The Talk of the Ton

Did you know…

…that lawn games were all the rage in the Regency era?

I recently returned from a summer holiday in England, where I spent my time exploring quaint villages, eating too many steak and ale pies, and visiting a number of stately homes. One of the things I learned on this adventure was that visiting these estates is not a new activity—in fact, it was quite common during the Regency era for people to visit estates that were often open during the summer for public viewing and tours.

Many of these estates boasted vast lawns, which lent themselves to a variety of games and activities that were played during these summer outings. One of the more popular games of the era was shuttlecock. A precursor to badminton, shuttlecock was played without a net, and could be played with 4-6 players. The objective was simple—keep the shuttle in the air for as long as possible by passing it between players.

Shuttlecock was particularly popular amongst women (while men gravitated towards the more “strenuous” sport of tennis), but was often played by both sexes, as depicted in this photo recreation of the sport.

And of course, I couldn’t resist capturing a portrait of the reigning shuttlecock champion of the Ton—the Duchess of Beaufort, lady of Badminton house in Gloucestershire.

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