Sally Holloway, Romantic Love in Words & Objects during Courtship and Adultery c. 1730 to 1830

364 Pages·2013·9.48 MB·English

1

Romantic Love in Words and Objects during Courtship
and Adultery c. 1730 to 1830

Sally Anne Holloway

Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD
in the History Department,
Royal Holloway, University of London

2013
2

Table of Contents
Page
Declaration of Authorship
4
Abstract
5
Acknowledgements
6
List of Figures and Tables
7
Conventions and Abbreviations
13

Chapter One: Introduction 16
Chapter Two: ‘Many hearts did I see exchanged for fairings of cherry 53
colour’d ribbon:’ Courting Couples and the Material Expression of

Affection

Chapter Three: ‘I opened, I read, and I was delighted:’ the Emotional 90
Experiences of Love Letters

Chapter Four: ‘Perhaps it may be best to burn this:’ Secret Codes, 123
Disappearing Ink and Adulterous Exchanges

Chapter Five: ‘Sensibility must be Love’s best advocate:’ Shaping the
157
Language of Romantic Love

Chapter Six: ‘Oh fatal love, what mischiefs dost thou occasion:’
195
Heartbroken Women and Suicidal Men

Chapter Seven: ‘Engagement to marry is not merly a spiritual matter:’
229
Breach of Promise Cases in the Common Law

Chapter Eight: Conclusion 263
3

Appendix One: Index of Relationships Consulted 275
Appendix Two: Detailed Biographical Index of Key Couples 289
Appendix Three: Breach of Promise Cases in the Common Law Courts 311
1730 to 1830

Bibliography 328
4

Declaration of Authorship

I, Sally Holloway hereby declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is
entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, this is always clearly
stated.

Signed: Sally Holloway

Date: 22nd July 2013
5

Abstract
This thesis explores romantic love during premarital and extramarital
relationships in England between c. 1730 and 1830. It is situated within the fields of
Cultural History, Gender History, the History of Emotions, Marriage, the Life-Cycle
and Material Culture. It uses evidence from sixty-eight different relationships, from
which twenty-seven were selected for detailed scrutiny. These include both courting
and adulterous couples, which have previously been problematically elided by
historians. It draws upon a broad source base, including letters, material objects,
newspaper reports, novels, ballads, poetry, prints, paintings, religious texts, medical
treatises and court records.
After the historiographical introduction in Chapter One, Chapter Two
explores the indispensable role played by creating, exchanging and physically
handling love tokens on the path to matrimony. Chapter Three reveals the quasi-
public nature of love letters, the myriad dichotomies between male and female
epistles, and the haptic power of letters as material objects. Chapter Four unearths
the secret codes and disappearing ink utilised by adulterous couples, outlining the
unique features of the language of forbidden love. Chapter Five challenges
preconceptions of romantic love as ‘innate’ or ‘transhistorical’ by outlining the
religious, medical and literary developments shaping conceptions and expressions of
love. The final two chapters focus on the darker side of love; Chapter Six argues
that languishing from heartbreak was redefined as a uniquely female malady from
the mid-1750s, while men were expected to resist to maintain their pride and self-
control. Chapter Seven charts the evolution of breach of promise actions under the
common law, and the objects invoked as ‘proof’ of an attachment.
The thesis recognises that the understanding and expression of romantic
love was historically and culturally contingent upon social and cultural shifts. It
locates romantic relationships firmly within the material world, as letters and tokens
guided couples from initial intimacy to a deeper emotional connection.
6

Acknowledgements
The enthusiasm and encouragement of Amanda Vickery provided the catalyst
I needed to embark upon this thesis and enter academia. She has inspired me to
develop my confidence, arguments, research profile and wardrobe (!) over the past
three years, providing a role model for female historians with her oft-repeated motto
‘Floreat Clio!’ My advisor Jane Hamlett has provided much-needed support at key
moments during my PhD, and has provided insightful comments on more papers,
chapters and applications than I can count. The incisive criticisms of Ludmilla
Jordanova were also essential in crafting the MA dissertation at King’s College
London which laid the foundations for this thesis.
I have found immeasurable friendship and encouragement in my fellow
students Antonia Brodie, Polly Bull, Alice Dolan, Leonie Hannan, Tul Israngura Na
Ayudhya, Mia Jackson, Kat Rawlings, Beth Robinson and Ya-Lei Yen. Leonie and
Tul, plus Judith Hawley, Sarah Lloyd, Markman Ellis and Susan Whyman have
generously read drafts of my chapters. Hannah Greig, Hi’ilei Hobart, Joelle Del
Rose, Sarah LaVigne, Jacqui Livesey, India Mandelkern and Sally Osborn have also
helpfully sent me references, photographs and even transcripts of sources. Tul in
particular has been untiring in sharing archival sources, providing a breath of fresh
air in a discipline where so many scholars zealously guard their material.
I am grateful to the Arts and Humanities Research Council for funding my
doctoral research, and the Friendly Hand Charitable Trust for funding vital research
trips. Everyone at the British History in the Long Eighteenth Century Seminar at the
Institute of Historical Research, and the Centre for the History of the Emotions at
Queen Mary has asked searching questions and suggested new resources and
approaches which have greatly aided the development of this project.
The completion of a thesis relies on an immense amount of personal support,
and I must thank Belinda Narayanan and Edward Peel for occasionally dragging me
away from it. My research has been built upon the unwavering love and belief of
Lesley, Peter, Caroline and Iris Holloway. My parents have made every sacrifice
they could in providing for my education and helping me to achieve my dreams.
Finally, for his seemingly limitless generosity, encouragement and culinary talents, I
must thank Dexter Bonner, who is the subject of my own love story.
7

