Walking Through Mayfairby guest blogger Diane Farr

I began writing Regencies long before the advent of Google Earth. It seems almost quaint, now, to think of relying on paper maps to get a sense of setting, but that’s what we used to do. I was thrilled to discover Darton's New Plan Of The Cities Of London, & Westminster, & Borough Of Southwark, 1817 online when I began writing my first book, The Nobody, and spent countless hours poring over it. The Nobody was set in the spring of 1818 so this, of all maps, was pure gold.

Of course, one of the reasons why it took countless hours to study the map was that I had a dial-up connection to the internet. Each view of http://archivemaps.com/darton1817/darton.htm took between six and ten minutes to load. But it was well worth it, and I waited patiently as each fragment of street slowly materialized on my screen, spellbound as Regency London spread itself before my fascinated gaze.

Based on the meticulous drawings I perused, I set my country-bred heroine’s aunt in Half Moon Street (easy walk to Green Park!); sent her, while visiting said aunt, to a party in Audley Square; tempted her to ignore the conventions, bolt out of the party and walk home down Curzon Street; and taught her a lesson by having her rudely accosted somewhere near the corner of Curzon and Queen Streets.

Curzon Street

I visited Mayfair in my imagination so frequently that I knew it by heart—or thought I did. But I was unprepared for the emotions that hit me in London, after The Nobody was published, when I sought out Curzon Street and viewed the, er, scene of the crime. I imagine I felt very much like C.S. Lewis would have felt, strolling through Cair Paravel. Or L. Frank Baum, vacationing in Oz. Here I stood, in a place I had invented – a place inhabited by my own fictional characters – and its pavement was just as firm beneath my feet as the sidewalks of Sacramento. With stars in my eyes and a camera in my hand, I dragged my unfortunate family (on foot) all over Mayfair. The sensation was indescribable. I was exploring a place every bit as fictional, to me, as Narnia or Neverland. And every bit as beloved.

Boodle's

Which turned out to be a good thing, because nothing was labeled. I eagerly sought out the gentlemen’s clubs I had visited in so many books, and was astonished—and then delighted—when they proved difficult to pin down. My American eyes expected to see signs above the doors or hanging from posts saying, for example, WHITE’S or BOODLE’S. But apparently, if you are White’s or Boodle’s, you feel that signage would be superfluous. The haughty attitude was obvious, and really quite perfect: “If you are a member, you know where we are. If you aren’t a member, our location is not your concern.”

White's

I feel very fortunate to have had a chance to tramp through Mayfair. Much has changed, naturally, but the bones of the Regency are still visible beneath its 21st century skin.

Diane Farr is an award-winning author of traditional Regency romances and Regency-set historicals. Her latest venture is something different: Wicked Cool, a fast, fun read suitable for teens--and everyone else, she hopes. You can join her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dianefarrpage or follow her on Twitter at @DianeFarr.

Male Bonding: The Gentlemen's Club System

Gentlemen’s Clubs in the Regency period were an indelible part of the English aristocracy. A man’s club proclaimed who he was, what his political beliefs were, and, in one case, what he ate (the Beefsteak Club).

Some examples of Gentlemen’s Clubs during this time period included:

• Albion
• Arthur’s
• Beefsteak Club
• Boodle’s
• Brooks’
• Cocoa Tree
• Four-In-Hand Club
• General Service Club
• Marlborough Club
• Royal Guards
• United Service Clubs
• Watier’s
• White’s

White’s

VS.

Brooks'

The club was sacred--so sacred, in fact, that not only were women not allowed to become members, women weren’t allowed to enter the club’s revered halls. Even further, a woman who appeared in a carriage or on foot on St. James’ Street--club street--during the afternoon would have expected social damnation from the Bon Ton.

However, a young lady traveling on St. James’ in the morning, with her maid or footman, ran no risk of censure. The reason that this was so was, most likely, due to the fact that a majority of male activities began in the afternoon or evening hours.

