People watching in the rooms in the 1770's

Philip Thickness the writer, traveller and fortune hunter in his book "The New Prose Bath Guide: for the year 1778" gives a characteristically sharp account of dancing in the rooms.

Philip Thickness in 1757

Speaking of the then relatively new Upper Rooms he says:

"on a Ball-Night, in a full Season, when all the Benches are filled with Ladies in full Dress, the Rooms magnificently lighted by wax, the Splendour of the Lustres, Girondoles,"

The lighting of the rooms was one of the things which contributed to their reputation for magnificence because of the wonderful cut glass chandeliers (lustres) and many branched candle sticks (girondoles) all of which contained very expensive wax candles rather than the much more common cheaper alternatives such as tallow.

"and the superlative Charms of so many lovely Women, whose natural Beauties being awakened by the Variety of Amusements which, on all Sides, surround them—renders it one of the most pleasing Sights that the Imagination of Man can conceive ; and what, we are convinced, no other Part of Europe can boast of; yet, in spite of all these Advantages, we much doubt, whether it be true that the Upper Rooms shew Female Beauty so advantageously as the Lower. There is a certain Degree of Light to fee Nature, as well as Art, to Advantage; and we know that the Painters give us only a small Proportion, not all the Light they could throw upon their Works. We have examined too, with a Degree of particular Attention, some of the most admired Beauties of the last and present Season, at both the Rooms, and, as far as we could determine, they were either best pleased, or most beautiful, under the lower than the higher Lights."

Robe a l'Anglaise - 1770-75

The Lower Rooms being some 18 feet lower than the Upper Rooms must, on this theory, have shown ladies off to considerable advantage.

"It is always remarked by Foreigners, that the English Nation, of both Sexes, look as grave when they are dancing, as if they were attending the Solemnity of a Funeral. This Charge is in general true ; and as a Minuet, danced gracefully, is the Light, of all others, in which a fine Woman can shew herself to most Advantage, we strongly recommend it to the Ladies to remove this national Charge, and to consider, that the Features and Countenance ought to be in Unison, and as perfectly in Tune with the Body, as the Instruments are which direct its Motions. And that that Sort of bewitching Look, bordering on the Smile, which always accompanies cheerful Conversation, should never be omitted in the Dance. As to the Gentleman, we agree with Mr. Hogarth, that it is more his Business to attend to a proper Manner of conducting the Lady in the Dance, than of shewing himself; but neither one, or the other, should dance in so public an Assembly as Bath, unless they are quite sure they dance with some Degree of Grace and Ease ; and as few People can be Judges of their own Excellence in any Respect, and particularly in Dancing, every Body should consult some faithful, not flattering Friend, on this Business, before they let themselves off in a Minuet. Beside which, we are confident, that there are many Ladies and Gentlemen who can dance very well in private, but who often fail in public. The Truth is, there is a certain Degree of necessary and confidential Boldness, without which, no Person can dance perfectly well. How many fine Women do we see totter with Fear, when they are taken out to dance? And is it possible, that such who cannot walk firmly should be able to dance gracefully?

We are aware that the Ladies think Gravity of Countenance a necessary Attendant on Modesty and Sentiment; but, till they can prove that a cheerful pleasing Smile is incompatible with Virtue, Prudence, or Discretion, we must beg Leave (while we allow them all imaginable Praise, for such ill-placed Precaution) to assure them, that they cannot bestow, on mortal Man, a more pleasing nor a more innocent Mark of their Public Favour, than by shewing their Features, under the Advantage of a Smile. Even Venus herself, were we to paint her surprised going into her Bath, it should be, withdrawing herself from the Eyes of the Beholders with a bashful Smile. Let it be remembered, though, that the loud Laugh, and the giggling Titter, should be always avoided, being neither consistent with good Breeding, nor good Policy."