List of Figures and Tables
The following institutions have kindly granted permission to reproduce
images in this thesis; the Bedford Archives Service, Birmingham Museums Trust,
British Museum, Derbyshire Record Office, Fairfax House, Lewis Walpole Library,
Lockdale Coins Ltd, London Metropolitan Archives, Museum of London, National
Gallery Picture Library, National Maritime Museum, National Trust, Paul Mellon
Collection, Victoria and Albert Museum, Washington State University, Wellcome
Collection and Winterthur Museum.
Fig. 1 – Richard Newton, Matrimonial Speculation, London, 1792, hand-coloured
etching, 47.6 x 74.7 cm, British Museum, London, AN179207001, © The Trustees
of the British Museum.
Fig. 2 – William Hogarth, Marriage A-la Mode: 1, The Marriage Settlement,
England, c. 1743, oil on canvas, 69.9 x 90.8cm, The National Gallery, London,
NG113.
Fig. 3 – William Edwards after WM Craig, Hot spiced gingerbread, London, 1804,
engraving, 20 x 27cm, Museum of London, 001132.
Fig. 4 – Mother and daughter selling oysters from baskets on their heads, Plate 10
from The Twelve Cries of London, 1760, 20 x 27cm, Museum of London, 008704.

Fig. 5 – Thomas Rowlandson, Extract from Sports of a Country Fair: Part the
Second, London, 1810, hand-coloured etching, plate mark 24.1 x 35.1cm, Lewis
Walpole Library, Farmington, CT, 810.10.05.02.

Fig. 6 – Giles Grendey, walnut chairs with needlepoint depiction of the four stages
of courtship, London, c. 1725, seat 46cm (D) x 55cm (W front) x 48cm (W back),
chair 105cm (H), Fairfax House, York.

Fig. 7 – Pink and brown ribbon left as a token for foundling no. 8,857, a female
infant admitted on 10th June 1758, London Metropolitan Archives, A/FH/A/9/1/115.
8

Fig. 8 – Blue ribbon with scalloped edge left as a token for foundling no. 7,846, a
female infant named Jane, on 24th March 1758, London Metropolitan Archives,
A/FH/A/9/1/90.

Fig. 9 – A bunch of yellow, blue green and pink silk ribbons cut by clerks to identify
foundling no. 170, a female infant admitted on 9th December 1743, London
Metropolitan Archives, A/FH/A/9/1/3.

Fig. 10 – George Morland, Johnny Going to the Fair, Great Britain, late eighteenth
century, oil on canvas, 45.7cm (H) x 34.3cm (W), Victoria and Albert Museum,
London, 541-1882.
Fig. 11 – Detail of men’s champagne ribbed silk waistcoat embroidered with roses,
ribbons and sequins, 1775-85, Charles Paget Wade Collection, Snowshill Manor,
National Trust Collections Online, 1349012, © National Trust / Richard Blakey.
Fig. 12 – Detail of men’s cream silk tabby waistcoat embroidered with acorns and
oak leaves, 1780-90, Charles Paget Wade Collection, Snowshill Manor, National
Trust Collections Online, 1349025, © National Trust / Richard Blakey.
Fig. 13 – John Field, Silhouette of an Unknown Man, watercolour on ivory set in a
bracelet of woven hair, England, c. 1810, 3.2cm (H) x 2.1cm (W), Victoria and
Albert Museum, London, P.169-1922.
Fig. 14 – William Ward after George Morland, The Pledge of Love, London, 1788,
mezzotint, 38 x 27.5cm, British Museum, London, AN189747001, © The Trustees
of the British Museum.

