Eglinton Tournament of 1839

The Eglinton Tournament of 1839 was a re-enactment of a medieval joust and revel held in Scotland on Friday 30 August.Corbould. p 5.]

It was funded and organized by Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, and took place at Eglinton Castle, near Kilwinning in Scotland. The Queen of Beauty was Georgiana Sheridan, the wife of Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset and sister of noted author Caroline Norton. Many distinguished visitors took part, including the future Napoleon III of France.

It was widely publicized and open to the public. It was a deliberate set piece of Romanticism, in the face of social progress. It is largely remembered, otherwise, for being rained out on the first day. Even as late as the 1980s local people would refer to excessive heavy rain as 'tournament rain.'Clements, James, p. 151.]

Background

The Gothic Revival and the rise of Romanticism of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were an international phenomenon. Medieval-style jousts, for example, were regularly held in Sweden between 1777 and 1800. [Anstruther, pp. 246–247] Gothic novels, such as The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole (1717–1797) and the many works of Sir Walter Scott popularised the idea of passionate romanticism and praise of chivalric ideals. Walpole himself was one of the first in England to renovate his mansion into a mock-Gothic castle, Strawberry Hill (1749–1777).

Medieval culture was widely admired as an antidote to the modern enlightenment and industrial age. [This is pretty much the entire thesis of Girouard's book.] Plays and theatrical works (such as "Ivanhoe", which in 1820 was playing in six different productions in London alone) [Anstruther, pp. 122–123] perpetuated the romanticism of knights, castles, feasts and tournaments. Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840) of Germany painted magnificent gothic ruins and spiritual allegories. Jane Austen (1775–1815) wrote her novel "Northanger Abbey" (written 1798, published 1817) as a satire on romantic affectation.

The Montgomerie family had a romantic tale of chivalry which bound them to the idea of a revival of such ideals, this being the capture of the pennon of Harry Hotspur, a Percy, at the Battle of Otterburn by Sir Hugh Montgomerie. The price for Hotspur's release was the building of the castle of Polnoon in Eaglesham, Renfrewshire for the Montgomeries. It is said that the then noble head of the Percy family made overtures for the return of the pennon in 1839 and was given the answer, "There's as good lea land at Eglinton as ever there was at Otterburn; let Percy come and take it if he can."Robertson. p 115.]

In 1838 Whig Prime Minister Lord Melbourne announced that the coronation of Queen Victoria would not include the traditional medieval-style banquet in Westminster Hall. It was considered extravagance, because of budget constraints and the recession (not to mention memories of embarrassing mishaps in earlier coronations). [Anstruther, pp. 5–9] Uproar at the end of the proceedings at King George IV banquet had also been caused by people trying to obtain souvenirs of the event in the shape of knives, forks, spoons, glasses, table napkins, etc. and King William IV had cancelled his banquet to prevent a repeat.Hankinson, Cytil F. J. (1953), "The Story of the Coronation".] Most British citizens understood and sympathised with the economy, but there were "many complaints and various public struggles, as well as on the part of the antiquaries, as on that of the tradesmen of the metropolis". ["Ann. Reg.", 1838, p. 96, "Chron.", cited in Anstruther, p. 1] Critics referred to it scornfully as "The Penny Crowning". ["Ann. Reg.", 1838, p. 96, "Chron.", cited in Anstruther, p. 1] Contemporary accounts also point out that Victoria's coronation cost £20,000 more than that of George IV and an innovation was the procession from the palace to Westminster Abbey, which was hugely popular with the common people and added to the splendour of the occasion.Taylor. p 328.] On August 4th, 1838 the "Court Journal" printed a rumour that Archibald William Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton, was going to host a great jousting tournament at his castle in Scotland. [Girouard, p. 92] At first it had been little more than a passing whim, [Anstruther, p. 111] but within a few weeks Eglinton confirmed the rumour.

Eglinton (1812–1861) had until the time of the tournament lived a life filled with little more than sports and horse racing. His stepfather, Sir Charles Lamb, and half-brother, Charlie Lamb, were rabidly devoted to the Middle Ages, and he seems to have amiably gone along when Charlie Lamb urged him to hold a tournament. [Anstruther, p. 111 [http://www.ayrshirehistory.org.uk/Shorts/localhero.htm Explanation of family reasons for the holding of the Tournament] .]

