be investigating further in this paper are:

• I'll Gang Nae Mair to Yon Town
• Voulez Vous Danser Mademoiselle?
• Mrs McLeod of Rasay's Reel
• The Isle of Sky
• Miss Johnston of Huttonhall's Reel
• Knole Park
• Lady Montgomery's Reel
• The Tank

Figure 1. The first of the Royal Party to enter the Ball Room was Queen Charlotte, conducted by her son and host, George The Prince Regent, Images courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust

The Prince Regent's Ball &c. (Wednesday 30th June, 1813)

This Ball was held at the Prince's personal palace at Carlton House in London, several newspapers described the Ball over the days following the event. We're once again lucky that the names of the tunes that were danced have been recorded for posterity. The following narrative is constructed from details printed in The Courier for 2nd July 1813 and also in The Morning Chronicle for the same day; both newspapers printed a significantly similar text, any dance references have been emphasised.

The Prince Regent's Entertainment on Wednesday night, though not upon so extensive a scale as the Fete given soon after his accession to the Regency, was yet of the most splendid description. There were between 900 and 1000 persons present, and the dresses were of the most magnificent and costly sort. As it was the wish of the Prince to entertain his guests with as much ease and comfort as possible, the plan was adopted of laying supper in tents for a considerable number, as a cool retreat from the heat of the ball room and state-apartments; and this object would have been completely answered, provided the weather had proved favourable.

- The Courier

A covered walk or grove had been provided, branching out right and left, on the entrance from the house to the temporary promenade, occupying the space of the house. It consisted of orange-trees, large branches of ivy, and curious trees, a variety of flowers and exotics, which were brought from Kensington, Hampton Court, and Kew Gardens for the occasion. They were illuminated by a great number of variegated lamps, and four Grecian lamps in the centre on each side. From the quantity of rain, however, that fell during the day, the company were obliged to forego the pleasure of walking in it, the rain having penetrated in several places, although every possible exertion had been made to make it weather-proof. The same was nearly the case with respect to the tents, as but few of the company, in comparison to the number laid for, would venture to sup in them, being fearful of the damp.

The tents and the apparatus belonging to them are ordnance stores, and were brought from the Tower and Woolwich. The decorations to the tents, promenade, &c. were by Tatham and Bailey; the artificial flowers by Carberry; the lamps, lustres, &c. by Parker and Perry; the display of the trees, &c. in the promenade, by Salisbury; the whole of the planning and execution of the entertainment devolved upon Mr. Watier, who was indefatigable in his exertions to have every thing complete in due time and in good order. The supper consisted of the most choice-made dishes and rarities. The desert was the most choice and rare fruits from the different royal gardens, which were served up with the confectioneinterferredry, by Mr Benwar, in a very superior style, and displayed the Prince's beautiful collection of groupers and figures in bisquit, which are acknowledged to be the finest in the world.

- The Morning Chronicle

Figure 2. The next to enter were the Princesses Elizabeth and Mary, conducted by the Duke of Cambridge, Images courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust

At eight o'clock, a party of the 7th Hussars marched into Pall-Mall, and men were stationed in different places to regulate the line of carriages. About the same time a party of Guards, under the command of Col. Clithero, with the Duke of York's band, marched into the Court-yard. The Duke of Cumberland's also attended, and played alternately.

The Queen, and Princesses Elizabeth, Mary, and Sophia of Gloucester, arrived at half past nine o'clock in chairs. They were received with military honours by the guard, the band playing God save the King. They were ushered in by two Pages of the Presence, in full uniform, with wax lights; the hall and other rooms, through which they were to pass, were lined with 40 of the Yeomen of the Guard, together with the liveried servants in their State liveries. The company assembled in different rooms till about eleven o'clock, when one of the Pages conducted them to the State-room, where the Prince Regent, the Queen, and the rest of the Royal Family, were assembled.

- The Courier

Soon after the Prince, conducting the Queen, entered the ball room, followed by the Princesses Elizabeth and Mary, conducted by the Duke of Cambridge; the Princess Charlotte by the Duke of York; the Duchess of York and Princess Sophia of Gloucester by the Duke of Kent. They were attended by the Prince's Officers of State. The Queen took her seat at the upper end of the room in a superb arm chair, attended by her Chamberlain, the Lady in Waiting, &c. The Prince of Orange followed soon after.

