Club Life of London; with anecdotes of the Clubs. Coffee-Houses and Taverns of the Metropolis during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries

Preface

. Pictures of the Social Life of the Metropolis during the last two centuries are by no means rare. We possess them in Diaries, Memoirs, and Correspondence, in almost countless volumes, that sparkle with humour and gaiety, alternating with more serious phases, — political or otherwise, — according to the colour and com plexion, and body of the time. Of such pictures the most attractive are Clubs. Few attempts have, however, been made to focus the Club-life of periods, or to assemble with reasonable limits, the histories of the leading Associations of club bable Men, — of Statesmen and Politicians, Wits and Poets, Authors, Artists, and Actors, and " men of wit and pleasure," which the town has presented since the days of the Restoration ; or in more direct succession, from the reign of Queen Anne, and the days of the Taller and Spectator, and other Essayists in their wake.

PREFACE.

. VI The present Work aims to record this Club-life in a series of sketches of the leading Societies, in which, without assuming the gravity of history or biography, sufficient attention is paid to both to give the several narratives the value of trustworthiness. From the mul titude of Clubs it has been found expedient to make a selection, in which the Author has been guided by the popular interest attached to their several histories. The same principle has been adopted in bringing the Work up to our own time, in which the customary reticence in such cases has been maintained. Of interest akin to that of the Clubs have been considered scenes of the Coffee-house and Tavern Life of the period, which partake of a greater breadth of humour, and are, therefore, proportionally attractive, for these sections of the Work.

The antiquarianism is sparse, or briefly descriptive ; the main object being personal cha racteristics, the life and manners, the sayings and doings, of classes among whom conviviality is often mixed up with better qualities, and the finest humanities are blended with the gladiatorship and playfulness of wit and humour. With a rich store of materials at his command, the Author, or Compiler, has sought, by selection and con densation, to avoid the long-windedness of story-telling ; for the anecdote should be, like the viand, — "'twere

PREFACE.

. VII well if it were done quickly." Although the staple of the book is compiled, the experience and information which the Author has gathered by long familiarity with the Metropolis have enabled him to annotate and illus trate in his own progress, notwithstanding the "lion's share " of the labour is duly awarded to others. Thus, there are grouped in the present volume sketches of One Hundred Clubs, ranging from the Mermaid, in Bread-street, to the Garrick, in Covent Garden. Considering the mixed objects of these Clubs, though all belonging to the convivial or jovial system, strict classification was scarcely attainable : hence chro nological sequence has been adopted, with the advantage of presenting more connected views of social life than could have been gained by the former arrangement.

The Second Volume is devoted to the Coffee-house and Tavern Life, and presents a diversity of sketches, anecdotes, and reminiscences, whose name is Legion. To the whole is appended a copious Index, by which the reader may readily refer to the leading subjects, and multitudinous contents of the Work. CONTENTS. Page ORIGIN OF CLUBS 1 MEEMAID CLUB 8 APOLLO CLUB If EABLT POLITICAL CLUBS 15 OCTOBER CLUB , 17 SATURDAY AND BROTHERS CLUBS 19 SCRIBLERUS CLUB 23 calves' head club 25 king's head club 35 street clubs 38 THE MOHOCKS 39 BLASPHEMOUS CLUBS 44 MUG-HOUSE CLUBS . . . •. 45 KIT-KAT CLUB 55 TATLER'S CLUB IN SHIRE-LANE 63 EOTAL SOCIETY CLUB , 65 S X CONTENTS. Pago COCOA-TREE CLUB 81 almack's CLUB 83 ALMACK'S ASSEMBLY-ROOMS 86 brookes's club 89 "FIGHTING FITZGERALD " AT BROOKES'S ...... 102 Arthur's club 107 white's club 108 boodle's club 121 THE BEEF-STEAK SOCIETY . 123 captain morris 149 BEEF-STEAK CLUBS 158 CLUB AT TOM'S COFFEE-HOUSE 159 THE KING OF CLUBS 165 watier's CLUB 168 CANNING AT THE CLIFFORD-STREET CLUB ...... 169 ECCENTRIC CLUBS 1 172 JACOBITE CLUB 178 THE WITTINAGEMOT OF THE CHAPTER COFFEE-HOUSE . . 179 THE ROXBURGHE CLUB DINNERS 186 SOCIETY OF PAST OVERSEERS, WESTMINSTER 193 THE ROBIN HOOD 196 BLUE-STOCKING CLUB ]98 IVY-LANE CLUB .*.... 200 ESSEX HEAD CLUB 202 THE LITERARY CLUB 204 GOLDSMITH'S CLUBS CONTENTS.

XI Page THE DILETTANTI SOCIETY 222 ROYAL NAVAL CLUB 230 WYNDHAM CLUB 232 travellers' club 233 UNITED SERVICE CLUB . , . 236 ALFRED CLUB 237 ORIENTAL CLUB 339 ATHENÆUM CLUB 241 UNIVERSITY CLUB • 247 ECONOMY OF CLUBS 248 UNION CLUB 253 GARRICK CLUB 255 REFORM CLUB 266 CARLTON CLUB 273 CONSERVATIVE CLUB 275 OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE CLUB 277 guards' club 278 ARMY AND NAVY CLUB 278 JUNIOR UNITED SERVICE CLUB 280 crockford's club - . . . . 281 " KING ALLEN," " THE GOLDEN BALL," AND SCROPE DAVIES 287 THE FOUR-IN-HAND CLUB 289 WHIST CLUBS 295 PRINCE'S CLUB RACQUET COURTS 298 AN ANGLING CLUB , 301 ■ THE RED LIONS CONTENTS. Page COVENTRY, ERECTHEUM, AND PARTHENON CLUBS . . . 305 iNTIQUARIAN CLUBS, — THE NOVIOMAGIANS 303 THE ECCENTRICS 307 DOUGLAS JERROLD'S CLUBS 308 CHESS CLUBS 313