Preparation

In autumn of 1838 one-hundred and fifty prospective knights [Anstruther, p. 133] met in the showroom of Samuel Pratt, a dealer in medieval armor at No. 47 Bond Street, London. [Anstruther, p. 129] Many backed out when they realised the astronomical costs and difficulties, but "about forty" were determined to try regardless. [Anstruther, p. 144] Pratt was to be in charge of all the arrangements, the pavilions and armour, banners, decor and costumes. He also would supply the stands, marquees and great tents for the feast and ball. Although all the armour supplied by Pratt was supposed to have been genuinely medieval, it is unclear how many of the suits actually were; the only armour that was kept track of, that of the 3rd Marquess of Waterford, on display in 1963 at Windsor Castle, is a forgery. [Anstruther, p. 152] Some of the armour used was on loan from the Tower of London and it was noted with interest that mostly the suits were too small and had to be "let out" before they could be worn by men of like social position to the original users.Pride, David (1910). "A History of the Parish of Neilston". Pub. Alexander Gardner, Paisley. p 116.] It is worth noting that the family actually sold the Earl of Eglinton's armour during the 1925 sale of the castle contents. [Eglinton Archive.]

The dress rehearsals were held in London at a garden behind the Eyre Arms, a tavern close to Regent's Park, [Anstruther, p. 153] the last one on Saturday July 13th 1839. Nineteen knights participated. The audience was invitation only; many of "the very elite of the most elite" (said the "Court Journal") were invited to watch, and 2,690 attended. The rehearsal went perfectly. The weather was sunny, the banners and armour and tents impressive, the jousting successful. Even critics conceded that the tournament was likely to be a fine show. [Anstruther, pp. 161–163]

All of upper-class Britain took notice. Tories eyed antique armour and dreamed of courtly love, but the Whigs, the social reformers, and the Utilitarians expressed outrage at such a fantasy at a time when the economy was in a shambles, when poverty was rampant and many workers were starving. Emotions ran high, with satirical cartoons, insults and passions aroused on both sides, the Whigs calling the Tories wastrels and the Tories calling the Whigs heartless. Whatever Eglinton's original intent, the tournament was symbolic of romantic defiance in the face of modern practicality. [Girouard, pp. 92-93]

Terrain

There were some problems with the planning and location of the tournament. Eglinton Castle, eight miles from the west coast of Scotland in Ayrshire, was imitation Gothic, an eighteenth-century Georgian mansion with battlements and turrets added. [Anstruther, p. 188] The near-coastal mountainous terrain was prone to frequent, torrential rains. [Anstruther, pp. 165–166]

The Tournament was held on a meadow or holm at a loop in the Lugton Water. The ground chosen for the tournament was low, almost marshy, with grassy slopes rising on all sides. [Anstruther, pp. 188–189] The Knights on horseback and their retinue reached the tilt yard ('C' on the map) via an enclosed ride ('G' on the map), whilst the guests and visitors made their way to the stands via the route marked 'F' on the map illustrated. Both groups crossed over the three arched Gothic Eglinton Tournament Bridge. An 1837 map of "Eglinton Castle, Grounds and Tilt yard" shows that the tilt yard was already in extistence at this early date, but it is not recorded what its fate was after the tournament was over.Anstruther. p 111.]

Crowds

Lord Eglinton announced that the public would be welcome; he requested medieval fancy dress, if possible, and tickets were free but would have to be applied for. Expecting a healthy turnout — the Eglinton race meetings generally got local audiences of up to 1500 — he made arrangements for grandstands for the guests and comfortable seating for the expected crowd of about 4000. He notified the press ("The Times", the "Morning Post", the "Court Gazette", and "the other important or popular journals") of the offer of free tickets to all. [Anstruther, pp. 167–168]

It does not seem to have occurred to Lord Eglinton that other newspapers would repeat the story. Readers of the "Bath Figaro", the "Cornish Guardian", the "Sheffield Iris", the "Wisbech Star in the East" and many other newspapers — readers "from every county in the British Isles" — applied to Lord Eglinton for tickets. Through the month of August letters came by the hundreds into Castle Eglinton requesting tickets for parties of twenty, fifty, a hundred people.