A numerous band appeared in a recess, and struck up the Royal Family's favourite dance - Gang nae mair to yon town, which was led off by the Princess Mary and the Marquis Cornwallis, followed by the Princess Charlotte and Lord James Murray. The Duke of Brunswick arrived while this dance was going down, and having paid his respects to the Queen, the Prince, and the rest of the Royal Family, he mixed with the company.

- The Morning Chronicle

Figure 3. Next to arrive was Princess Charlotte conducted by the Duke of York, Images courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust

The second dance called for was Voulez vous danser Mademoiselle? which was led off by the same distinguished characters. Although the Princess Elizabeth did not join in the dance, she appeared to enjoy the amusement extremely, and her usual vivacity of disposition was very conspicuous.

- The Courier

The next dance was Mrs McCleod, which Lord Aboyne had the honour of leading off with the Princess Mary, followed by the Princess Charlotte and the Duke of Devonshire. Till this dance was led off the dancers were not very numerous, owing to the crowded state of the rooms, numbers having retired to promenade the State Rooms. In the Octagon Room there was an abundance of the most choice refreshments.

The fourth dance was the Isle of Sky, which was led off by the same distinguished characters. At the finish of this dance supper was announced, when the Royal Family descended by a private staircase near the Throne Room, to the Conservatory, where supper was laid for about 60.

Supper was served to the visitors in the same style as at the former fete. The principal ornament of the massy plate on the table was, in the centre, a beautifully worked temple, supported by four elegant figures and four sea-horses. A most delicate contrast to the plate were beautiful groupes and figures in Bisquit. The Duke of Cumberland's Band attended in an adjoining building to the top of the Conservatory, but, on account of the coldness of the night, the doors behind the Prince and the Queen, leading to it, were not opened as usual. They played the Regency March, and other pieces. The suite of rooms for the general company were extremely crowded, owing to their declining to go into the tents.

- The Morning Chronicle

Figure 4. The last of the Royal party were the Duchess of York and Princess Sophia of Gloucester, conducted by the Duke of Kent, Images courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust

After supper the dancing was resumed, when the following dances were led off by the Princess Mary and the Duke of Devonshire: Miss Johnson, Knole Park, and Lady Montgomery. The whole concluded with The Tank, led off by the Princess Charlotte and the Duke of Devonshire.

Her Majesty and the Princesses left Carlton House about half-past five o'clock, for the Queen's Palace. It was half past six before all the company had left the splendid scene.

- The Courier

The Morning Post newspaper for the 2nd July 1813 featured essentially the same text as both the Morning Chronicle and The Courier, but with the additional detail of the dresses worn by over 50 of the senior lady guests. The descriptions include: Princess Charlotte of Wales - A patent lace dress, with elegant borders and grounding in silver lama, and pink silk over white satin. A bodice of rich pink satin, elegantly embroidered in silver lamas, and ornamented with diamonds; head-dress, diamonds, pearls, and feathers. Her Royal Highness never appeared more elegant. .. Princess Mary - A fine plume of twelve white ostrich feathers ... Princess Sophia of Gloucester - White satin dress, superbly embroidered in silver.

The Ball had the misfortune to be held on a cold and wet night in June, the weather (as is so often the case) interfered with the carefully laid plans; but the approximately one thousand guests made the most of the event regardless. The palace was over-crowded due to guests refusing to promenade outdoors, this in turn restricted how many couples could dance; we know of eight dancing tunes that were named in the text, we'll consider them in turn.

Figure 5. Voulez Vous Dansez Mademoiselle, or the Portuguese Dance, from Button & Whitaker's 1812 18th Number (top), and Voulez Vous Danser Mademoiselli from Davie's c.1812 28th Number (bottom). Bottom image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD, P.M.84.(9.) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

I'll Gang Nae Mair to Yon Town

A numerous band appeared in a recess, and struck up the Royal Family's favourite dance - Gang nae mair to yon town, which was led off by the Princess Mary and the Marquis Cornwallis

This dancing tune was the Prince Regent's personal favourite, it was to feature at many of the Balls that he is known to have attended at around this date, often as the opening tune of the evening. On this occasion we're informed that it was not only his favourite, but also that of the entire Royal Family. We've investigated this tune in some detail in a previous paper, you might like to follow the link for further details on this most eminent of Regency era dancing tunes.

For futher references to the tune, see also: I'll Gang Nae Mair to Yon Town at The Traditional Tune Archive

Voulez Vous Danser Mademoiselle?