Jacob Harbour

Jacob Harbour (1720 - was a London musical instrument seller and professional violinist of the late eighteenth century. He was active from around 1760 to 1815 and was mainly known as a source of cheaper instruments. He operated from his premises at 25 Duke Street, Lincoln Inn Field and from 1786 from premises in Southampton Buildings, Holborn.

Like many instrument sellers, he also sold and published music; in this role, he issued three collections of country dances.

The example below is a cotillion from his:

"By subscription, The Second Book for the Year 1784. Eighteen Favorite Cotillions, Allemands, Country Dances, and a Much Admired minuet."

Mrs De Rossi a Bath teacher of Dance

Lucy Michel was born in 1771 the daughter of Pierre Bernard Michel who was described by no less a figure than the great Italian dancer, dance theoretician and choreographer Gennaro Magri as "the best Ballerino grotesco that France ever produced". Grotesque dances, as opposed to noble dances, were comic or lighthearted and created for buffoons and commedia dell'arte characters.

Lucy was probably born in Dublin where her father was known to be dancing in the early 1770s. The Michel family seem to have settled in Bath about 1772, and it may well be then that he started to teach dance.

Lucy seems to have appeared on stage dancing alongside her brother at the Haymarket Theatre and in Brighton in 1785.

Lucy and her brother danced at the Bath Theatre Royal on several occasions between 1786 and 1789. They also appear on bills in Bristol between 1778 and 1790.

In 1787, Lucy's father launched a dancing school in Kingsmead Square where he taught both boys and girls, travelling as far afield as Wells, increasingly aided by his daughter. Together they put on a ball for the children of two Wells schools in 1790.

On the 5th of December 1790 at Bath Abbey, Lucy married Philip de Rossi a language teacher. A few months after her marriage she started her own dance school in  Margaret Buildings. This seems to have led to a breach with her father.

On 21st July 1791, she placed the following advertisement in the Chronicle:

Her advert appeared just above her father's advert:

The Devonshire Minuet, to which they both refer, had been composed by Gaetan Vestris in honour of Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire and first performed by Adelaide Simonet and Gaetan Vestris at the King’s Theatre in London on 22 March 1781. Gaetan Vestris and his son Auguste Vestris were two towering figures of European dance both as performers, choreographers and teachers. At this time they were both living and performing in London having been driven out of France by the revolution.

Gaetan Vestris

Michel's advert appeared again in the next edition of the paper but with a bitter little addition "N.B. Mr Michel is conscious that a liberal publick [sic] will judge candidly".

By 1791, Lucy had moved her school to 17 Milsom Street, but by 1792 although she is listed as a dance teacher in the Bath directory, she seems to have abandoned teaching in Bath and resumed her stage career using the name Signora Marchesini at Saddlers Wells where it was said that she had last performed on stage at the age of eight. Lucy abandoned her assumed identity in the autumn of 1792 when she appeared at Covent Garden as Mme Rossi.

She continued to have a successful career forming a professional partnership with the dancer James Bryn. However, this collaboration came to a bitter end following the 1793 - 1794 season when Bryn dismissed her from the company. Mr Rossi threatened Bryn with legal action but there is no evidence that he followed this up and Lucy was back at Covent Garden for the next season.

She seems to have taken a break from performance in the autumn and winter of 1795 probably caused by the birth of her son Oscar whose father was James Bryn. On the 11th of April 1796, the Oracle alluded to "Mrs Rossi having left her husband to live with Bryn." She was 25, and he was 40 and had been previously married.

By the winter of 1796, Lucy and Bryn were dancing together in America where they remained until 1799 when they returned to Europe via Jamaica. For the remainder of the year and the early month of 1800, the three Bryns were performing in Dublin. However, by April the family were back in London performing at the Royal Circus and Covent Garden.

By 1801, the Bryn's relationship seems to have taken a dip with Lucy starring at Drury Lane while her husband continued to work at the Royal Circus. She retired from the stage in 1803 he seems to have continued until 1805.

Some time between her retirement and her death in 1845 their relationship may have collapsed altogether as in her will she describes her husband as deceased, but professional registers suggested he did not die until some months after her.

