Duchess of Richmond's ball
Encyclopedia
The Duchess of Richmond's ball was held in Brussels
on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras
. The Duchess's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
was in command of a reserve force in Brussels
, which was protecting that city in case Napoleon Bonaparte invaded.
Elizabeth Longford described it as "the most famous ball in history". "The ball was certainly a brilliant affair", at which "with the exception of three generals, every officer high in [Wellington's] army was there to be seen".
Lady Louisa, another of the Duchess's daughters, recalled:
It was during this ball that Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
received confirmation that Bonaparte had crossed the frontier and rising from the supper-table
The atmosphere in the room changed when news circulated among the guests that the French were crossing the border:
Katherine Arden daughter of Richard Arden, 1st Lord Alvanley described the events towards the end of the ball and the rest of the night:
which was published on 25 August 1888, Sir William Fraser reported that he had discovered the likely room. It was not part of the principal property that Duke of Richmond rented on the Rue des Cendres, but was a coach house that backed onto the property and had an address in the next street, Rue de la Blanchisserie. The room had dimensions of 120 ft. long, 54 ft. broad, and about 13 ft. high (the low ceiling a case where reality impinged on one meaning of Lord Byron's artistic allusion to "that high hall").
The ball inspired a number of writers and artists in the 19th century. Sir Walter Scott mentioned it in passing in Paul's Letters to his Kinsfolk. It was described by William Makepeace Thackeray
in Vanity Fair and by Lord Byron in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
. Byron emphasises the contrast between the glamour of the ball and the horror of battle, concentrating on the emotional partings,
Thackeray's dramatic use of the ball in Vanity Fair inspired, in turn, a number of screen depictions. One notable example comes from the 1935 RKO production Becky Sharp, the first full-length Technicolor
film released after perfection of the full-color three-strip method, which makes the Duchess of Richmond's Ball the first historical set-piece ever staged in a full-colour feature film. Critics of the day were not kind to the picture itself, but the sequence in which the officers hurry to leave the ball - the red of their coats suddenly and emotionally filling the frame - was widely praised as showing great promise for the dramatic use of colour on-screen.
The ball also inspired artists, including John Everett Millais
, who painted The Black Brunswicker in 1860, Henry Nelson O'Neil
who painted Before Waterloo in 1868 and Robert Hillingford
who painted The Duchess of Richmond's Ball.
The ball was a scene in the third act of a melodrama called In the Days of the Duke written by Charles Haddon Chambers
and J. Comyns Carr
, it was displayed sumptuously in the 1897 production, with a backdrop by William Harford showing the hall and staircase inside the Duchess's house.
Several characters attend the ball in Georgette Heyer
's 1937 novel An Infamous Army
.
The ball was used by Sergei Bondarchuk
in his 1970 film Waterloo for dramatic effect. Bondarchuk contrasted an army at peace with the impending battle and in particular as a dramatic backdrop to show how completely Napoleon managed to "humbug" Wellington.
In the novel Sharpe's Waterloo
(1990), Bernard Cornwell
uses the ball in a similar way to Bondarchuk, but includes a sub-plot where Sharpe brawls with Lord John Rossendale, Sharpe's wife's lover and a man who owes Sharpe money.
A fictional account is given of the Duchess of Richmond's ball in The Campaigners, Volume 14 of The Morland Dynasty
, a series of historical novels by author Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
. Some of the fictional Morland family and other characters attend the ball and the events that unfold are seen and experienced through their eyes.
On 15 June 1965 the British Ambassador in Brussels held a ball to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and the Duchess of Richmond's ball. 540 guests attended the function of whom the majority were Belgians.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
. The Duchess's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, 4th Duke of Lennox KG, PC was a British soldier and politician and Governor General of British North America.-Background:...
was in command of a reserve force in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, which was protecting that city in case Napoleon Bonaparte invaded.
Elizabeth Longford described it as "the most famous ball in history". "The ball was certainly a brilliant affair", at which "with the exception of three generals, every officer high in [Wellington's] army was there to be seen".
