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_ THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH ARISTOCRACY DAVID CANNADINE | | YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW HAVEN AND LONDON - 1990 Comper - “Cepbicmbre. 208 (Copyright © 1990 by David Cannadine All ights reserve, This book ray not be repandaced ia wal o rm (evn thet copying permed by Sections DY and 168 Susy Bs eevond at copying pemied by Sera 1D) ad S*Copyinghe Law and excep Coppi a tol aig ter athe pu prey, run the poses ‘Seti Linotron Bembo by Exes! Typesters Compan Tiong Rome an pened sind tou n ewe Bea By the Banh Pres, Avon Library of Congress Catalogingin-Publiiton Dats The decline atid fll ofthe British aristocracy / David Cannadine Intlades bibliographical eoferences. an odomotreles EN Gre Bein Nobility — History ~ 19th century. Briain Nobity Fustory™ 2othcaweary tte TTS GPC” i900 SSS BOMi dead soz cae In memory of. Harriet Fenella Saffron Cannadine Boin 3 Pebiuary 1988 Died 19 March 1988 20 lnsimations of Morality ostlge image of enlightened, disinterested aristocratic rule, whic had enjoyed its tanseut heyday inthe mid-Victorn period when ie 4nd ‘eer arg of the excess of ary-ninaeentscntsy “Old Corruption’, bur had not yee Been challenged by the inde sce Villgatty of the new plutocraey. And it tibodied + deep-rooted incratc prejudice against the new socal and economic freer ich threatened thac world, is vals, and the patican assed 2nd unchallenged place within. ‘but inevitably, Bs the old te declined and Fl, it proved ime posible to take these views prevail in the. years betwesn the {880s andthe 19005. The proliferation (and purchse) of honours Brocccded apace, as new socal groupe succesfully ssccrted the lsims to socal recogmtion and politcal preeminence, When the Srandecs in the Lords sought to resser heir ekcasive statu, they Sppeated unacceptably snobbish and snichronistclly soot, Yet the upper honse was chilenged and peopled by these wet erestons the order co which they belonged only lost more prestige ee ost effective measure of ny claws reslcce i the degree to which ae Assinlte new fais of diferent socal origin and convert thems tothe style of Ii sytem of vats, and structure af hous of the socal group on to which they are projected, then itis clear Wat by the eatly wentieth century, she landed establishments poves oF fesstnce had been very greatly undermined, and daring the intere ‘var years, te was only weakened sll farther Ts vain ue vehement protest the patrician dismissed and dispare aged these developments at scandal impropriety, 3 coruption Buc words such at ese wer largely biter ery of shunted amen for the world they had Tost: the World of the owt exclave and Unchallenged preeminence. The problem for the lace Coals sod thei ends was chat they wanted (o be simultaneously high-minded and infueal na pital world where the one almost by def ‘fon precided che cher. Men who did mot mater tha mc in publi life were not ina strong positon to inflence orto change iygome ‘And men ‘who sto ean ana nl eeealy self-serving notion of exclanive, sscoratc decency were waits te ‘wild much power in ewendeth-conury Brita, tx Ose Moskos acutely unkind words, the Coals and’ their fends “baroned 4p theie prim litle avercoatsagsiat he chill of Lloyd Geonges ‘methods. Bue they dd so m vin” Av Lay Geonge sud of Daler se he might have ssid of Salisbury and hs brothers thet place History would be jue like the sant ma pockes handkerchiee =” 8 THE DILUTION OF SELECT SOCIETY scxstonl appre inthe Landon ton of 181-2 of the ewe “Fea tna. Pe aa of ree Come set 16 dele eens hy fain fc Screg ne Pas ‘Paes mice ond of tie aces ony of rer nce ine fc anion Sey . Ec] Foote, An Ope Bd 50-1808, Ince 1918, Eaglnd has bem fall fc pople poring