A scrapbook of nearly a thousand of these letters still survives, filled with pleas, stories, promises of medieval dress, and assertions of Tory sympathies. It became apparent that this would be a vastly larger enterprise than originally planned. [Anstruther, pp.168–176]

Transportation and lodgings

With a turnout two orders of magnitude greater than expected (the final estimate was a crowd of one hundred thousand), [Anstruther, pp. 193–194] area transportation — even though recently modernised — and lodgings were overwhelmed. The nearby town of Irvine had only one hotel, the Eglinton Arms, and it had been booked solid by Lord Waterford. All other travellers were left to rent spaces in private homes at astronomical prices, or to find what accommodation they could. [Anstruther, p. 176]

At the last minute

On the morning of the tournament the roads to Eglinton Castle were quickly jammed. The highway from Ayr to Glasgow (thirty miles long) was filled end to end, and every approach was blocked by abandoned carriages, their owners continuing on foot. [Anstruther, p. 192] The railway from Ayr to Irvine charged thrice the normal fee; people fought for the tickets, as it was the only transport guaranteed to deposit them only a few miles from the castle. [Anstruther, p. 193]

The final difficulty was the great parade of knights that was supposed to open the tournament at noon. The knights had had little practice mounting their horses and took a long time to get prepared. Then each knight and his entourage (forty different groups) was supposed to ride to the castle, pick up a lady, officer or knight, and return to the lists. But there was only one drive to and from the castle, so that the knights had to jostle back and forth past and through each other. There had been no arrangement for parade control, and the knightly gridlock took hours longer to unfold than had been planned. By the time the parade was ready, it was a half mile long and over three hours late. [Anstruther, pp. 194–195]

The Tournament

The intended day was August 29, but steady rain caused a postponement.

Although the day had dawned clear and fine, as the knights and their entourages were struggling to organise the parade the sky began to darken. Just at the moment when the parade was finally arranged — just as Lady Seymour, the Queen of Beauty, was heralded by trumpets — there was a flash of lightning, a great crash of thunder, and the black clouds of Ayrshire let loose with a sudden and violent rainstorm. [Anstruther, p. 195]

Lord Eglinton immediately ordered the ladies into carriages, which sheltered them but prevented the crowd from seeing the notable beauties. [Anstruther, p. 196] The knights and their entourages, soaked in the squall and covered in mud, slipped and slithered into the lists down a parade route lined with umbrellas, with Charles Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry himself in the procession under a gigantic green umbrella. [Anstruther, p. 202]

No forethought seems to have been given to the weather. The tiltyard was designed by Samuel Luke Pratt, with stands to hold 2,000. [Mancoff. pp 34–35] Pratt's grandstand roof, although pretty and covered with splendid scarlet, leaked horribly. When the knights and their guests reached their seats they found them flooded and dripping. Few had brought overcoats or umbrellas, and most were in expensive costumes. [Anstruther, p. 203]

A professional jester, Robert M'Ian, told jokes that few could hear and fewer found amusing. [Anstruther, p. 203] Then the tournament started, but between the noise and mess of the rain, almost nothing could be seen or heard. [Anstruther, pp. 203–211]

There were large crowds on the 29th, but attendance the next day was poor. Newspapers freely satirised the proceedings. ["A Festival, A Tournament, and a Jubilee"] [Tristram Hunt writing in 2001 called it "a farcical day of jousting, archery and chivalry acted out by fashionable young toffs" [http://www.newstatesman.com/200101080008] ]

Notable participants

The "knights" who participated in the tournament were, apart from Eglinton
* Viscount Alford, aged 27, "Knight of the Black Lion"
* Captain Beresford, aged 32, "Knight of the Stag's Head"
* the Earl of Cassillis, aged 23, "Knight of the Dolphin"
* the Earl of Craven, aged 30, "Knight of the Griffin"
* Captain James O. Fairlie, aged 30, "Knight of the Golden Lion"
* the Hon. H. E. H. Gage, aged 25, "Knight of the Ram"
* Viscount Glenlyon, aged 25, "Knight of the Gael"
* Sir Francis Hopkins, Bart., aged 26, "Knight of the Burning Tower"
* the Hon. Edward Jerningham, aged 35, "Knight of the Swan"
* Charles Lamb, aged 23, "Knight of the White Rose"
* Richard Lechemere, aged 40, "Knight of the Red Rose"
* Walter Little Gilmour, aged 32, "The Black Knight"
* the Marquess of Waterford, aged 28, "Knight of the Dragon"

:Other participants and guests included
* Lord Shaftesbury
* the Marquess of Londonderry
* Prince Louis Napoleon
* Princess Esterhazy of Hungary
* Count Persigny of France
* Count Lubeski of Poland
* Jane Georgiana, Lady Seymour [Anstruther, pp. 185–186]