The ball
According to Lady Georgiana, a daughter of the Duchess,Lady Louisa, another of the Duchess's daughters, recalled:
It was during this ball that Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
received confirmation that Bonaparte had crossed the frontier and rising from the supper-table
The atmosphere in the room changed when news circulated among the guests that the French were crossing the border:
Katherine Arden daughter of Richard Arden, 1st Lord Alvanley described the events towards the end of the ball and the rest of the night:
Ballroom
At the time of the ball no accurate record was kept of where the ballroom was. In a letter to The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
which was published on 25 August 1888, Sir William Fraser reported that he had discovered the likely room. It was not part of the principal property that Duke of Richmond rented on the Rue des Cendres, but was a coach house that backed onto the property and had an address in the next street, Rue de la Blanchisserie. The room had dimensions of 120 ft. long, 54 ft. broad, and about 13 ft. high (the low ceiling a case where reality impinged on one meaning of Lord Byron's artistic allusion to "that high hall").
List of the invitations to the ball
The following were sent invitations to the ball:- H.R.H. the Prince of OrangeWilliam II of the NetherlandsWilliam II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :...
- H.R.H. Prince Frederic of Orange
- H.R.H. the Duke of BrunswickFrederick William, Duke of Brunswick-WolfenbuttelPrince Frederick William, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was a German prince and Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Oels. Nicknamed "The Black Dude", he was a military officer who led the Black Brunswickers against Napoleonic domination in Germany...
(Killed by a gunshot at Quatre-Bras) - Prince of Nassau
- Duc d’ArenbergProsper Louis, 7th Duke of ArenbergProsper-Louis, 7th Duke of Arenberg was also the 13th Duke of Aarschot, 2nd Duke of Meppen and 2nd prince of Recklinghausen....
- Prince Auguste d’Arenberg
- Prince Pierre d’Arenberg
- Lord van der Linden d'Hoogvoorst, Mayor of BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
- Duc et Duchesse de Beaufort et Mademoiselle.
- Duc et Duchesse d’UrselCharles-Joseph, 4th Duke d'UrselCharles-Joseph, 4th Duke d'Ursel was a statesman and minister in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and later Belgium....
- Marquis et Marquise d’Assche.
- Comte et Comtesse D’Oultremont
- Comtesse Douairiere D’Oultremont et les Mesdemoiselles
- Comte et Comtesse Liedekerke Beaufort
- Comte et Comtesse Auguste Liedekerke et Mademoiselle
- Comte et Comtesse Latour Lupin
- Comte et Comtesse Marcy D’Argenteau
- Comte et Comtesse de Grasiac
- Comtesse de Luiny
- Comtesse de Ruilly
- Baron et Baronne D’Hooghvoorst
- Mademoiselle D’Hooghvoorst et Monsieur C.D’Hooghvoorst
- Monsieur et Madame Vander Capellan
- Baron de Herelt.
- Baron de Tuybe
- Baron Brockhausen
- General Baron Vincent (Wounded at Waterloo)
- General Pozzo de BorgoCarlo Andrea Pozzo di BorgoCarlo Andrea, count Pozzo di Borgo , was a Corsican politician who became a Russian diplomat.He was born at Alata, near Ajaccio, of a noble Corsican family, four years before the island became a French possession...
- General AlavaMiguel de AlavaDon Miguel Ricardo de Álava y Esquivel Order of Santiago, Order of Charles III, KCB, MWO was a Spanish General and statesman. He was born in the Basque Country of Spain, at Vitoria-Gasteiz, in 1770...
- Comte de Belgade
- Comte de la Rochefoucauld
- Gen. D’Oudenarde
- Col. Knife(?), A.D.C.
- Col. Ducayler
- Major Ronnchenberg, A.D.C.
- Col. Tripp, A.D.C.