fn the country Sue 'iutalcrencng proportion ol non vee eter owes oF find os Sporting phe 7 "H Rooning. The ilk Sie ond Ha Sy (1970, 289) ‘gener shea i the ele per fbb, wt the aan {nee fice th Spent berlin ea oe ori bib of wl ade one from the routine of the Liston smn nd courbes penis, Toe ape fe metre ‘he pate oct tbe kan Bre athe ple seman Mote ‘Siao" al ot Most ine sold worm which he. Fesour generation hed Pict Pale Peron: A Sof Conny Gare OFM Ls, Ses Lande ad Pn eat (eS 9) ewan eater to be 2 Snighvoron i ed pace acme ews oe ‘Since td Sn Boye Hebe el a yes Sep append Ry caw ean ‘ary bese ty could get reny on ther own thee, pay Beetae they ‘el soe aoc! wn oie preter sw pl ay at) Re Gecard "he Raw Cana: Chay ond te Enh Goma Three The Rew to Cana ae tea ‘The inflation of honower and the ateack on disinterested public service were only (00 of the ways in which patrician states was Assalled sed undermined from the last quarter of dhe suneteenth Sentry onwards, Equally texted, an cqaty vulnerable was the general social pattern of arsuocratic and. genteel living. By {Echotton, dhe Gidel and coritorial clases were also the lesured ‘lasses. Bor in form and function, shir leisure activites were very ae Incnations of Mortality carefully and consciously structured not 24 ieesponsible and sel Sncugene recreation, but as am, esenGat adjunct to thet Landed hhokiings and their polities! duties" ‘The London season brought {uct the grea govetnng face of Beta, portly fr pease Sha cioplay,pardy for pliseal entertaining we parliament was in Seasons and partly so that marrage partacrs might be verted and Selected, Forth remainder of he year they reuroed to dhe country. ‘where they supetitended the administration of thet aes, emtee= Sined thele neighbours patronied Toca sporting acuvices. and Sere unquestionably accepeed at te leads of "the county com huni" In London sd he shies, hey were not just the wealth ‘Bk std che power dite: they were che socal ite ay wel rom the 1880s onwards, this carefelly seegrated ad functionally signicunt socal system began to bres down. tn London high Soety, the arstocatic monopoly was broken, ss the new supertik Stormed the cats of socal exelosivenes, and Aaunted tie pare Son wealth wth opulent and rresrable velguety. The number of Presentitions at court dramatically ineressed, and King Edward VIL Preferred the company ofthe ‘vate set self-made plutocats and Jovsh avensncr! to the old-fashioned grandee, who seemed 20 Sid and so dull by comparison. By 1914, politica fe and socal ie ‘were becoming increasingly divorced from each other, and it was Widely believed that tradtfonat high society had effectively ceased © ‘kis During theincr-wear years, the great coum houses Park Lane Sd Piccadlywere"demolied, and. with the conspicuous bat Anhappy exception of Lord and Lady Londonderry. the aristocracy iT but abandonct lergeeate polities entetaining. A new Rene {ion of Americans took over asthe leaders of society, and were much rawa to the Prince of Waler Bue they counted for noting polite lly, and unlike the patrician hostesses of yesteryear, they T= ‘Siedad soc life a an end intel “The decay and fragmentation of London society was exactly par allele bythe decay and egsnentation ofthe cosy commana dhe shines, 8 m he cy, the new dite of money Bought tit Way in‘ de scty tine ti che old lite of birth was fa decline, The Sesteultural depression forced many landowners to let cheir houses, Eco give up expensive couney pursuits ke foxchunting, Meare hil the wew sch dsported thentelves in ndelgent an Sgnorant peices th cr eens weckens at sumptits Footing parties, Instead of Being a patrician preserve, the count Side was becoming a pluocesic playground. in diferent ways, the motor ca, the shoegu, and barbed wire delt