The Slumming Craze - Toffs in the East End

[Jez]

Does anyone know when the slumming craze was at its height? The following extract is taken from the Newmarket Journal of February 20, 1892.

A good story is told of the Prince of Wales. The late Earl of Carnarvan is given as the authority for the anecdote which occurred during the "slumming" craze, when HRH, in company with the Earl of Carnravan, visited the East End in disguise. They were passing the Royal Mint, when they observed a soldier in a sentry puffing complacently at a very large and malodorous cigar. The Prince, after the manner of Haroum al Raschid, entered into conversation with the soldier, and after admiring his cigar, wagered him that he could guess its price. After all prices had been named and denied, the soldier confessed that "it only cost nix, and I paid nix neither." The soldier then entered into a guessing competition with a view to finding out the Prince's identity, and another wager was entered into that he did not find it out. He hazarded several guesses, and made inumerable enquiries, until at last the Prince informed him who he was. "Holy Moses!" cried the soldier. "Catch hold of this cigar for a moment. Stick to it while I present arms. We always have to salute Royalty, and I'm hanged if I don't think you are the Prince now that I look straight at you!"


So here we have two toffs in the East End during the slumming craze. You can't get much more toff-ish than the 4th Earl of Carnarvan and the future King Edward V11. They were also the two leading Freemasons of the day. There is no indication when they paid their visit. Carnarvan died in June 1990 and he was out of the country from July 1887 to May 1888, visiting Australia.

But if the slumming craze included such distinguished participants, could this have led to the Royalty/Freemasonry theories?

[Nothing to see]

Does anyone know when the slumming craze was at its height? The following extract is taken from the Newmarket Journal of February 20, 1892.

A good story is told of the Prince of Wales. The late Earl of Carnarvan is given as the authority for the anecdote which occurred during the "slumming" craze, when HRH, in company with the Earl of Carnravan, visited the East End in disguise. They were passing the Royal Mint, when they observed a soldier in a sentry puffing complacently at a very large and malodorous cigar. The Prince, after the manner of Haroum al Raschid, entered into conversation with the soldier, and after admiring his cigar, wagered him that he could guess its price. After all prices had been named and denied, the soldier confessed that "it only cost nix, and I paid nix neither." The soldier then entered into a guessing competition with a view to finding out the Prince's identity, and another wager was entered into that he did not find it out. He hazarded several guesses, and made inumerable enquiries, until at last the Prince informed him who he was. "Holy Moses!" cried the soldier. "Catch hold of this cigar for a moment. Stick to it while I present arms. We always have to salute Royalty, and I'm hanged if I don't think you are the Prince now that I look straight at you!"


So here we have two toffs in the East End during the slumming craze. You can't get much more toff-ish than the 4th Earl of Carnarvan and the future King Edward V11. They were also the two leading Freemasons of the day. There is no indication when they paid their visit. Carnarvan died in June 1990 and he was out of the country from July 1887 to May 1888, visiting Australia.But if the slumming craze included such distinguished participants, could this have led to the Royalty/Freemasonry theories?

OK. Jack killed women in 1888.

[Sam Flynn]

A good story is told of the Prince of Wales. The late Earl of Carnarvan is given as the authority for the anecdote which occurred during the "slumming" craze, when HRH, in company with the Earl of Carnravan, visited the East End in disguise. They were passing the Royal Mint, when they observed a soldier in a sentry puffing complacently at a very large and malodorous cigar. The Prince, after the manner of Haroum al Raschid, entered into conversation with the soldier, and after admiring his cigar, wagered him that he could guess its price. After all prices had been named and denied, the soldier confessed that "it only cost nix, and I paid nix neither."... "Catch hold of this cigar for a moment. Stick to it while I present arms. We always have to salute Royalty, and I'm hanged if I don't think you are the Prince now that I look straight at you!"

A "good story", indeed, which hardly smacks of authenticity, Jez - it smacks more of the "mockney" narratives beloved of the most imaginative writers of the Victorian era. All it needs is "Gor blimey, guv - beggin' your 'ighness's pardon and no mistake" and it would be complete.

If it were true, then it would be helpful to know what time of the day it was, at least. It's worth noting that the story places them at the Royal Mint, which is hardly in the "black heart" of Spitalfields. It also seems that they were in disguise which, if in keeping with the usual practices of other "slummers", meant that they had "dressed down" so as to remain inconspicuous.

[Jez]

Agreed, Sam, but interesting for all that. If true, it illustrates that the "slumming craze" was a reality and that it did involve the highest strata of society. But yes, they had left their robes [or astrakhan] at home on that occasion. The point remains that it is possible the slumming craze coincided with the murders and - just possibly - could have led to some of the whacky royalty theories handed down to us today.