Fig. 15 – Anonymous, Eye Miniature, England, c. 1790-1820, watercolour on ivory
with pearls and diamonds, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, P.56-1977.

Fig. 16 – Isaac Cruikshank, The Illustrious Lover, or the D. of Cumberland done
over, London, 1804, coloured etching with watercolour, Wellcome Library, London,
12198i.
9

Fig. 17 – ‘Engraved Georgian Halfpenny Love Token: George Rawling 1787 / Ann
Maddison 1787’, no. 908, Lockdales Auction House, Auction #72, Exonumia;
Tokens & Medallions, May 31st 2009.

Fig. 18 – Copper halfpenny with inscription and a sailor holding a woman’s hand,
late eighteenth century, 2.7cm (D), © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich,
London, MEC1666.

Fig. 19 – Blue signet depicting the ‘Altar of Love’, possibly from Birmingham,
1750-1850, moulded glass, 1.5cm (H) x 1.3cm (W) x 0.4cm (D), Birmingham
Museums, 1998F571, © The Birmingham Museums Trust.

Fig. 20 – Purple signet with dog and inscription ‘TOUJOURS FIDELE’, possibly
from Birmingham, 1750-1850, moulded glass, 1.7cm (H) x 1.3cm (W) x 0.6cm (D),
Birmingham Museums, 1934F103.10, © The Birmingham Museums Trust.

Fig. 21 – A Receipt for Courtship, London, 1805, hand-coloured stipple and line
etching, 20.6 x 24.4cm, Courtesy of the Winterthur Library, Wilmington, DE,
museum purchase 1969.2790.

Fig. 22 – Conclusion of letter from Elizabeth Woollat to Jedediah Strutt, London,
August 10th 1755, Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock, D5303/4/8.

Fig. 23 – The Love Letter, London, 1785, etching with roulette, plate mark 35.2 x
25.2cm, Lewis Walpole Library, Farmington, CT, 785.10.11.01.

Fig. 24 – Letter from Mary Martin to Isaac Rebow, January 2nd 1771, Washington
State University Library, WSU MASC Cage 134.

Fig. 25 – Extract from One of the horned cattle in the City taking an airing with his
spouse & family, engrav’d for the Court & city magazine, London, 1770, etching
with stipple engraving, plate mark 16.4 x 25.7cm, Lewis Walpole Library,
Farmington, CT, 770.01.00.01.
Fig. 26 – Thomas Rowlandson, An anonymous letter!, London, 1799, hand-coloured
etching, plate mark 21.7 x 19.4cm, Lewis Walpole Library, Farmington, CT,
799.10.01.05.
10

Fig. 27 – Thomas Rowlandson, ‘Autumn’ from The Four Seasons of Love, London,
1814, hand-coloured etching, 24.3 x 33.1cm, British Museum, London,
AN435277001, © The Trustees of the British Museum.
Fig. 28 – Translation of code used by Richard How II, listing letters in code first and
letters of the alphabet second, Bedfordshire & Luton Archives Service, Bedford,
HW88/33-53.

Fig. 29 – Letter from Richard How II to Silena Ramsay which begins in code and
ends in French, July 21st 1761, Bedfordshire & Luton Archives Service, Bedford,
HW88/34.

Fig. 30 – Cabinet with secret drawer, possibly made by John Byfield, Yorkshire, c.
1700, marquetry of walnut, burr walnut, sycamore and ivory, on a pine and oak
carcase, with brass fittings, 240cm (H) x 136cm (W) x 66cm (D), Victoria and
Albert Museum, London, W.136:1 to 46-1928.

Fig. 31 – ‘Sailor’, Plate 2, Symptoms of the Shop, 1st March 1801, hand-coloured
print, 27.5 x 22.5cm, Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock, D5459/2/25/3.

Fig. 32 – ‘Grocer’, Plate 4, Symptoms of the Shop, 1st March 1801, uncoloured print,
28.5 x 19.8cm, Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock, D5459/2/25/6.

Fig. 33 – ‘Print-Seller’, Plate 6, Symptoms of the Shop, 1st March 1801, hand-
coloured print, 27.8 x 22.2cm, Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock, D5459/2/25/9.

Fig. 34 – ‘Minister’, Plate 10, Symptoms of the Shop, 1st March 1801, uncoloured
print, 28 x 21.6cm, Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock, D/5459/2/25/12.

Fig. 35 – R.J. Lane after G.S. Newton, A Girl at her Devotions, London, 1824,
lithograph, image 24.5 x 20.5cm, Wellcome Library, London, 672767i.

Fig. 36 – Love Sick: The Doctor Puzzled, undated (c. 1820), lithograph with
watercolour, Wellcome Library, London, 11202i.