more blows to the edional syle of counery Hiring, andthe massive land ses in the SRermath of the Pst World War effecvely destroyed the territorial i i i vty mnt Fringe ieee iene Apa en hae escrnen inal nti egneanom cea oe i. The Lowering of High Society ‘The greta private party ofthe Diamond Jubilee sco was the Bre Bete eh Ee Devonshire Howe in July 1897, where the fare re pu anatoceacy appeated i the Court coseumes fal He of a dune They were greeted bythe Duchess ‘sloriously Lime tea oe Zenobla, Coser of Palmyra, and by the Duke as che FRR Glade V, appropriately adorned with the Order ofthe ao cero ture English Kings wore preset: the Prince SE cep Grand Mate ofthe Kraghts of Mata, and che eee Pee ss Caiford, Has of Cumberland, Oder guests in- pees hc Dusdtss of Sutherland as Charlote Corday, Lady West Inovand os Mar een Lod Roney ay Howe Waal and Ment Doge of Venice: The Duke was one of the richest Speaker Pejhetuious grandeer mth land, who had thece ened and Moe fluiation «become Prime Minister, The Duchess wat own pene Deatis of het age, had previously Beem saried Seine erat tanchester, and ss chatlaine of Devonshire Howse soa Rostess of uma inaence and glamour As he Dus of PEMA tore, year eri sat need » ost brillant Borland te eeegetable doplay of arsocranc grandenr, poled SSumcsion, and socal supenionty 8 Incimations of Mortalicy ‘One of te youngest guests to atten shat bal was Eich, daughter sf ley Chapin, who later, ae Lady Londonderry, became i toe tn greatest politcal hats of her genetation, hago the ce swat yeas, she mounted magnificet and mach-pebliadsereptaa i Londondenry House, especialy om the eve Sf the patameney session. Greeting her guest athe top ofthe famous steak company ofthe Prine Miniter ofthe da, she we the gasores erabesdiment of traditional srstecratc socal power, Lord Bake, Insadelatmed that 95 a resale, Lovd Londondésry was “sterng hs ‘way tothe Cabinet’. Even more remarkable was the dose hicedetey that developed betvicen Lady Londondctry tod the Labour leadee Ramsay Macdonald, who as Premier of the National Governnent tured his back on Socialism, snd “took to grandeur and huge Gk instead.” According to John Gunther, i tas the socal alone ot the endonderry Howie reepton tha hed to eth on ‘ationalization of te nines to maionsizaton meely oft eabrce, ‘A Tow months ago’, sald the wits, Macdonald Sang “The Re Flag.” Now he whites “The Londendeny aunse se Re ‘The Devonshires' fancy-aress ball, und. Lady Londonderry’s sumptuous gatherings, were vivid reminders that pasa soccer starvived from the ne nineeeith century ino the fate mea yee Btn fonmy and fimcaon, se was ony 9 veep pale shadow of what dud been inthe time of Lay Palmerston ot Lady Waldegeave tate heyday, society was confined ta a very definite and tery Tinted clase, "which Was almost exclusively aristocratic. Te Was ae onfident, sei-perpetating socal Se, and it wis cxteaely Se ficate for ambitious parvenus to get in’ “ntl ccdeatas had been satefully examined and discussed by the small group ot heaton {who were the arbiters i these mater In Pcealy sad Peek Lane, the at tow pales of the siperrich provided the soting of unrivalled displays of conspicuous consumption, which ese oe ‘uch political ay socal in hele significance Sine tke wee cee ‘was aio the power elite, high society was an cssenfal junce 43 Political Hi, where dinner parties might be as immporine vs ice Imeedings. And ie also functioned ae 4 marriage make where the system of presentation at court and the power wicldad by doveages haperons, ensured that the choice of pareer by a young paoicenr wat effectively restricted to worncn of sinalar seed backgtound Dy dhe 1880s twas becoming cea to cxpercnced clever tat {his exclusive and intimate socal world, was beginning fo