- Capt. De Lubeck, A.D.C. to H.R.H. the Duke of Brunswick
- EarlHenry Conyngham, 1st Marquess ConynghamHenry Conyngham, 1st Marquess Conyngham KP, GCH, PC, FSA , known as The Lord Conyngham between 1787 and 1789, as The Viscount Conyngham between 1789 and 1797 and as The Earl Conyngham between 1797 and 1815, was an Anglo-Irish courtier and politician of the Regency period...
and Countess ConynghamElizabeth Conyngham, Marchioness ConynghamElizabeth Conyngham , Marchioness Conyngham , was an English courtier and noblewoman, and the last mistress of George IV of the United Kingdom.- Early life :...
and Lady Elizabeth Conyngham. - Viscount Mount-Charles and Hon. Mr. ConynghamFrancis Conyngham, 2nd Marquess ConynghamGeneral Francis Nathaniel Conyngham, 2nd Marquess Conyngham KP, GCH, PC , styled Lord Francis Conyngham between 1816 and 1824 and Earl of Mount Charles between 1824 and 1832, was a British soldier, courtier and politician.-Background and education:Born in Dublin, Conyngham was the second son of...
(Afterwards 2nd Marquess Conyngham) - Countess Mount-Norris and Lady Julianna Annesley
- Countess Dowager of Waldegrave
- Duke of WellingtonArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
- LordFitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron RaglanField Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, GCB, PC , known before 1852 as Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was a British soldier.-Early life:...
and Lady Fitzroy Somerset (Neither were present; Lord Fitzroy lost his arm at Waterloo) - Lord and Lady John Somerset
- Mr. and Lady Frances Webster
- Mr and Lady Caroline Capel and Miss Capel
- Lord and Lady George Seymour and Miss Seymour
- Mr. and Lady Charlotte Greville
- Viscountess Hawarden
- Sir HenryHenry Clinton (Napoleonic Wars)Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, GCB, GCH was a British Army officer and a general officer during the Napoleonic Wars.He came from a family of soldiers...
and Lady Susan Clinton (He was Lt.-Gen. and G.C.B. and commanded the 2nd Division) - Lady Alvanley and the Miss Ardens.
- Sir James, Lady, and Miss Craufurd
- Sir George BerkeleyGeorge Berkeley (general)General Sir George Henry Frederick Berkeley KCB was a British soldier and Conservative politician.-Background:...
, K.C.B., and Lady Berkeley - Lady and Miss Sutton.
- Sir Sidney and Lady Smith, and Miss Rumbolds
- Sir William and Lady Johnstone
- Sir HewWilliam Howe DeLanceyColonel Sir William Howe DeLancey KCB was an officer in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He died of wounds he received during the Battle of Waterloo.-Early life:Born in New York City...
and Lady Delancey (invited but declined.) - Hon. Mrs. Pole (afterwards Lady Maryborough)
- Mr., Mrs., and Miss Lance, and Mr. Lance, jun.
- Mr. and the Miss Ords
- Mr. and Mrs. Greathed
- Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd
- Hon. Sir Charles StuartCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de RothesayCharles Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Rothesay GCB, PC , known as Sir Charles Stuart between 1812 and 1828, was a British diplomat...
, G.C.B. (Minister at Bruxelles) and Mr. Stuart - Earl of UxbridgeHenry Paget, 1st Marquess of AngleseyField Marshal Henry William Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, KG, GCB, GCH, PC , styled Lord Paget between 1784 and 1812 and known as The Earl of Uxbridge between 1812 and 1815, was a British military leader and politician, now chiefly remembered for leading the charge of the heavy cavalry against...
(Commanded the Cavalry; lost his leg at Waterloo) - Earl of Portarlington
- Earl of MarchCharles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of RichmondCharles Gordon-Lennox, 5th Duke of Richmond and 5th Duke of Lennox KG, PC , styled Earl of March until in 1819, was a British soldier, politician and a prominent Conservative.-Background and education:...
, A.D.C. to H.R.H. the Prince of Orange - Gen. Lord Edward SomersetLord Edward SomersetGeneral Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset GCB was a British soldier.He was the third son of the 5th duke of Beaufort, and elder brother of Lord Raglan....
