Sunday 13 August 2017

The Season.

Once upon a time there was something called the Season which forms the backdrop to many a historical drama. Few people know what it is these days.

The season was a way for aristocrats to marry off their daughters and be seen in the right places. According to Debretts (the guide to all things blue blooded) it runs between Easter and August 12 (the glorious twelfth) when aristocrats would retire to their estates to kill small animals. A number of specifically English social events evolved to fill this gap. These now fulfill the original purpose of the season but on a global rather than a national scale. Furthermore- the snobbery has (mostly) gone. Everyone is welcome.

There are multiple seasons at multiple locations that once ran in parallel to one another. The most famous are probably the London Season, popularized by BBC costume dramas and the Bath Season popularised by Jane Austin.

With the benefit of modern transport we may hop between the two taking the best of both.

I am not much concerned with this dead world of aristocrats for its own sake but it may be fun to explore this world for ourselves. Season events have gone one of two ways. Some of them have become networking events for hedge fund managers and Russian Oligarchs. They make a virtue of being expensive so that the plebs (us) can never attend. Most have thank fully taken the opposite route and are now cheap or free.

A romantic adventure too.


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