ice down. “Society's chet alment of today” nowed Ell § Eco te the want of any principle of cohesion ava agmenting inte oan feparate “ets Which cocxinted, bu did not coalesce: hile Whe Home Role ess meant thar Unionist and Liberals were Bsiged Dilution of Select Sociery a6 secily owl ply, And thee wee many other sgn and fontaine of cr preseasons roe eat the KRGse Mires of lary ml ap cen, Spence Hee ws ie Yates ete appentso he Tea src pole fon rooms cased iremendous common in the me SII eon pbs oko Peden The Query Innucne bgee 5 sep clamn on eeguce, ened “AU Fae [TRE soll ruins were cra and gemcomar med {tans fo ht behave. Ar Lady Dorothy Nev eed EST inte old seo thom may bend ohave come aren inthe "ois of th seco", peed Lond Bastien, uncontcnly cent the te Lot abun ams srl he doce when dsiegaton stn “The mon sic change won hae ot ie Cul ng longer keep abe pes” new teal Poracy the eo, tSskenerng fo stneson fo gh sary noe ver mero ier wy he ty pce fre and pcan, enon tenia Stpenthned che weak fo bey ti way soc ‘he Get Ep te to segues fhomse London wes, Some Tipe het ey ino, Sihe anemone soi saeay of Gros rovSqute hl tah’ Dod Fame Morsay Othe ian Sing ict hose wc ander nie ind eon Dic and then wnt ono sees pres Londen manson of thrown B Reson cook Dodly Hote, a Wan Wallet Astor sed Lansdown os, before bay hs own ace ‘Reseit"Sgur Eien Cael ove fom Growenor Se HL eth an ages ply ee renin Lond eae tout He pnd 10,00 ets forthe feel he ease a » ter, ov decorating «mas 2E°RGE hl which Lay Dione Coops cae he gn nator ad wea urny Bama rented eee tows tne op (Bouin Boke ring canes andre nae ey deen dss of pon rn tse geznened 0a hen ‘fea Ea tansel ann renene Sy log ola he sao proce, the arora abo ton snl ofthe way sty candice we For the pera ited Br more toad shy, sc estos han he fon, tne whey ince esl oe Ae Se ted Wh a of te sac an mnt mepiene emer tnd othe ven the hate note of Eg; bby IRSCy el nny of wwe tamer re frig tod ho hy Ji app told ao ine ben head te en Este ajome prepa eo cteren cravagumly eno ol oe Tntimations of Mortalsy luz the opulene vulgarity, and the 'merctriiogs oramentation” of {hese haere seemed eo know mo mts. Puhifl heats ploied in waste and indulgence, the newspapers recorded the dese ot Jnerinable east and banguess, ahd society took to worshipping the almighty Dollat unabashed We Boat Nornning [Bath Howse, with Sie Julius Wernher, sorted fnanea mapestes ui Whe angers on, she was appalled. “There might ay wel sie Femambere ave been Codes of Gall ete or overt worship ~ the impeesion of worship in thought, elng ahd aoa ould araly have been stronger ooh Fig change inthe: ys Hest oe te i, 2a Sear sbrpuy broke a the Aare of er Eeaan monopals Sele Tag the ie two yea of es a Sng the addin of our ogy tame a ae ea iGbs 8 tony penon otokncws oer ie en ise of debate ad ate neccesary aok tou be one denned serve 19 al Pee ae a ies wi Know in or eee ef et ae these newcomers ese onal ap ona weg anes ht ‘eke Tand any of hem see cenany te oe en plotocran om Bate pe an oe ae oe ae Sper ft wom se atcou ta ee andere ca Ty jee tee ae om Goveh And by 1691 the proportion ws tak Se ae eee timer Among, dean cmc re seated et Info had apy sete an ce me pots ond eee ae ee Abt tine ie nant fad ceed ew be bition or parce feta one see fo oe Waa beck dfs nn ean Pa ot Lord chads Bacerd Land lashed toad ae eae Randolph Chr eb he fee Be dae ned a Lord Ey toracy Somite or Ameria, Sad aires nese rd icons clve Bet ee ees the Sago lth icon acca aes a Colon Noth, Lond cag |B. Reka ea get Sr Trom pon 2 at ot aes Si lanl Mak Ett Cael td Huon ith whe a ee ee ih rcvouly fern ence ty cen af a orem io sce sc) he ce ee ey a eshereaveproned sce hetaees im bckaround might pees a ely Si wih ok pend Ba ee meee cc by ie th a het a or te Sey dhs te anne