(Commanded the Household Brigade of cavalry, wounded at Waterloo) - Lord Charles FitzRoyLord Charles FitzRoy (British Army officer)General Lord Charles FitzRoy was a British Army officer and politician.FitzRoy was the second son of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton and his first wife, Anne, a daughter of Henry Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth. After education at Harrow School and Trinity College, Cambridge, he entered the...
- Lord Robert MannersLord Robert William MannersMajor-General Lord Robert William Manners, CB was a British soldier and nobleman, the third son of Charles Manners, 4th Duke of Rutland and Lady Mary Somerset...
- Lt-Gen. Lord HillRowland Hill, 1st Viscount HillGeneral Rowland Hill, 1st Viscount Hill of Almaraz GCB, GCH served in the Napoleonic Wars as a trusted brigade, division and corps commander under the command of the Duke of Wellington. He became Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in 1829.-Early career:Educated at a school in Chester, Hill was...
(Commanding the 2nd Corps) - Lord Rendlesham
- Lord Hay, A.D.C. (Killed at Quatre Bras)
- Lord SaltounAlexander Fraser, 17th Lord SaltounLieutenant-General Alexander George Fraser, 17th Lord Saltoun KT GCH, KCB, was a Scottish representative peer and a British Army general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and the First Anglo-Chinese War....
- Lord ApsleyHenry Bathurst, 4th Earl BathurstHenry George Bathurst, 4th Earl Bathurst , styled as Lord Apsley from 1794 to 1834, was a British peer and Tory politician.-Background and education:...
(Afterwards Earl Bathurst) - Hon. Col. Stanhope (Guards)
- Hon. Col. Abercromby (Guards; wounded)
- Hon. Col. PonsonbyFrederick Cavendish PonsonbyMajor General The Honourable Sir Frederick Cavendish Ponsonby, GCMG, KCB, KCH , styled The Honourable from 1806 to 1837, was a British military officer, the second son of the 3rd Earl of Bessborough and Henrietta Spencer....
(Afterwards Sir Frederick Ponsonby, K.C.B.; severely wounded) - Hon Col. Acheson (Guards)
- Hon. Col. Stewart
- Hon. Mr. O. Bridgeman, A.D.C. to Lord Hill
- Hon. Mr. Percival
- Hon. Mr. Stopford
- Hon. Mr. John Gordon.
- Hon. Mr. Edgecombe
- Hon. Mr. Seymour Bathurst, A.D.C. to Gen. Maitland
- Hon. Mr. Forbes
- Hon. Mr. Hastings Forbes
- Hon Major Dawson
- Hon. Mr. Dawson, 18th Light Dragoons18th Royal HussarsThe 18th Royal Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first formed in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated into the 13th/18th Hussars in 1922....
- Maj.-Gen. Sir Hussey VivianHussey Vivian, 1st Baron VivianLieutenant General Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian GCB, GCH, PC , known as Sir Hussey Vivian from 1815 to 1828 and Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt from 1828 to 1841, was a British cavalry leader who came of a Cornish family.-Early career:Educated at Harrow and Exeter College, Oxford, Vivian entered...
(Commanded 6th Cavalry Brigade) - Mr. Horace SeymourHorace SeymourColonel Sir Horace Beauchamp Seymour was a Peelite Member of Parliament for Lisburn, Antrim, Oxford, Bodmin and Midhurst....
, A.D.C. (afterwards Sir Horace Seymour, K.C.B.) - Col. Hervey, A.D.C. (Afterwards Sir Felton Hervey, Bart)
- Col. Fremantle, A.D.C.
- Lord George Lennox, A.D.C.
- Lord Arthur Hill, A.D.C. (afterwards Gen. Lord Sandys)
- Hon. Major PercyGeorge Percy, 5th Duke of NorthumberlandGeorge Percy, 5th Duke of Northumberland PC , styled Lord Lovaine between 1790 and 1830 and known as The Earl of Beverley between 1830 and 1865, was a British Tory politician. He served as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard under Sir Robert Peel between 1842 and 1846...