The second dance called for was Voulez vous danser Mademoiselle? which was led off by the same distinguished characters

Voulez Vous Danser Mademoiselle? was a tremendously popular tune, it was widely published in London between about 1811 and 1812, and was widely danced at society balls between about 1812 and 1814; the title can feature either the word Danser or Dansez and the trailing question mark is sometimes omitted. Some of the earlier publications add the suffix or The Portuguese Dance (see Figure 5) to the title, it's unclear why this alternative title exists; it may have originally referenced the progress of the Peninsula War, perhaps obliquely hinting at how an Anglo-Portuguese army had engaged with the French. Perhaps the tune was named in the aftermath of the 1810 Battle of Bussaco, several other tunes of a similar date were named in celebration of the French Marshal Massena's retreat from Portugal in early 1811. There may have been a patriotic significance to our tune that is no longer obvious.

I can't offer a precise chronology of publication. Some of the earlier music sellers to offer copies include William Dale in his c.1811 18th Number and W. Hodsoll in his c.1811 15th Number, both under the extended title of Voulez Vous Danser Mademoiselle, or The Portuguese Dance; whereas Charles Wheatstone and his long term harmonist Augustus Voigt included it in their 1811 6th Book under the shorter title of Voulez Vous Dancer Mademoiselle. Other publications include Goulding's c.1811 23rd Number, Campbell's c.1811 26th Book, Davie's c.1812 28th Number (see Figure 5), Walker's c.1812 30th Number, James Platts c.1812 31st Number, Skillern & Challoner's c.1812 16th Number and Button & Whitaker's 1812 18th Number (see Figure 5). It would subsequently be published in Glasgow in Cunningham's 1814 30th Number. It was also included in both Edward Payne's 1814 A New Companion to the Ball Room and Thomas Wilson's 1816 A Companion to the Ball Room. Nathaniel Gow included an arrangement of the tune in his Select Collection of Original Dances that was published in Edinburgh in 1815. Some of these publications included suggested dancing figures, where they did each suggestion was different.

Society references to the tune emerge around 1813, one of the more interesting involved yet another Royal Ball (Morning Post, 3rd June 1813) at which The second dance was Voulez vous Dancer, Madame, which has been a great favourite during the last 18 months, particularly in the higher circles; the obligato movement for the harp is very delightful. It was led off by the Princess Mary and the Duke of Devonshire, all who stood up to this dance were very superior dancers, particularly the females. The implication is that the tune had experienced favour since around the start of 1812. Other references include a Royal Fete later in July 1813 (Kentish Chronicle, 13th July 1813) at which this tune was the first dance after supper, and a Ball at Brighton Pavilion (Morning Post, 27th August 1813) where it was the second to be danced. Several Balls of 1814 refer to it, including another Carlton House Ball (Morning Post, 23rd July 1814) and a Military Ball and Supper hosted by the 13th Light Dragoons (Morning Post, 12th October 1814). The last significant reference I know of involves a Ball at Brighton Pavilion (Morning Post, 13th December 1814) at which the ball was opened by Lord Jocelyn and Lady Charlotte Cholmondely, to the lively air of Voulez-vous danser, Mademoiselle. Thereafter the references fade away.

As with so many popular tunes, it only enjoyed a brief burst of significance. It would have been widely danced between about 1812 and 1814, less so thereafter. We've animated a suggested arrangement of Wheatstone & Voigt's 1811 version, of James Platts's 1812 version and of Button & Whitaker's c.1812 version (see Figure 5).

For futher references to the tune, see also: Voulez Vous Danser at The Traditional Tune Archive

Figure 6. Mrs McLeod of Eyre, from William Dale's c.1812 19th Number (top), and the 1809 Mrs McLeod of Rasay's Reel, from A fifth Collection of Strathspeys, Reels &c. (bottom). Top image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD, g.230.q ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Mrs McLeod of Rasay's Reel

The next dance was Mrs McCleod, which Lord Aboyne had the honour of leading off with the Princess Mary

Dozens of tunes have existed over the years, published both in Edinburgh and London, with names that might perhaps be identified as our Mrs McCleod. Some were named for Miss or perhaps Lady McLeod, some for a McLeod of Dalvey or of Geanie or of Eianreoch, some are Reels, Strathspeys or Fancys. Fortunately there can be little doubt as to which tune was used at our ball, a burst of publishing activity caused it to be issued multiple times in London between about 1812 and 1813. The tune that was popular in London was known by various different names but was most often referred to as Mrs McLeod of Rasay's Reel, it's the only real candidate for having been danced at our ball. The McLeod family were evidently known to the Gow family (who in turn were the most popular band leaders in London in the early 1810s), several Gow publications contain tunes that either refer to the McLeods or were composed by them.