In her will, she leaves her very considerable estate mainly to her six children.

How to give hand in the 1820s

"In giving the hand, the lady places her hand upon that of the gentleman, who receives it. These movements should be performed slowly, and corresponding to the music, observing always to turn the head and shoulders towards the same side to which the arm is carried; the head held properly
back, and the looks reciprocally directed towards each other.

In giving both hands, the head and shoulders are held directly to face the person opposite."

From the Elements of the Art of Dancing with a Description of the Principal Figures in the Quadrille by Alexander Strathy - Teacher of Dance 1822

If possible I shall try to get a few dance lessons

This is a quote from Elizabeth Canning's letter to her mother on the 4th November 1798 when she was visiting Bath. At this time, she was in her early twenties and would have had a choice of teachers, among them[1]:

Anna Fleming proprietor of the long established Fleming family business which she ran with her assistant Miss Le Mercier in John Street.

Mrs Elliston and her partner Kitty Fleming, Anne's sister, who had set up their public establishment in Chapel Row in 1796 but in addition offered private lessons at 5 Pulteney street with the additional inducement of lessons in “art of reading and speaking with propriety” from Elizabeth's glamorous husband Robert rising star of the Bath and London Stage. 

There was also Charles Metralcourt who had returned to Bath in 1795 and who had been a ballet master at the London Opera House and offered his deep knowledge of the steps of the newly fashionable Scottish and Irish dances.

Susan Sibbald, a young boarder at the Belvedere school in Bath at the very end of the eighteenth century has left us a rare account of what a dance class of this period was like. The tall, erect, stoutish Miss Fleming would arrive at the school in her sedan chair to teach them minuets and figure dances while Miss Le Mercier concentrated on the basic steps and positions. A violinist came with them to
play the tunes. From time to time Miss Fleming would call out, 'Now ladies, do credit to Bath', and reward her best pupils with a bonbon from an amber box or a flower from her bouquet.

Notes:
1. Letters Barnett Elizabeth (Bess nee Canning) - Bath Library Reference Collection

Rules for attending public balls in the first decade of the nineteenth century

In his book “An Analysis of Country Dancing” published in 1808 the London dancing master Thomas Wilson gives the following advice to those attending their first public assembly:

“The regulations of some well known assemblies are already before the public. As the Bath Guide contains the rules and etiquette of their balls, which for public balls are perhaps the genteelest and best conducted of any in England, I have in the following lines given only such general hints as ought to be observed in all assemblies whether public or private.

Every Lady on entering the ball room must be presented by the Master of the Ceremonies with a ticket, on which is inscribe the number of her call (except Ladies of title, who claim their precedence according to their rank or seniority), which she should pin in a conspicuous place, to prevent any confusion or misunderstanding respecting places."

By the 'number of her call' Wilson means her place in the set for the country dances so she would stand below ladies with a lower number but above ladies with a higher number. Gentlemen dancing together would always go the bottom. These rules in part reflect Georgian concern with social rank but were mainly introduce to avoid the disorder that otherwise broke out as people lower down the set fought for spaces or tried to intrude their friends.

"Any Lady or Gentleman wishing to dance a Minuet must, as soon as they enter the room, make known their intentions to the Master of the Ceremonies."

This is because the Master of the Ceremonies played a crucial role in managing the dancing of minuets. The minuet was a couple’s dance where one couple danced at a time before an admiring or more often critical company. After the first couple had danced the man retired and the Master of the Ceremonies would bring the woman a second partner. The minuets continued until all the ladies who had stood up for them had danced with two men. The succession of dancers was governed by strict rules of precedence arbitrated by the Master of the Ceremonies.

"No Gentlemen must enter the ball room with whole or half boots on, or with canes or sticks in their hands; nor are any pantaloons considered a proper dress for the assembly room."

"When Country Dancing has commenced, and the top couple have gone down three couple, the next couple must go off."