, A.D.C. (Son of 1st Earl of Beverley. He brought home three EaglesFrench Imperial EagleFrench Imperial Eagle refers to the figure of an eagle on a staff carried into battle as a standard by the Grande Armée of Napoleon I during the Napoleonic Wars....
and dispatches) - Hon. Mr. CathcartGeorge CathcartGeneral The Honourable Sir George Cathcart GCB was a British general and diplomat.-Military career:He was born in Renfrewshire, son of William Cathcart, 1st Earl Cathcart. After receiving his education at Eton and in Edinburgh, he was commissioned into the Life Guards in 1810...
, A.D.C. (Afterwards Sir George Cathcart. Killed at InkermanBattle of InkermanThe Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
, 1854) - Hon. Sir Alexander GordonAlexander Gordon (British staff officer)Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alexander Gordon KCB , was a British Army Officer who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo. His correspondence were collated and published early in the early 21st century.-Life:...
, A.D.C. (Died of his wounds at Waterloo). - Sir Colin CampbellColin Campbell (politician)Lieutenant-General Sir Colin Campbell KCB was a British Army officer and colonial governor.-Military career:In February 1792, at the age of 16, Campbell ran away from Perth Academy to join a vessel bound for the West Indies...
, K.C.B., A.D.C. - Sir John ByngJohn Byng, 1st Earl of StraffordField Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford, GCB, GCH, PC was a British peer, politician and soldier.-Early years:...
, G.C.B. (Created Earl of Strafford. Commanded 2nd Brigade of Guards) - Lt.-Gen. Sir John ElleyJohn ElleyLieutenant-General Sir John Elley MP KCB KCH KMT and KSG, Governor of Galway and Colonel of the 17th Lancers was a British cavalry officer who fought with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars....
, K.C.B. (Deputy Adjutant-General of Cavalry. Wounded) - Sir George ScovellGeorge ScovellGeneral Sir George Scovell was a member of the quartermaster's staff of the British Army in Iberia during the Peninsular War.-Military career:Scovell was commissioned as cornet and adjutant in the 4th Queen's Own Dragoons in 1798....
, K.C.B. (Major commanding Staff Corps of Cavalry) - Sir George Wood, Col. R.A.
- Sir Henry Bradford
- Sir Robert Hill, Kt (Brother of Lord Hill)
- Sir Noel Hill, K.C.B. (Brother of Lord Hill)
- Sir William Ponsonby, K.C.B. (Brother of Lord Ponsonby; commanded the Union Brigade of cavalry; killed at Waterloo)
- Lt.-Col. Sir Andrew Barnard (Commanding 1st Battalion, 95th Regiment of Foot (Rifles), afterwards Governor of Chelsea Hospital)
- Sir Denis Packe, Maj.-Gen., G.C.B. (Commanded the 9th Brigade)
- Sir James KemptJames KemptGeneral Sir James Kempt, GCB was a British Army officer, who served in Holland, Egypt, Italy, the Peninsula, and British North America during the Napoleonic Wars...
, Maj-Gen, G.C.B (Commanded the 8th Brigade) - Sir Pulteney MalcolmPulteney MalcolmAdmiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm GCB GCMG was a British naval officer. He was born at Douglan, near Langholm, Scotland, on 20 February 1768, the third son of George Malcolm of Burnfoot, Langholm, in Dumfriesshire, and his wife Margaret, the sister of Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley...
, RN - Sir Thomas Picton, Lt.-Gen. (Commanded 5th Division, killed at Waterloo)
- Maj-Gen. Sir Edward BarnesEdward Barnes (British Army officer)Lieutenant General Sir Edward Barnes, GCB was a British soldier who became governor of Ceylon.-Military career:Barnes joined the 47th Regiment of Foot in 1792, and quickly rose to field rank. He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1807, serving in the Invasion of Martinique in 1809, and colonel...
, Adjt-Gen. (Wounded at Waterloo) - Sir James Gambier
- Hon. General Dundas
- Lt-Gen. Cooke (Commanded 1st Division)
- Maj.-Gen. MaitlandPeregrine MaitlandSir Peregrine Maitland, KCB, GCB was a British soldier and colonial administrator who played first-class cricket from 1798 to 1808....
