The history of high society gossip in Regency England and who is the real Lady Whistledown?
It has been said that, “Of all bitches dead or alive, a scribbling woman is the most canine.” If that should be true, then this author would like to show you her teeth. My name is Lady Whistledown. You do not know me, and rest assured, you never shall.
If you have somehow missed Bridgerton, it is a series of romance novels penned by Julia Quinn. Set against the backdrop of the Regency period, it features the powerful and noble Bridgerton family, a widowed mother with eight children. It follows their love affairs, marriages, friends and rivals, as each year they stay in London for ‘the season’.
It features a scandal paper penned by Lady Whisledown, and even Queen Charlotte waits impatiently for each new publication while trying to unmask the writer.
Netflix’s hit alternative-Regency series, Bridgerton, may well be set around the love lives of the aristocratic Bridgerton family. However, the show’s real star is the ever-present, mysterious Lady Whistledown, the all-knowing author of a popular scandal sheet that raises, and then casts down, the season’s debutantes with her observations, leaving society in awe of the mysterious woman who “knows everything about everyone.”
Every true Bridgerton fan knows the thrill of hearing Lady Whistledown’s latest issue, brought to life by the iconic voice of Julie Andrews. Penelope Featherington may appear harmless at a ball, but behind the scenes, she rules the Ton with ink and paper. Although a real “Lady Whistledown” is yet to be uncovered, Mrs Crackenthorpe has been mentioned as a real life historical model for her character.
London society loved gossip just as much as the Bridgerton characters did. Readers eagerly bought newspapers that revealed social missteps, bad marriages, and scandalous affairs. One popular edition was The Town and Country Magazine, which detailed stories about the romantic escapades of the upper class.
Popular scandal sheets included The British Apollo, The Flying Post, The Town and Country Magazine, and The Tatler, which is still in print today. These were aimed at both men and women. In 1709, The Female Tatler was launched, and was published on the days The Tatler was not (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). It was aimed exclusively at women and its author was.. Mrs Crackenthorpe.
Mrs. Crackenthorpe Might Be the Closest Thing to Lady Whistledown
It was claimed that Mrs Crackenthorpe did not use real names, and that she herself was a male lawyer and writer of plays called Thomas Baker. It was also speculated and more likely that the political authoress and playwright Delarivier Manley, known as Delia, held the pen. Her reports upset many people, and she was eventually arrested after 51 editions, which is when the publications stopped, so much more likely.
In her defence, Mrs Crackenthorpe claimed her gossip was morally educational and that it was her duty to report and ridicule the “unaccountable whims and extravagant follies” of “the better sort”.
“Some are so rude as to say that Beau Garsoon, the French dancing master, was the occasion of it; and Mrs. Manlove, who generally searches into the bottom of such an affair, solemnly protests she saw them go up one pair of stairs together. What they did there, she can’t tell, but the lady has been ailing ever since.”
And something that could read straight from Lady Whistledown’s sheet:
“Mrs. Tawny alias Tawdry, is desired not to be so fantastically whimsical in her dress…nothing is more disagreeable and ridiculous than to see a woman of her years affect the gay, youthful airs of their daughters. And, by the by, she is reminded that if she will be so preposterously gaudy and flaunting, that if there was little more economy observed in her dress, she would not be altogether the subject of so much laughter.“
Regency London truly worshipped society gossip sheets
A legal turning point in 1662 helped gossip papers to flourish. The 1662 Licensing Act expired in 1695, and that change allowed more printing presses to operate freely and publications multiplied. Writers began commenting more boldly about society leaving clues as to what and who they were referring to, using first names, nicknames or initials to avoid libel.
One gossip mainstay during the Regency era was the beautiful, extravagant, and unhappily married Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire (portrayed by Kiera Knightley in The Duchess). Another was Elizabeth Farren, a famous actress with a string of aristocratic lovers. It was up to the reader to decode who the author was referring to from fairly basic hints about the people involved, so a Prince might be referred to as ‘an illustrious gentleman,’ or an actress by the name of her most celebrated characters.
For a time, the most chronicled couple in the gossip columns was the Prince of Wales, later known as the Prince Regent and finally King George IV, and his mistress, the actress Mary Robinson. The gossips referred to him by his pet name used by Mary in her letters, Florizel, and Mary as Perdita, her most celebrated role.
“It was not just gossip about the Royal Family and luxury-loving English aristocrats that caught the attention of readers during the Regency”. Walton says that in the early 1800s, French rumors equally fascinated them. “They knew as much about what was happening in Paris as they did London,” she says. “Besides regularly perusing rumors swirling around Napoleon Bonaparte, his siblings, and their spouses, English journalists also reported on some of the more exciting French divorce cases.”
In Bridgerton, the characters are hopelessly obsessed with Lady Whistledown and in awe of her cleverness in picking up celebrity gossip. “She knows everything about everyone!” says one. In history, as in the new Netflix series watched today, such a command of gossip would indeed reign supreme.
Bridgerton on Screen
Picked up by Netflix, someone in a stroke of genius hired Shonda Rhimes to be producer. She added her magic touch and made it one of the most watched series on Netflix attracting millions of viewers. (Shonda is famous for producing top shows such as Gray’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder). Bridgerton premiered on 25 March 2022, and is now into its fourth season. There is even a spin-off series called Queen Charlotte that is also proving popular.
Julia Quinn Bridgerton Kickstarter
Such is the success of Bridgerton that Julia Quinn, the author of the novels, ran a Kickstarter where she chose romance novels written by other authors. The novels were created as special editions, and the campaign raised an eye watering $637,000.
Visiting the UK for more Bridgerton?
Many of the scenes in the Netflix production were filmed at National Trust properties. Find out which ones were used for filming in Bridgerton, and if you are visiting the UK from overseas, how you can get a National Trust pass for free entry into all their Estates.
Further Reading
Paul Bunyan Anderson, for more serious researchers found on the JSTOR website. La Bruyère and Mrs Crackenthorpe’s Female Tatler
Zoe Archer, who has a complex website covering many topics, Scandal: Gossip Rags, 18th Century Style
Elise Taylor writes in Vogue. Yes, even Vogue had something to say! Bridgerton: The Real-Life Lady Whistledowns of Regency-Era England
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