February 10th 2008: Charlene Kern on Beau Brummell

Report on the meeting from Chapter member, Janet Worley.

George Bryan Brummell was born on June 7, 1778 (three years later than Jane Austen) at 10 Downing Street. His father had risen through the ranks to become the private secretary to Lord North. Beau Brummell and his older brother William both received references to attend Eton College from Lord North, where the younger Brummell was described as neither fond of sports nor particularly studious. He was admired by his schoolmates but not by his father, who eventually ordered him to return home.

Beau Brummell's mother died in 1793, his father almost exactly one year later. His father's will stipulated that the estate he had purchased be sold and the proceeds evenly divided between Beau, his older brother William, and in a highly unusual move, his younger sister Maria. Each heir received approximately 20,000 pounds as their inheritance.

At this point, Beau Brummell was 16 years old. Since he could not come into his money before he reached 21, he began attending Oriel College at Oxford. Undergraduate life was described at the time as "the art of doing nothing gracefully".

Although accounts of when Beau Brummell and the Prince of Wales met are conflicting, they may well have met for the first time at Oxford. The Prince was in his early 30's, and already described as excessively corpulent. His personal regiment, the 10th Light Dragoons (later the 10th Hussars) was noted as being a regiment suitable for those men who wanted a non-combat military career. Its officers enjoyed the theater and the opera, gambled, and enjoyed the company of women. The regiment was noted for the large number of "French Milliners" who set up shop in the immediate vicinity.

In the summer of 1794, Brummell suggested that part of his inheritance be used to purchase an Army commission. This suggestion was adopted, and Brummell left Oxford and joined the 10th Light Dragoons. He served as the regiment's coronet, which consisted of looking good on horseback while holding the regimental flag. During this time, Brummell and the Prince became fast friends. Brummell was best man when the Prince married Caroline of Brunswick.

Brummell resigned his commission in 1798 rather than be sent with the regiment to Manchester. Shortly afterwards, he collected his inheritance and bought a fashionable house in London, acquired an appropriate wardrobe, and set about becoming the most emulated man in London. He rode regularly in Rotten Row and was an acknowledged expert in the art of the direct cut. To have Beau Brummell attend a ball meant the hostess was a social success, to have him fail to appear meant disaster.

Brummell quickly attracted a crowd of admirers and hangers-on. Many of his followers would gather daily in the front hall of his home. One story is that his valet would pass through this crowd carrying a tray of discarded neck cloths. When asked, he would say, "These, sir, are our failures."

Brummell popularized the fashionable men's look of the time, a dark blue coat with a white shirt and cravat. This was accessorized with a pale waistcoat, pale gloves and a beaver top hat. The rage for beaver hats caused the English beaver population to be hunted to the point of extinction. Brummell popularized the wearing of trousers, always kept smooth by braces and by a strap under the instep of the shoe. Brummell did engage different tailors for different pieces of attire, although there is no proof behind the story that he used one glove maker for the fingers of his gloves and another for the thumb. Brummell regarded excessive ornamentation as vulgar, setting the standard for men's dress as one of elegant simplicity. He also popularized the concept of cleanliness, being noted for bathing daily in hot water. Brummell also sent his laundry to the country so that it could be washed in clean water and dried out of doors in the country air. Even some Frenchmen, copying Brummell's example, sent their laundry to the English countryside.

However, this state of affairs was not to last. Brummell and the Prince of Wales broke ranks about the same time as the Prince was formally declared Prince Regent in 1811. While he was the favorite of the Prince, he enjoyed immunity from his creditors, but once this protection was gone, he found himself being dunned for payment. Brummell also contracted syphilis somewhere around the year 1814. Although he attempted to carry on with his lifestyle, he ran out of options for funding by 1816. One night, he dined at his club, went to the theater and sat in his usual box, then went home, packed some possessions, and left for Calais. The remainder of his possessions were soon sold at auction to satisfy his creditors.

Brummell lived for several years in France, eventually gaining, through the influence a few remaining friend, the Marquis of Wellington, an appointment to the consulate at Caen. This provided him with a small annuity. However, this appointment was abolished in 1832, again leaving Brummell without any income. He was imprisoned for debt in 1835, but his friends paid off his creditors once again. However, by this time, he had lost all interest in dress. He was admitted to an insane asylum in 1837, where he died on March 30, 1840, of complications of syphilis.

Brummell's fame continues to this day. He is the featured detective in a series of mystery novels by Rosemary Stevens. Several movies have been made about his life, including one which was aired on "Masterpiece Theater" in 2006. In the 1960s, a British Invasion band named the Beau Brummells had multiple top 40 hits. He is also mentioned in a song by Billy Joel (You could be a real Beau Brummell if you just gave it half a chance from It's Still Rock and Roll To Me). And, as was revealed at the end of this talk, Beau Brummell has a page on the social networking site "MySpace."

Presenter Charlene Kern

Regional Coordinator Julie Arnold

Chapter Members Marian LaBeck and Kimberley Brangwin