(Afterwards Sir Peregrine, G.C.B.; commanded 1st Brigade of Guards) - Maj.-Gen. AdamFrederick AdamGeneral Sir Frederick Adam GCB GCMG was a Scottish major-general at the Battle of Waterloo, in command of the 3rd Brigade. He was the fourth son of William Adam of Blair Adam and his wife Eleanora, the daughter of Charles Elphinstone, 10th Lord Elphinstone.-Military career:At the age of fourteen...
(Not present; commanded 3rd Infantry Brigade. Afterwards Sir Frederick Adam, K.C.B.) - Col. WashingtonJakob von WashingtonBaron Jakob von Washington was a Lieutenant General in the Bavarian Army and a distant relative of US President George Washington. Born in The Hague, Netherlands, he was christened James Washington, but officially named Jacobus Washington...
- Col. WoodfordAlexander George WoodfordField Marshal Sir Alexander George Woodford, KCB, KCMG was a British Army officer.-Military career:Woodford was born at 30 Welbeck Street, London, the eldest son of Lieutenant-Colonel John Woodford , and his second wife, Lady Susan Field Marshal Sir Alexander George Woodford, KCB, KCMG (15 June...
(Afterwards F.M. Sir Alexander Woodford, G.C.B. Governor of Chelsea HospitalRoyal Hospital ChelseaThe Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
) - Col. RowanCharles RowanLieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Rowan KCB was an officer in the British Army, serving in the Peninsular War and Waterloo and the joint first Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, head of the London Metropolitan Police....
, 52nd Regiment of Foot52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of FootThe 52nd Regiment of Foot was a light infantry regiment of the British Army throughout much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The regiment first saw active service during the American War of Independence, and were posted to India during the Anglo-Mysore Wars...
(Afterwards Sir Charles Rowan, Chief Commissioner of Police) - Col. Wyndham (Afterwards Gen. Sir Henry Wyndham)
- Col. Cumming, 18th Light Dragoons
- Col. Bowater (Afterwards Gen. Sir Edward Bowater)
- Col. Torrens (Afterwards Adjt.-Gen. in India)
- Col. Fuller
- Col. Dick, 42nd Regiment of Foot42nd Regiment of FootThe 42nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally the 43rd Highlanders they were renumbered the 42nd in 1748.- Early history :...
(Killed at SobraonBattle of SobraonThe Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1846, between the forces of the British East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab...
, 1846) - Col. CameronJohn Cameron of FassiefernJohn Cameron , of Fassiefern, was the colonel of the Gordon Highlanders killed at the Battle of Quatre Bras.-Early life:John Cameron, a great-grandson of John Cameron 18th of Lochiel, was one of the six children of Ewen Cameron of Inverscadale, on Linnha Loch, and afterwards of Fassiefern, in the...
, 92nd Regiment of Foot92nd Regiment of Foot92nd Regiment of Foot may refer to:* 92nd Regiment of Foot , a British Army regiment 1760–1763* 92nd Regiment of Foot , a British Army regiment 1779–1783* 92nd Regiment of Foot , a British Army regiment 1793–1795...
(Killed at Quatre Bras) - Col. Barclay, A.D.C. to the Duke of York
- Col. Hill(?) (Col. Clement Hill, brother to Lord Hill)
- Major Gunthorpe, A.D.C. to Gen. Maitland
- Major Churchill, A.D.C. to Lord Hill and Q.M.G. (Killed in India)
- Major Hamilton, A.D.C. to Gen. Sir E. Barnes
- Major Harris, Brigade MajorBrigade MajorIn the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
to Sir Hussey Vivian (Lost an arm) - Major Hunter Blair (Wounded)
- Capt. Mackworth, A.D.C. to Lord Hill
- Capt. Keane, A.D.C. to Sir Hussey Vivian
- Capt. FitzRoy
- Capt. Widman, 7th Hussars7th Queen's Own HussarsThe 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
, A.D.C. to Lord Uxbridge - Capt. Fraser, 7th Hussars (Afterwards Sir James Frasier, Bt)
- Capt. Verner, 7th Hussars
- Capt. Elphinstone, 7th Hussars (taken prisoner, June 17)
- Capt. Webster
- Capt. Somerset, A.D.C. to Gen. Lord Edward Somerset
- Capt. YorkeCharles Yorke (British Army officer)Field Marshal Sir Charles Yorke KCB was a senior British Army officer who went on to be Military Secretary.-Military career:...