Our tune appears to have been first published by Nathaniel Gow in Edinburgh in his 1809 A fifth Collection of Strathspeys, Reels &c. under the title Mrs McLeod of Rasay with the added detail that it was an An Original Isle of Sky Reel (see Figure 6). It was presumably promoted by the Gow bands, and thereby found its way to London. The precise chronology of publication can't be determined, early London editions of the tune include William Campbell's c.1812 27th Book, William Dale's c.1812 19th Number under the title Mrs McLeod of Eyre (see Figure 6), Goulding's c.1813 30th Number under the title Mrs Mcleod of Rosa, Christopher Gerock's 24 Country Dances for 1813 under the title Mrs McLeod of Rasay's Reel, and Skillern & Challoner's c.1813 19th Number under the title Mrs. Macleod of Razy. Other editions available at a similar date include those of Monro, Falkner & Christmas, Martin Platts and Button & Whitaker.

The first reference I know of to the tune being danced socially involves the Perthshire Hunt Ball for 1810; the Perthshire Courier (8th October 1810) reported of the Ball that The Band consisted of Messrs Gow and Bowies, with a number of other select performers, who gave general satisfaction. The following are a few of the leading tunes which were called by the dancers; Atholl House; Light and Airy; Cameronians Rant; Merry Lads of Ayr; La Zerza; Do. Waltz; Mrs McLeod of Rasay's Reel &c. &c.. The Gow referenced was Nathaniel Gow; he had only just published the tune in 1809, now perhaps a year later, it was in use within his band's repertoire. It may have been an instant favourite in Scotland.

It would take a couple of years more for the tune to become popular in London. It was reported of Lady Caroline Barham's Ball (Morning Post, 22nd June 1812) that The Marquis of Worcester led off a Scotch Medley Mrs McLeod of Rasay with Lady M. Sackville; it was the third dance at a ball of 1813 (Morning Post, 3rd June 1813), and also at a Royal Fete a few days after our Ball (Kentish Chronicle, 13th July 1813) where the first dance was led off by the Princess Mary and Earl Percy, to the tune of Mrs McCleod of Eyre. It had previously featured at another of the Prince Regent's Balls (Morning Post, 14th May 1813) under the name Mrs Macleod of Razey; it was described as well known in the Hebrides, where it takes the lead of all others in popular estimation, the family of the Macleods, the Lords of the clans, being held in a state of adoration there. It was also mentioned as having been danced at Brighton (Morning Post, 27th August 1813) under the name Mrs McCloud, and again in 1814 at the military Ball held by the 13th Light Dragoons (Morning Post, 12th October 1814). It was named in Edward Payne's 1814 A New Companion to the Ball Room as a popular tune. Then, just as we saw with Voulez-Vous Danser, references faded away. It was perhaps another example of a tune that was briefly fashionable, but easily discarded. We've animated arrangements of Dale's c.1812 version and of Skillern & Challoner's c.1813 version; the tune is arranged quite differently in each example, but the suggested dancing figures happen to be the same.

For futher references to the tune, see also: Mrs. MacLeod of Raasay (1) at The Traditional Tune Archive

The Isle of Sky

The fourth dance was the Isle of Sky, which was led off by the same distinguished characters

Figure 7. The Isle of Sky, from Wheatstone & Voigt's c.1813 Selection of Elegant & Fashionable Country Dances, Reels, Waltz's &c., Book 8th; Image courtesy of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML), EFDSS.

This is a veteran tune of the Scottish dance tradition, widely published in Edinburgh throughout the second half of the 18th Century. It enjoyed a significant burst in interest in London in 1813 and 1814, but it had been known to Londoners from around the start of the 19th Century, perhaps much earlier. Several different tunes do share this same name but there's little room for ambiguity, most of the London publications use the name Isle of Sky to refer to the same tune over some seven or more decades.

The tune is thought to be Irish in origin. The earliest publication I can confirm is from Scotland in Robert Bremner's c.1757 A Collection of Scots Reels or Country Dances (this collection is understood to have been issued from Edinburgh in parts over perhaps four years, then aggregated and reprinted in London c.1762). Subsequent publications in Scotland include John Anderson's c.1789 A Selection of the most Approved Highland Strathspeys, Country Dances, English & French Dances, James Aird's c.1794 A Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs, Vol IV, Robert Petrie's 1796 A Second Collection of Strathspey Reels &c. and Niel Gow's 1799 Part First of the Complete Repository of Original Scots Slow Strathspeys and Dances.