In addition, a woman who came calling for her husband at his club made a laughingstock of them both.

At their clubs, men indulged in typically male pursuits:

• They discussed politics--Brooks’ Club, located at 60 St. James’ Street, was known as Whig headquarters, while White’s, at 37-38 St. James’ Street, boasted of Tories supporters.  
• Gentleman won... or lost fortunes in the gaming-room. 
• They drank themselves under the table.
• Men also placed bets on everything, including absurd, obscure happenings. For example 1,000 pounds was the bet for whether a man could survive underwater for a twelve-hour duration. The outcome of that wager was hardly a surprise!
• And lastly, the members of the male species tended to avoid their families by dining frequently at their club.

One wife confided that during her first year of marriage, her husband only dined with her once. The rest of the time he supped at Mr. Brooks’ Club.

Clubs were indispensable to the male psyche... and still are today. Any aristocratic gentleman who had the least pretensions to being thought fashionable belonged to a club. In fact, the eleventh Duke of Devonshire stated in 1979, “... I belong to as many London clubs as I can afford and which are willing to have me as a member.” He also said to a interviewer, “... my idea of Heaven, apart from being at Chatsworth, is to sit in the hall of Brooks', having tea."

Male bonding was strong at these Gentlemen’s Clubs. A member was certain to find--

• stimulating conversation,
• servant deference,
• social rules and customs.

 All of these rigid rituals shored up a man’s self-importance. Even the club boor was welcomed because he could be depended on to promote knowing smirks and snickers from the other club members.

The code of honor was very important in these clubs. Debts incurred by gambling were expected to be paid usually within three days after a gentleman gave his vowels. To use the definition of vowels found in The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, “A gamester who does not immediately pay his losings, is said to vowel the winner, by repeating the vowels I. O. U. or perhaps from giving his note for the money according to the Irish form, where the acknowledgment of the debt is expressed by the letters I. O. U. which, the sum and name of the debtor being added, is deemed a sufficient security among gentlemen.”
Paying one’s gaming debt was more important than--

• refraining from seducing the neighbor’s wife, 
• treating the servants humanely, or dead last on the list of priorities,
•  paying tradesmen what was owed.

No matter that the gentleman’s fortunes could very well have been wiped out, and that he was now destitute. No matter that his children would’ve been forced into genteel poverty. Paying one’s gaming debts was considered the measure of a gentleman.

Gentlemen’s Clubs were, and are, so fundamental to the English psyche, that author Ralph Nevill wrote in his 1911 book, London Clubs, “[The club member] lunches and dines, dines and lunches, till the sands of the hourglass have run out, and the moment comes for him to enter that great club of which all humanity must perforce become members.”

Resources:

The Gentlemen’s Clubs of London, Anthony Lejeune and Malcolm Lewis
The 1911 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Studio Editions, Ltd.
The British Rich, Philip Beresford
Ackermann’s Illustrated London, Wordsworth Editions, Ltd.

Award-winning author Susanne Marie Knight specializes in Romance Writing with a Twist! She is multi-published with books, short stories, and articles in such diverse genres as science fiction, Regency, mystery, paranormal, suspense, time-travel, fantasy, and contemporary romance.

Originally from New York, Susanne lives in the Pacific Northwest, by way of Okinawa, Montana, Alabama, and Florida. Along with her husband, daughter, and the spirit of her feisty Siamese cat, she enjoys the area's beautiful ponderosa pine trees and wide, open spaces--a perfect environment for writing. For more information about Susanne, please visit her website at http://www.susanneknight.com/.

Latest Regency release:

PAGING MISS GALLOWAY: 2010 EPIC Award Finalist and Awe-Struck (www.awe-struck.net) Regency Winner. A determined young miss, a battle-weary lord, and a reckless masquerade. What will the Earl of Tremaine do when he discovers his page's shocking secret?