Aftermath

After the tournament Lord Eglinton appeared in the lists, apologised for the rain, and announced that, weather permitting, they would try to joust again the next day or the next. Then he announced to the special guests in the grandstand that the medieval banquet and ball that evening would have to be cancelled; Samuel Pratt's tent roofs had leaked as badly as the grandstand's. [Anstruther, pp. 211–212]

The rains had flooded the Lugton Water, which ran around the Lists on three sides. No carriages could cross it, so the entire audience, apart from Eglinton's personal guests, was stranded without transportation. [Anstruther, p. 213] They had to walk miles through the rain and the mud to nearby villages, where only the first people found any food, drink, accommodation or transport. [Anstruther, p. 215]

It did however succeed in publicity terms. ["Perhaps the most spectacular manifestations of the Medievalist movement were the Grand Tournaments; historical pageants featuring elaborate ceremonies, costumes, sets, re-enactments of battles and jousting displays. Between 1750 and 1839 at least eighteen of these events were staged throughout Europe, the final being the Eglinton Tournament. This event stands as one of the most glorious and infamous follies of the 19th century. Although a torrential downpour resulted in the 'knights' and their mounts struggling through mud and sleet, all but invisible to the enormous crowd, Eglinton struck a sympathetic chord in the Victorian imagination. It served to whet the public’s appetite for medieval martial spectacle, and this was partly appeased by a 'Tournament and Siege' produced at Astley’s Amphitheatre a few weeks later." [http://ejmas.com/jmanly/articles/2001/jmanlyart_wolf2_0801.htm] ] William Gilmor of Baltimore, who was there, the next year introduced tourneys in the USA. ["Gilmor, a superb rider - handsome, rich, well-bred and well-read, hosted the most elaborate quintain tournament ever held on American soil." [http://www.nationaljousting.com/history/romantic.htm] ]

It inspired a successor event in July 1912. [ [http://www.vikingsword.com/lacy/lakinga.html] ]

The 1989 re-enactment

As 1989 was the 150 anniversary of the tournament the staff of the newly opened Eglinton Country Park organised a re-enactment which ran over a period of three days in August of that year.

Tournament gallery

Notes

References

*Aikman, J & Gordon, W. "An account of the tournament at Eglinton, revised and corrected by several of the knights : with a biographical notice of the Eglinton family to which is prefixed a sketch of chivalry and of the most remarkable Scottish tournaments". Edinburgh : Hugh Paton, Carver & Gilder, 1839.
*Anstruther, Ian "The Knight and the Umbrella: An Account of the Eglinton Tournament, 1839". London : Geoffrey Bles Ltd, 1963.
*Buchan, Peter "The Eglinton Tournament and Gentleman Unmasked" 1840.
* Clements, James. "Stevenston. Kernel of Cunninghame." Glasgow : Gilmour and Lawrence, 1974.
* Corbould, Edward. "The Eglinton Tournament: Dedicated to the Earl of Eglinton". Pall Mall, England : Hodgson & Graves, 1840. [http://www.georgeglazer.com/archives/prints/genre/eglingtonjoust.html]
*Doyle, Richard. "The Eglinton Tournament", 1840
*Girouard, Mark "The Return to Camelot: Chivalry and the English Gentleman" Yale University Press, 1981. ISBN 0300027397
* Mancoff, Debra. "The Return of King Arthur : the Legend Through Victorian Eyes". New York : H.N. Abrams, 1995. ISBN 0810937824
* Robertson, William. "Historical Tales and Legends of Ayrshire Vol.II". London : Hamilton, Adams & Co, 1889.
* Stoddart, John. "Remarks on Local Scenery and Manners in Scotland during the years 1799 and 1800". London : William Miller, 1801.
* Taylor, James. "The Age We Live In. A History of the XIX century". London : William Mackenzie, 1900.
* " [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/ncps:@field(DOCID+@lit(AGD1642-0015-74)):: A Festival, A Tournament, and a Jubilee] ", from "The United States Democratic Review" Volume 15, Issue 76, October 1844.

ee also

* Gothic Revival
* Jousting
* Medieval reenactment
* Romanticism
* Eglinton Country Park
* Eglinton Tournament bridge

External links

* [http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/british_galls/audio_tales/eglinton_tourn/index.html Brief audio report at the Victoria and Albert Museum]