One of the earlier London publications of the tune can be found in Goulding's c.1803 4th Number; I'm not sure of the publication date of this work, but I suspect that it was probably issued prior to 1805 (Goulding's 8th and 9th numbers seem to reference the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, anything prior to the 8th number was probably issued prior to October 1805). It can also be found in Robert Mackintosh's c.1803 A Fourth Book of new Strathspey Reels, and also in Thomas Wilson's 1809 Treasures of Terpsichore; it therefore seems probable that the tune was moderately well known in London during the first decade of the 19th Century. The clear evidence of interest arrives in 1813 when at least six publishers issued copies at around the same date; it's impossible to offer a precise chronology, but publications include: Skillern & Challoner's c.1813 19th Number, Wheatstone & Voigt's 1813 8th Book (see Figure 7) and Button & Whitaker's 1813 24th Number. It can also be found in Wheatstone's collection of 24 Country Dances for 1814, and in both the Davie and Andrews collections. The Wheatstone & Voigt publication is especially interesting as they add the comment Danced at the Regent's Fete to their edition, potentially in reference to the Ball we're studying, or at least to a similar event of the same year - this may hint that they'd recorded the dancing figures exactly as used at the Royal Fete. The tune would go on to appear in Thomas Wilson's 1816 Companion to the Ball Room.

There are several references to the tune being enjoyed socially; it was featured at two balls hosted by the Marchioness of Abercorn in 1801 (Morning Post 18th March 1801, and The Courier 24th March 1801), at The Duchess of Chandos's Ball in 1802 (Morning Post, 26th April 1802), at Lady Saltoun's Ball in 1803 (Morning Post, 24th March 1803), and at Her Majesty's Ball (Lancaster Gazette, 28th May 1803). It was also danced at the Derby Races Ball for 1813 (Derby Mercury, 16th August 1813) at which The first Dance Enrico; the second The Isle of Sky; led off by the Duke of Devonshire and the Marchioness of Tavistock, and also a Grand Fete at Richmond (The Globe, 26th January 1815) featured the tune. It was clearly widely known, it seems to have enjoyed two distinct periods of popularity in London roughly a decade apart. We've animated arrangements of Skillern & Challoner's c.1813 edition and of Wheatstone & Voigt's c.1813 version (see Figure 7); the rhythm of the music will be found to differ quite considerably between the two arrangements.

For futher references to the tune, see also: Isle of Skye (2) at The Traditional Tune Archive

Miss Johnston of Huttonhall's Reel

After supper the dancing was resumed, when the following dances were led off by the Princess Mary and the Duke of Devonshire: Miss Johnson ...

This is another tune that we've studied before, clearly a favourite of the Royal Family at around this date. You might like to follow the link in order to learn more.

Figure 8. Knowle Park, from Clementi's c.1809 6th Number; Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD, g.232.a.(19.) ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

For futher references to the tune, see also: Miss Johnston (1) at The Traditional Tune Archive

Knole Park

... Knole Park ...

Knole Park in Kent was the home of the Dukes of Dorset; the Duchess was (according to the Morning Post newspaper) one of the guests at our Ball so it's likely that the tune was introduced in tribute to her. It's possible that she was invited to lead off the dance herself. Arabella Sackville, Dowager Duchess of Dorset (1767-1825) was the widow of the 3rd Duke (1745-1799) and the mother of the nineteen year old 4th Duke (1793-1815). The tune was, according to the Morning Post newspaper (4th of January 1808), composed by Mons. Laborie and complimentary to the House of Dorset, it may have been created specifically for the Duchess. After the 3rd Duke died she married Lord Whitworth (1752-1825) in 1801, he was another of our Ball guests of 1813. Some years later, in 1817, the La Dorset Quadrille from The Lancers was probably named in tribute to her.

References to our tune emerge around 1807, it was widely published in London between about 1808 and 1810, but seemingly not thereafter. Our 1813 Ball is the only society event that I can confirm the tune was danced at. Another tune of the same name did circulate in the late 1780s in collections issued by Henry Bishop and Mr Smart, our tune seems unrelated to that older tune. Several of the early publications give the name of our tune as Miss Boyn, or Knole Park, it's unclear who Miss Boyn was or how she was associated with the park. Variants of the tune are sometimes issued under the name Knowle Park or even Knoal Park.