Unlike modern practice, the dances were called and danced by the top couple and the rest of the set waited for them to arrive before they started. While modern dancers might find such a way of operating rather tedious with long waits before dancing for contemporary young people it must have afforded a welcome and rare opportunity to talk and flirt. It is possibly also worth pointing out for those used to modern practice that both three and two couple dances were danced in continuous long sets, modern callers break up three couple sets to avoid the 2nd and 3rd couples having to cope with constantly changing their numbering.

"When every couple have gone down the dance, and the couple who called it have regained the top and gone down three couple, the dance is finished; for the next dance they stand at the bottom.
Number 2 calls the second dance, and so regularly on through the company”

Wilson refers to the rules of the Bath assemblies at this time which can be found in the Bath Guide of 1803.

For the Upper Rooms:

"The following are the rules and regulations entered into by the subscribers of the Dress Balls:
Resolved,

That the power of direction and control relative to the public amusements in the rooms, is in the subscribers to the Dress Balls, and them only.

That the weekly publick [sic] amusements in these Rooms, during the season be as follows:

Monday night ………………………………………..Dress Ball
Tuesday night ………………………………………..Card Assembly
Wednesday night……………………………………..Concert
Thursday night………………………………………. Fancy Ball"

Fancy Balls were, in Georgian terms, much more relaxed occasions Ladies could appear in hats or make any other elegant fashion statement they pleased, short of actual fancy dress costumes. Fancy balls started with a country dance, after which there was one Cotillion only, and then tea – after tea, a country dance, one Cotillion only and the evening ended with more country dances, and the Long Minuet famously illustrated by Henry William Bunbury.

"N.B. The Rooms to be open every day, Sunday excepted, for cards, and every other Sunday evening for a promenade.

The subscription of one guinea to the Dress Ball shall entitle such subscribers to admission every ball night, and also to two tickets transferable to ladies only.

That a subscription of half a guinea to the Dress Balls shall entitle such subscriber to one ticket each night not transferable. Young ladies and gentlemen at their school vacation will be admitted when introduced by a subscriber.

That a subscription of half a guinea to the Fancy Ball shall entitle such subscriber to one ticket every ball night; this ticket not transferable."

It is always difficult to attribute modern day equivalents to historic prices but in this context, a guinea would approximately equate to spending £1300 today.

"That the dress and fancy balls shall begin as soon as possible after seven o’clock, and conclude precisely at eleven, even in, the middle of a dance."

These timings are derived from the contract with the musicians.

"That in future every person, on admission to these rooms on dress and fancy ball nights, shall pay 6d for tea"

6d equates to about £30 today.

"That a reasonable time be allowed between the minuets and the country dances, for Ladies of precedence to take their places; and that those who shall stand up after the dance is begun, must take their place for that dance at the bottom.

That no lady do permit another to come in above her, after she takes her place in the set.
That ladies who intend dancing minuets do wear lappets; and it is requested that the rest of their dress be as conformable as possible to this distinction, regard being had to the prevailing fashion of the times. It is also hoped that the gentlemen will accommodate their dress to the ladies."

By this date, there was increasing resistance to conforming  to a dress code based on the formal court dress of many decades ago in an age of muslin and empire lines,

Ball Gown circa 1805

"That the three front seats, at the upper end of the room, be reserved for ladies of precedence of the rank of Peeresses of Great Britain or Ireland.

That the gentleman’s annual subscription for the use of the coffee and card room be one guinea; for two months half a guinea.

That the ladies subscription for the use of the room every Tuesday evening during the season for a card assembly be 5s.

That no gentleman in boots or half boots be admitted into any of these rooms on ball nights, public card or concert nights.

That no person be admitted into any of these rooms on dress ball nights without a ticket; but no ticket of admission to the card-room be required on fancy ball nights from such persons as subscribe to the walking subscription."

The walking subscription entitled you to promenade inside the rooms where you could be assured that you would only meet other members of fashionable society.

"That non subscribers be admitted to the promenades on Sunday evening: gentlemen paying one shilling and ladies six pence, tea included.

