18th Century Conversation

Having a conversation in 18th century Britain was a lot more complicated than just talking. First of all you had to think how to enter the room in an appropriate fashion and then there was the issue of how to bow properly, before you even got the chance to say a thing. Here we present the first in a series of videos on Georgian etiquette associated with conversation.

The Middle Class

A ‘middle class’ was beginning to emerge in Georgian Britain. This new class wanted to mix with the upper class and aristocracy and became somewhat obsessed with the correct etiquette and manners that they felt were expected of them. Equally the aristocrats and upper class who exercised power and influence wanted to distinguish themselves from others. They encouraged the middle class to believe that these manners were required within “polite society”. Therefore, if you were to “make it” to the top as one of the rising stars of the middle class you needed to know how to behave. As a result elocution lessons were taken; classes on how to behave properly were run and etiquette books became best sellers.

Mrs Sarah Ward

The aspiring middle class of Edinburgh were no different. Those who delivered these lessons were usually actors who ran elocution, etiquette and manners classes to earn extra money between plays. Mrs Sarah Ward ran a theatre company and was the first woman to be a theatre manager in Edinburgh, opening with her company at the Canongate Theatre in 1747. Apart from performing in London and throughout Britain, she also ran a successful Elocution and Etiquette School in Edinburgh. Although married she became involved with an actor West Digges who managed the Canongate Theatre.

How to Bow

And so we welcome you to the class Mrs Sarah Ward and Mr West Digges giving you all the help you need to make your way in society and enable you take part in a conversation. The precursor to any conversation for a gentleman would be the bow. How low he bowed denoted his status, so the lower down you were in society, the lower you bowed.