London publications of the tune include Skillern & Challoner's c.1807 4th Number (under the name Miss Boyn or Knole Park) and Kelly's New Country Dances for the year 1808 (under the name Miss Boyn); James Platts's c.1808 6th Number, William Campbell's c.1808 23rd Book, Button & Whitaker's c.1808 10th Number, Clementi's c.1809 6th Number (see Figure 8), Monzani's c.1809 9th Number, Ball's 1st Number and an unnumbered c.1808 collection issued by Halliday. It was also referenced in Thomas Wilson's 1809 Treasures of Terpsichore. We've animated arrangements of William Campbell's c.1808 version and of Button & Whitaker's c.1808 version.

Once again we have found a tune that experienced a brief burst of popularity, it probably remained fashionable for several years. The 1808 popularity of the tune is clearly evident from studying the London tune collections despite the tune remaining largely unknown from other sources, it was even danced at a Ball held by the Countess of Camden in 1808 (Morning Post, 4th January 1808). I know of no further societal references to the tune other than at our Royal Ball of 1813 however. This has potential implications for the more general identification of popular tunes; it's likely that many other tunes that were widely published were similarly popular but that luck has caused many of them not to be referenced in the newspapers. This tune was sufficiently successful that the Royal Family chose to dance to it, perhaps the same may have been true of other frequently published tunes.

For futher references to the tune, see also: Knole Park at The Traditional Tune Archive

Figure 9. Lady Montgomries Reel, from Dale's c.1805 6th Number (top), and from Wheatstone's c.1804 2nd Number (bottom); Top image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD, g.230.q ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Lady Montgomery's Reel

... and Lady Montgomery.

This tune was tremendously popular in London between about 1805 and 1815, it was published many times and is known to have featured at numerous balls. One of the earlier editions was that of Joseph Dale c.1805 (see Figure 9), Dale credited composition of the tune to the Earl of Eglinton. Hugh Montgomerie (1739-1819), 12th Earl of Eglinton was a Scottish peer with a seat in the House of Lords. He was also a composer, numerous tunes have been credited to him, including an entire c.1796 collection of anonymously published New Strathspey Reels; it appears that he named this tune in honour of his wife Eleonora Montgomerie, Countess of Eglinton. The 1859 Memorials of the Montgomeries record's of Hugh that The Earl was very fond of music, in which he was very proficient. He played well on the violoncello, and formed a collection of violins of considerable value, which has been dispersed since his death.

As far as I can determine this particular tune was first published in London, it was subsequently published in Edinburgh by Nathaniel Gow in his 1817 Part Fourth of the Complete Repository of Original Scots Slow Strathspeys and Dances. It's possible that the tune had found favour amongst the nobility in London before it came to be published by the major music sellers (if so, that's a characteristic we have previously noted when we investigated John Parry's 1810 The Persian Dance). There may be a Scottish publication I've yet to encounter that pre-dates the London publishers but it seems clear that the tune became popular in London before it was widely known in Edinburgh. The very first publication that I can identify was in London, it was issued by Charles Wheatstone in his c.1804 2nd Number (see Figure 9).

Figure 10. Mrs Lawrell's Ball, from The Morning Post, 21st January 1808. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Image reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)

It's not possible to offer a precise chronology of publication, examples include: Dale's c.1805 6th Number (see Figure 9), Thompson's 24 Country Dances for 1805, William Campbell's c.1805 20th Book, Skillern & Challoner's c.1806 2nd Number, William Napier's c.1806 Selection of Dances & Strathspeys, Walker's 1807 14th Number, John Paine's 24 Country Dances for 1807, James Platts's c.1808 5th Number, Button & Whitaker's c.1808 10th Number, Wheatstone & Voigt's c.1809 new edition of their 1st Book, and elsewhere. It was also listed in both Thomas Wilson's 1809 Treasures of Terpsichore and also in his 1816 Companion to the Ball Room. The subsequent Gow publication of the tune in Edinburgh attached a notice that the tune should be played Slow with exprn.

The society references to the tune are many. They begin with The Countess of Perth's Ball in 1804 (Morning Post, 24th March 1804) where the ball was opened, with a new dance called Lady Montgomery. After which, Lady Le Despencer's Ball (Morning Post, 13th March 1805) was opened by Lord A. Beauclerk and Lady Frances Pratt, to the tune of Lady Montgomery. About fifteen couple followed., followed by Lady Carrington's Second Ball (Morning Post, 8th April 1805) where The ball was soon afterwards opened with Lady Montgomery, by the Hon. Miss Smith and a Gentleman whose name we could not learn. About twenty couple went down the first dance.. A couple of balls of 1806 mention the tune in passing, they were The Duchess of Devonshire's Ball (Morning Post, 3rd March 1806) and The Mayor's Ball (Kentish Weekly Post, 14th November 1806). 1807 saw the tune referenced for several balls, including Christmas Festivities (Morning Post, 5th January 1807) at which The first dance was Lady Montgomery, about 60 couple, in two sets, danced., and The Mansion-House Ball (Morning Post, 1st April 1807), where space was severely restricted such that Not more than half a dozen couple stood up in the second dance Lady Montgomery. The latter was introduced at the request of the Lady Mayoress, who had some thoughts of going down one dance with Lord Erskine..