eeeeeee eee eee Shears Gusthe waite inttorble free of ere wea hgh could nether conta not ere on Be abo opera he cepa SEL SS ptetton °F cepa area Bess SeseeeeseeeceeECeEeeeeeeeeeeeee SEOUD ee eguig ne atl epee wate ae ee ea kone mane Ranak ee MEP ether aah inks none aan beng 2 a tre ech an al aS ee, et tan te Seeeeeeeeeee eee EeE CERES wee tncmaclves wh tne Basinga Tavs daughters of tet Lava Sea epratl me eke aal ere bees ae ee oe cats matic eiavee of e Be Piet nt i Gc Se peal na i wo Pa Mere Go ge Bere he kadng Seren pie uaReeEEEEEEEUEEEUEECURECEEESEEE ved rater atts font Unie See of ha BORGES TGA Ri pref omar args eh duro put Bogie stole anon Sone, the mepeey of tase Ament brides were no sxpeally SI een eoa ta vols weet oes, ee Seay Ort creme Fe or aca afk lac cametos eee eee eer ete ha cane i cas aac a et Pa la ny at SeceaReeEEECEEECeEEEEEEEEUEEEE BaP. tee tuo aeneese set ed end by cus’ wien ac Fay eee ee eras ghee potty EMS Spach naan bil inks Wapch i kee esa” Nove ent 224 the alae hah ee before.” 30 Intimations of Mottalty Bc he mas sensational sgn hat the ld stato lite was fing eo ‘naintain its social tone was the veritable wave of marsiages between the old nobility and actresses, which seached ies peak in the heydsy of the Guy and Gibson Gein hen Before 8 on to peers had mastied players during the previous hunved yest he were, afterall rors clus that was deemed quite unsuitable, and many Were regarded as being ile etter than prostates” Buk the smammage ofthe future Marquess of Ailesbury to Dolly Teste in hat year marked the beginning ofa new erend. By the Fist World Wat, there had been seventeen such marriages, incading the Dukes of Leinster and of Newcastle, and bearers of sich venerable names 38 {Lords Iesdfrt, Orkney. de Chiford, Cuueenberry, and Torsings ton. And many other patricins, like the second Duke of Weanine. fer and the fifth Ear of Lonsdale, followed the lead of Ring award Vis and thd affais with ladies ofthe stage or ether “protections beauties”. Nor was this the only way in which traditional conven” tions relaxed: of the pects altealy mentioned, Neweastly Lente, Queensberry, and Farrington al ater obtained divorces. The old standards of haviour were very defintely sipping Flow di the paticans cespond to. tei foe contol over society and tothe decay oftheir own exclusive order? Was true, ts ‘TH. 5, Esco claimed, that ‘the antagonism besveen the ase racy of wealth and bied’ had “long since bear depppensing’ sd ‘hat they were blending impercepebly and uncomplaiingly ito 2 few live? Inevitably, reactions varied. The fact that there were so Seany manages with Atercany and with the dang of bakes Suggests that the younger generation were already miving socaly ‘witha much wider section ofthe popolation than had bees custom ary in their paren day. Indeed! a8 more daughters of platoctas ‘were presented st court this eas almost bound to happen At ihe Same tne, the sun increas in dhe numberof pets who married players was but one sign of the incorporation ofthe theate into the {tates of society" BY the 1890s, the srstoctatic "man about town’ {was a well-novin phenomenon” He spent iz days (and nigh) in Spovting cute and near the stage door, miced with bonkkeepers tnd ‘cing journalists, squandered his allowance, and gor into alls ot tiischiet, This world of Pink Uns’ and ‘licans, 30: meniorah voked by P. G. Wodehouse in his eration of Calahsd Threcpwood, ‘was no fanciful iavention. Young loode hike Lord Lonsdale, Lord Chutston, and ‘Sir Jack Astley. disportedchemselves at leat ae Aistepacably in fct a8 “Gally did in hetion™ ‘But other notables were iniplaably opposed to the triumph of ‘wealth over birth, and biterly resented the fat that they no longer

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