That the renters of these rooms having agreed with the subscribers to furnish twenty six dress balls on the guinea subscription and thirty fancy balls on the half guinea subscription, no annual account of the expenditure be required of them.

That the musical band of these rooms do consist of twelve performers, including an harp, tabor, and pipe; each performer to be allowed a sum not exceeding half a guinea on each ball night for his attendance, which money is to be taken from the subscription of the respective balls.

That the musical band at the Pump Room, in lieu of a former establishment; viz five guineas a week paid by each room taken from the subscription to the dress balls be allowed:

From the corporation ------------------------------------ 50l
From the Upper Rooms---------------------------------- 50l
From the Lower Rooms---------------------------------- 30l

Each party on rotation to let the band have the use of a room for an annual concert, gratis

That no persons be permitted to play with cards left by another party.

That no hazard, or unlawful game of any sort, be allowed in these rooms on any account whatever, nor any cards on Sunday."

Hazard was a dice based gambling game from which the modern casino game craps may have evolved

"That all future orders and regulations agreed to in general meeting be inserted in the subscribers’ book; and signed by the chairman of the meeting for the time being: such orders and rules not to be altered by any authority whatever, but at a general meeting of the subscribers; and that the said book be deposited in trust with the renters of the rooms, to be produced at any time when a meeting of subscribers to the dress balls be assembled, or when three or more subscribers shall desire the same.
That not less than nine subscribers to the dress ball be competent to call a general meeting upon any business relevant to these rooms.; the said nine to leave a summons signed with their names, upon the table for the space of one week previous to such meeting; which summons shall also express the particular purpose for which such meeting is called, and shall be published in the Bath papers.
That the master of ceremonies, on receiving information of persons acting in opposition to these resolutions, do signify to such person, that, as master of ceremonies, it is his duty to see the orders of subscribers properly enforced.

As the late great extension of the city puts it out of the power of the master of ceremonies to be regularly informed of the several persons who arrive here, he hopes they will be so indulgent to him as not to charge him with want of attention, if he should happen to omit visiting them; and that he publicly requests that they will, on their arrival, cause their names, with their places of abode, to be inserted in a book kept at the pump rooms for that purpose, which will afford him such information as will enable him to comply with his own wishes, and the expectations of the public."

The Master of Ceremonies played a vital role in arbitrating matters of precedence and controlled access to assemblies so he needed to know who he was dealing with as can be seen from the next clause.

"And as it is extremely desirable that all improper company may be kept from these rooms, he requests also, that strangers, as well as ladies and gentlemen, will give him an opportunity of being introduced to them, before they hold themselves entitled to that attention and respect, which he is ambitious and ever will be studious to show to ever individual resorting to this place"

For the Lower Rooms:

"The Master of Ceremonies very respectfully submits the following regulations to the company which are considered as the established rules of the rooms.

1st  that the balls shall begin as soon as possible after seven o’clock and conclude precisely at eleven.

2ndly That the seats at the upper end of the rooms be reserved for Peeresses.

3 dly That Ladies who intend dancing minuets do wear lappets and it is requested that the rest of their dress may correspond with this distinction.

4 thly That a reasonable time will be allowed between the minuets and country dances for ladies of rank to take their places; those who stand up after the dance is called, must go to the bottom for that dance, after which should they wish to take their precedence, on application to the Master of Ceremonies; he will put them in their place.

5thly That ladies do not permit other couples to stand above them after the set is formed; and they are particularly requested to continue in their places after they have gone down a dance, until the rest of the couples have done the same.

6 thly That gentlemen cannot be admitted to the room on ball nights in boots or half boots; nor are pantaloons considered proper dress for a ball.

7thly That no hazard or unlawful games will on any account be allowed in these rooms ; nor cards on Sunday

8 thly That each lady and gentleman on public nights pay six pence on entering the rooms =, which will entitle them to tea.