, A.D.C. to Gen. Adam (Afterwards Sir Charles Yorke, not present) - Capt. Gore, A.D.C. to Sir James Kempt
- Capt. Pakenham, R.A.
- Capt. Dumaresq, A.D.C. to Gen. Sir John Byng (Wounded in the chest by a musket ball, delivering a despatch to Wellington. d. 1836)
- Capt. Dawkins, A.D.C.
- Capt. Disbrowe, A.D.C. to Gen. Sir G. Cook.
- Capt. Bowles, Coldstream GuardsColdstream GuardsHer Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
(Afterwards Gen. Sir George Bowles, Lieutenant of the Tower) - Capt. Hesketh, Grenadier GuardsGrenadier GuardsThe Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
- Capt. Gurwood (Afterwards Col. Gurwood)
- Capt. Allix, Grenadier Guards
- Mr. Russell, A.D.C.
- Mr. Brooke, 12th Dragoon Guards12th Royal LancersThe 12th Royal Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army. In 1960, it was amalgamated with 9th Queen's Royal Lancers, to form 9th/12th Royal Lancers .-History:...
- Mr. Huntley, 12th Dragoon Guards
- Mr. Lionel Hervey (In Diplomacy)
- Mr. Leigh
- Mr. Shakespear, 18th Light Dragoons
- Mr. O’GradyStandish O'Grady, 1st Viscount GuillamoreThe Rt. Hon. Standish O'Grady, 1st Viscount Guillamore, PC , from Cahir Guillamore, County Limerick, served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer for Ireland for a number of years...
, 7th Hussars (Afterwards Lord Guillamore) - Mr. Smith, 95th, Brigadier-Major to Sir Denis Packe; killed at Waterloo
- Mr. Fludyer, Scots Fusilier Guards
- Mr. Montagus (John and HenryHenry Montagu, 6th Baron RokebyGeneral Henry Robinson-Montague, 6th Baron Rokeby GCB was a British soldier.-Military career:Born the son of the 4th Baron, Rokeby was commissioned into the 3rd Foot Guards in 1814. He fought at the Battle of Quatre Bras and the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.He fought in the Crimean War as...
, late Lord Rokeby, G.C.B.) - Mr. A. Greville
- Mr. Baird
- Mr. Robinson, 32nd Regiment of Foot
- Mr. James
- Mr. Chad
- Mr. Dawkins
- Dr. Hyde
- Mr. Hume
- Rev. Mr. Brixall (Rev. Samuel Briscall)
Cultural influences
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
in Vanity Fair and by Lord Byron in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage is a lengthy narrative poem in four parts written by Lord Byron. It was published between 1812 and 1818 and is dedicated to "Ianthe". The poem describes the travels and reflections of a world-weary young man who, disillusioned with a life of pleasure and revelry, looks...
. Byron emphasises the contrast between the glamour of the ball and the horror of battle, concentrating on the emotional partings,
Thackeray's dramatic use of the ball in Vanity Fair inspired, in turn, a number of screen depictions. One notable example comes from the 1935 RKO production Becky Sharp, the first full-length Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
film released after perfection of the full-color three-strip method, which makes the Duchess of Richmond's Ball the first historical set-piece ever staged in a full-colour feature film. Critics of the day were not kind to the picture itself, but the sequence in which the officers hurry to leave the ball - the red of their coats suddenly and emotionally filling the frame - was widely praised as showing great promise for the dramatic use of colour on-screen.
