Lizzie Rogers, who, from 8 January, will be teaching the first of our new HistoryExtra Academy courses, shares some of the most surprising facts about British life during the early decades of the 19th century
1 Scotland’s greatest author discovered its crown jewels
During the early 19th century, Scotland and its history was looked upon through a distinctly romantic lens. And that was largely due to the genius of Walter Scott, whose poems and historical novels – among them The Lady of the Lake (1810) and Waverley (1814) – placed Scottish history on centre stage.
Scott’s connection to the image of Scotland and its history was such that, in early 1818, the Prince Regent (the future George IV) charged him with recovering the Honours of Scotland, also known as the Scottish crown jewels. When Oliver Cromwell had been targeting royalist supporters in Scotland during the interregnum, the Honours had been hidden away. They were then put under lock and key after the 1707 act of union between England and Scotland, with rumours circulating they had been smuggled out to England.
On 4 February 1818, Scott and a band of Officers of State embarked on a search of the Crown Room at Edinburgh Castle for the Honours. Having forced open two sealed doors, they broke into an inauspicious-looking chest to find the treasures wrapped up in linens.
Since Scott’s discovery, the Honours of Scotland have been on display at Edinburgh Castle.
2 The Duke of Wellington was snubbed for wearing the wrong trousers
By the Regency era, public balls in private members’ clubs were firmly established as a highlight of social seasons in Britain’s towns and cities. They were spaces to see and be seen, where introductions could be made, and marriage matches cemented.
One such club in London with an elite reputation was Almack’s. Founded in 1765 by William MacAll, Almack’s was located on King Street, near St James’s. During the height of the London season, the club offered balls and suppers once a week, and was governed by a strict set of rules presided over by its governing body, known as the Seven Patronesses. The patronesses were elite women of Regency society, led by the formidable Sarah Villiers, Countess of Jersey, who imposed rule