So far we've seen the tune danced by around 15 couples, 20 couples, 60 couples across two sets, and 6 couples; the next reference to the tune is really quite extraordinary, it featured at Mrs Lawrell's Ball (Morning Post, 21st January 1808, see Figure 10) at which for the second dance Lady Montgomery, three sets were formed; they mustered nearly 100 couple. The novelty of seeing so many persons dancing at one time together, and in one direct line, had a singular effect. To account for this apparent impossibility, it is necessary to state that the Ballroom is upwards of 200 feet in length; it is really the most extensive room, for a modern dwelling house, we have ever seen.. A hundred couples in three sets dancing simultaneously to the same tune in one long line, almost the entirety of the assembled company must have been dancing! The venue that day was Eastwick Park, near Leatherhead, in Surrey, the Gow band (probably under John Gow) had been brought in from London along with a celebrity chef.

The tune was also featured at the Duke of York's Birthday celebrations in 1810 (Morning Post, 18th August 1810) at which large marquees were erected on the lawn and the Gow band played; About forty couple joined in the second dance, Lady Montgomery, they were wholly composed of the country people. Her Highness of [unreadable] notwithstanding the great exertion necessary [unreadable] went down the whole length with the Duke of Clarence.. Then The Marchioness Dowager of Lansdowne's Ball (Morning Post, 23rd March 1811) commenced at eleven o'clock, with the favourite tune of Lady Montgomery, led off by Mr Lyon and Miss Giffard. The next reference involves our own Royal Ball of 1813, and a final reference has been found for a Ball at Dublin Castle in Celebration of the Queen's Birth Day (Morning Post, 4th March 1814) at which the second dance was Lady Montgomery.

It's clear that this tune was a great favourite in the fashionable world. We've animated arrangements of Dale's c.1805 version (see Figure 9) and Skillern & Challoner's c.1806 version.

For futher references to the tune, see also: Lady Montgomery's Reel (1) at The Traditional Tune Archive

The Tank / Ferne Hill

The whole concluded with The Tank, led off by the Princess Charlotte and the Duke of Devonshire.

The Tank is an example of a tune that is largely forgotten today, but it has an interesting story and was popular for a few years around the start of the 1810s. The origin of the tune is subject to some debate however, several rival narratives are available.

Figure 11. Ferne Hill from James Platts's c.1809 13th Number (above), and The Tank from George Walker's 1811 26th Number (below). Images © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD, h.925.t.(2.) and h.925.f. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The first publication of the tune was probably that of James Platts in his c.1809 13th Number under the name Ferne Hill (see Figure 11). Platts didn't identify a composer of the tune but he did note that it was Property, this implied that he considered himself to own (or at least to have licensed) the copyright for the tune - it was a warning to other music sellers not to copy it. The name The Tank appears to have become attached to the tune a year or so later when it was widely published by the other London music sellers. James Platts was involved in several copyright disputes in the 1810s both as a plaintiff and a defendant. He launched two complaints in 1815 in which he accused both Button & Whitaker and Charles Wheatstone of piratically copying his tunes; Ferne Hill or The Tank was one of the tunes he alleged had been copied. You can read more about these disputes in another of our research papers, the key detail being that he claimed in his legal writ that he had purchased the tune in 1809 from its original composer, Lady Ashbrook.