8tly The ladies may, if they please wear hats in the public rooms in the evening, except on ball or concert nights: Gentlemen are not to wear boots in the public rooms of an evening, nor spurs to the pump room of a morning

9thly That no Hazard or unlawful games will be allowed in these Rooms on any account whatever, nor cards on Sundays.

Lastly That Ladies or Gentleman coming to town, give orders that their names and places of abode be entered in the Pump Room books; and the Master of the Ceremonies thus publicly requests the favour of such Ladies and Gentlemen to whom he has not the honour of being personally known, to offer him some favourable occasion of being presented to them, that he may be enabled to shew that attention, which it is not more his duty than his inclination to observe."

The state of the quadrille in 1815

The London dancing master Thomas Wilson in his preface to his book The Quadrille Instructor, gave the following assessment of the state of quadrille dancing in 1815.

"Quadrilles are of that Species of Dancing that at present claim a high precedence in Fashionable Circles  and from their partaking greatly of the style of Cotillions in their Composition may notwithstanding their more fashionable appellation and their more short and less complex Figures be properly considered as petite or short Cotillions."

Wilson's view of the quadrille as a shortened and simplified type of cotillion fits well with the general trend for the fashionable company to choose more straightforward shorter dances with less strict dress codes. In Bath, this trend was marked from the late 1790s by the replacement of cotillion balls with fancy balls with no minuets, fewer cotillions, more country dances and a relaxed dress code.

Interestingly in a letter to her niece in 1816, Jane Austen says, " Much obliged for the Quadrilles, which I am grown to think pretty enough, though of course, they are very inferior to the cotillions of my own day"

"The Figures in this set of Quadrilles will be found to differ from those already published and which have been copied (from their being well known and to save the consequent trouble of composing new ones) into almost every collection of recent date. It being the Author's intention to accommodate those persons who wish to dance these Quadrilles as well as the others he has -adapted his Music to suit both; thereby affording the choice of two sets of. Figures instead of one; added to a clear Elucidation of them by proper Diagrams on a principle in point of explanation that he trusts will be found very superior to any others-, as they not only describe the various positions of the dancers but also shew the lines in' which they are to move from one situation to the other."

"The Music may be composed either in triple or common time (the former is preferable) and the tunes adapted to this purpose should be either, of French Origin or composed in the same easy style. The only merit attached to the Music hitherto published as Quadrille. Music.is to be found in those parts that are taken from other Composers, for instance a part of the Overture in "The Lady of the Manor" is introduced in “Le Duc de Wellington;” a part of a drinking song in “The Siege of Belgrade” in “Le Cuirassier;” the Minor Part of the same Opera in “La poule Anglaise;” the first strain of an old quick March (which is also a part of the Ballet of “Tamerlane and Bajazet'') in one of the;”Trenise''of which there are several."

"The lady of the manor" was a comic opera performed at the Theatre-Royal in Covent-Garden from about the 1770s. The Siege of Belgrade was a comic opera in three acts it incorporated music by Mozart, Salieri, Paisiello and Martini. It premiered on 1 January 1791 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, in London, with great success. Tamerlane et Bajazet was a grand heroic ballet performed at the King's Theatre Haymarket in the first decade of the nineteenth century.

"Another favourite Quadrille may be found wholly taken from the Overture in Lodoiska, and one of the Finales has for its subject the old song of 'The Arethusa'. Many others are composed in the style of Hornpipes and in other styles either so obsolete or with droning Minors as to be altogether incompatible with modern taste."

Lodoïska was an opera by Luigi Cherubini first performed at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris on 18 July 1791. The Saucy Arethusa was a nautical song which was part of a "musical entertainment" titled The Lock and Key, performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, in 1796.

"In the Composition of Quadrilles the number of strains are generally three, they may be made to consist of two three or four strains beyond which they seldom extend they are all however considered as Rondos and provided the Music be correct invariably finish with the first strain. It is customary in performing them for the Dancers to wait until the first strain is played and if it be not marked with a repeat the dance commences with the second strain."