The ball also inspired artists, including John Everett Millais
John Everett Millais
Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet, PRA was an English painter and illustrator and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.-Early life:...
, who painted The Black Brunswicker in 1860, Henry Nelson O'Neil
Henry Nelson O'Neil
Henry Nelson O'Neil was an historical genre painter and minor Victorian writer. He worked primarily with historical and literary subjects, but his best-known paintings dealt with the Indian Mutiny. Eastward, Ho!, dated August 1857 but exhibited the following year, depicts the British troops...
who painted Before Waterloo in 1868 and Robert Hillingford
Robert Alexander Hillingford
Robert Alexander Hillingford was an English painter. He specialized in historical pictures, often battle scenes.-Bibliography:He was born in London on January 28, 1828, and studied in Düsseldorf in 1841 for five years and before traveling to Munich, Rome, Florence and Naples, where he married and...
who painted The Duchess of Richmond's Ball.
The ball was a scene in the third act of a melodrama called In the Days of the Duke written by Charles Haddon Chambers
Charles Haddon Chambers
Charles Haddon Spurgeon Chambers was an Australian-born dramatist, active in England.-Early life:Chambers was born in Petersham, Sydney, the son of John Ritchie Chambers, who had a good position in the New South Wales civil service, came from Ulster, his mother, Frances, daughter of William...
and J. Comyns Carr
J. Comyns Carr
Joseph William Comyns Carr was an English drama and art critic, gallery director, author, poet, playwright and theatre manager....
, it was displayed sumptuously in the 1897 production, with a backdrop by William Harford showing the hall and staircase inside the Duchess's house.
Several characters attend the ball in Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer was a British historical romance and detective fiction novelist. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brother into the novel The Black Moth. In 1925 Heyer married George Ronald Rougier, a mining engineer...
's 1937 novel An Infamous Army
An Infamous Army
An Infamous Army is a novel by Georgette Heyer. In this novel Heyer combines her penchant for meticulously researched historical novels with her more popular Regency romances...
.
The ball was used by Sergei Bondarchuk
Sergei Bondarchuk
Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, and actor.- Biography :Born in Belozerka, in the Kherson Governorate, Sergei Bondarchuk spent his childhood in the cities of Yeysk and Taganrog, graduating from the Taganrog School Number 4 in 1938. His first performance as an...
in his 1970 film Waterloo for dramatic effect. Bondarchuk contrasted an army at peace with the impending battle and in particular as a dramatic backdrop to show how completely Napoleon managed to "humbug" Wellington.
In the novel Sharpe's Waterloo
Sharpe's Waterloo (novel)
Sharpe's Waterloo is a historical novel by Bernard Cornwell set during the 1815 Waterloo campaign.-Characters in Sharpe's Waterloo:*Lt. Col...
(1990), Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
uses the ball in a similar way to Bondarchuk, but includes a sub-plot where Sharpe brawls with Lord John Rossendale, Sharpe's wife's lover and a man who owes Sharpe money.
A fictional account is given of the Duchess of Richmond's ball in The Campaigners, Volume 14 of The Morland Dynasty
The Morland Dynasty
The Morland Dynasty is a series of historical novels by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, based around the Morland family of York, England and their national and international relatives and associates.There are currently thirty-two books in the series...
, a series of historical novels by author Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a prolific and successful British novelist, best known for her Morland Dynasty series.Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born in Shepherd's Bush, London and educated at Burlington School. Her first successful novel was The Waiting Game , and she became a full-time writer in...
. Some of the fictional Morland family and other characters attend the ball and the events that unfold are seen and experienced through their eyes.
On 15 June 1965 the British Ambassador in Brussels held a ball to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo and the Duchess of Richmond's ball. 540 guests attended the function of whom the majority were Belgians.
Further reading
- contemporary location, Google Map. compare with the diagram on page 307, of Fraser's book (cited in the References section above).
- Pierre de Wit. The guest-list of the ball of Richmond, www.waterloo-campaign.nl, Revision as of: 25 March 2006. Cites Cf. Dalton, Ch. "The Waterloo roll call". pp. 154–156