The Lady Ashbrook in question was Deborah Susannah Flower, Viscountess Ashbrook (c.1780-1810) of Beaumont Lodge in Berkshire, first wife of Henry Jeffrey Flower, 4th Viscount Ashbrook (1776-1847). She died in 1810, shortly after transferring the tune to Platts but before it went on to become popular. The 1847 The Patrician wrote of Lord Ashbrook that he married, first, 26th May, 1802, Deborah Susannah, only daughter and heir of the late Rev. Wm. Maximilian Freind, and grand-daughter and heiress of Thomas Walker, Esq. of Woodstock.. Further biographical clues can be found in The Globe newspaper for 19th November 1811 which added that she was the grand-daughter of the Rev Dean of Canterbury, and niece of the late Lord Rokeby, Primate of Ireland. She was evidently the grand daughter of Dean William Freind (c.1715-1766). She was perhaps of less aristocratic stock than her husband and was musically talented. The name Ferne Hill refers to the Berkshire home of the Metcalfe family, Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe (1745-1813) was the father of Lord Ashbrook's second wife, Emily Theophila Metcalfe (1790-1885). Presumably their home was well known to our Lady Ashbrook, they lived perhaps 15 miles away from each other. Our Lady Ashbrook may have been good friends with the subsequent Lady Ashbrook (her successor married her widower in 1812), perhaps naming the tune in dedication to her. Platts also included a second tune in his 13th Number named Miss Metcalfe's Waltz, it's likely that it was also composed by Lady Ashbrook and that the dedicatee was the older sister of her successor.

Another of the early London publishers was George Walker, he included our tune in his 1811 26th Number under the new name of The Tank, he explicitly credited composition of the tune to Mr Reeve of Bury (see Figure 11). John Reeve of Bury St Edmunds was a moderately successful composer of tunes, he is credited with several from the Gray collection for 1812. Another publisher of the tune can be found in Button & Whitaker in their 1812 18th Number, their 1815 writ of response to James Platts credited Walker as the immediate source for their version of the tune.

Charles Wheatstone published the tune both in his 25th Number and in his 1811 6th Book. Wheatstone's legal writ in response to Platts offered a more complicated origin story for the tune; he alleged that it had been composed overseas and had found it's way to Ipswich c.1810, that Mr Harrington of Bury had arranged it as a rondo at around that date, and that Mr Gray of Bury had printed it. Gray himself had allegedly offered the publishing plates for sale to Wheatstone, but Wheatstone refused the opportunity to buy them as the tune was already widely printed and considered to be common property.

The truth of the matter may never be fully known but the 1809 Platts publication does seem to have been the first to have been issued. Perhaps the tune had been played overseas and had found its way back to East Anglia under a new name, thereby confusing the provenance of the tune. The significance of the name The Tank remains unclear, so too is the question of whether polite society knew of the association of the tune with (the deceased) Lady Ashbrook. None of the publishers had hinted at an aristocratic source for the tune, it's possible that her friends were unaware of her alleged publishing activity.

Numerous London music shops issued the tune c.1811, we've named a few already. Others include William Dale's c.1811 18th Number, Campbell's c.1811 26th Book, Clementi's c.1811 arrangement in his 23rd Number, Skillern & Challoner's c.1812 16th Number, Nathaniel Gow's edition of 1812 (issued in Edinburgh), and also the similar publications by Halliday, Goulding, Falkner and others. William Powers included it in his A Collection of Fashionable Dances for the Year 1812 that was issued in Dublin. It was also listed amongst the fashionable tunes within Edward Payne's 1814 A New Companion to the Ball Room.

Societal references to the tune are infrequent but do extend over several years. In addition to our 1813 Ball it was also danced at a Ball at Stratton in 1814 (Royal Cornwall Gazette, 9th July 1814) and also at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton in 1817 (The Courier, 18th January 1817). It's a fun tune, we've animated an arrangement of James Platts's c.1809 version (see Figure 11), Clementi's c.1811 version, Button & Whitaker's c.1812 version and of Wheatstone & Voigt's 1811 version.

Conclusion

Eight separate Country Dancing tunes were used for dancing at this Ball, many of them were of Scottish derivation though three were probably English; two of the tunes were in common with the February 1813 Ball that we studied in a previous paper, repeating favoured tunes from one Ball to the next was clearly considered to be acceptable. We've once again found that the tunes featured at a Royal Ball were widely published by the London music sellers, though some tunes were better known than others. Some of the tunes had been in circulation for decades, others were only of recent composition; two of the tunes were probably composed by the nobility, others were named in dedication to the nobility. The arrangement of the tunes can differ significantly from one publication to the next, as too would the suggested dancing figures.

If you enjoy recreating historical Balls then the tunes we've investigated here would be highly suitable to use at your own events. An important observation we can draw from this historical Ball is that the weather can interfere with even the best laid of plans; this Royal Ball of 1813 was troubled with heavy rainfall that significantly affected the planned entertainments, but such is life. If you experience rain at your Ball, perhaps you can take comfort from knowing that the Prince Regent experienced a similar disappointment back in 1813!

We'll leave this investigation there, if you have any observations to share, do please Contact Us, we'd love to know more.