[Sam Flynn]

Agreed, Sam, but interesting for all that. If true, it illustrates that the "slumming craze" was a reality and that it did involve the highest strata of society. But yes, they had left their robes [or astrakhan] at home on that occasion.

Slummers did so on most, if not all, occasions, Jez, which tends to get overlooked. Slumming, particularly at night, was very much an "undercover" activity, as opposed to a game of "chicken" or "dare"

The point remains that it is possible the slumming craze coincided with the murders and - just possibly - could have led to some of the whacky royalty theories handed down to us today.

Indeed - there may well be more than a grain of truth in what you suggest, at least inasmuch as the popular (misguided) perception of slummers has been used to bolster the "Jack-as-toff" argument, in tandem with the popular (and equally incorrect) perception of East End prostitutes and, indeed, of Whitechapel as the sex-tourism "capital" of London.

[Jez]

Conversely, I imagine it WAS a game very much like "chicken" or "dare" and possibly undertaken when they were extremely drunk or extremely bored. Or probably both. The slumming craze clearly brought them some kind of thrill - whether it was the danger of venturing into that impoverished and dangerous area merely to gawp at this strange underworld so remote from their own lives. Whitechapel might not have been the sex capital of London, but Nobility has a long tradition of lusting over lesser mortals - as a cockney orange seller called Nell Gwynn once discovered.

[Ben]

True, Jez. I don't doubt that the odd toff didn't lust after the occasional raven-haired temptress from below stairs, but on the other hand, there were plenty of "lesser mortals" to be found in the West End, and we know that prostitution ran rampant throughout London.

Best regards,
Ben

[Jez]

Quite so, Ben. They did not have to venture as far as the East End to find prostitutes - and they could have found more nourished and finer dressed specimens a great deal closer to home. The attraction seems to have been in the "danger" of the East End.

[Crystal]

Prince Eddy..

Danger is always attractive. Don't say you weren't warned...

Prince Eddy liked that kind of stuff. I surveyed a House (yes, one of those that merit a capital 'H') some years ago where, in its heyday, Prince Eddy used to like to spend his weekends. It was subject to a catastrophic fire in the 1930's which left it uninhabitable. Amongst the remains, there were walls full of graffiti in the old servants quarters detailing exactly what he got up to. One of those things was that he would regularly bring 'Lower' women - actresses, flower girls, prostitutes etc, to the house for happy jolly weekends. Some of their messages were still there, and a few nice little cartoons, too, though I doubt they'd be suitable for this board...

I know. I do get around.

Er Raven-haired temptresses, Ben? More women following you around?

[Sam Flynn]

Conversely, I imagine it WAS a game very much like "chicken" or "dare" and possibly undertaken when they were extremely drunk or extremely bored.

This wasn't quite how it happened, though, Jez - slumming was no idle pursuit, to be exercised on a whim. I'd certainly hesitate before describing it as a "craze", with all that phrase's modern connotations - the phenomenon wasn't in the least like skateboarding, or computer gaming. I thoroughly recommend Seth Koven's seminal book on the topic, "Slumming: Sexual and Social Politics in Victorian London", now out in paperback.

[Bulldog]

Does anyone know when the slumming craze was at its height?

Jez,

According to my notes, slumming in the East End became popular in the late 1870s. Unfortunately, I didn't record the source of that info.

In Dottings of a Dosser, Goldsmid has the slumming craze beginning shortly after publication of The Bitter Cry of Outcast London in 1883.

On 10 December 1888, The Boston Daily Globe (US) carried an article written by a woman correspondent in the East End. She stated: "For the past two years, and especially during the cold months of winter, the lady members of many of our aristocratic families of Park Lane and Belgravia have indulged in the craze of 'slumming.' "

Bulldog

[John Savage]

Prince Eddy

Hi Crystal,

An interesting story and I must say I would have liked to have been a fly on that wall!

Can I ask were the House was?

Rgds
John

[John Savage]

Hi Sam,

Another amusing but perhaps apocryphal story concenrnng the Prince of Wales.

During a visit to England Tsar Nicholas II and the Prince of Wales were out for a walk in the countryside one afternoon, feeling a little weary on their walk back they spied an old farmer coming along the lane in his horse and cart and asked him for a ride home. During the journey the Prince asked the farmer if he knew who the two distinguished people riding in his cart were; upon being told that he was in the company of the heir to the throne and the Tsar of Russia the disbeleiving farmer replied, "then allow me to introduce myself gentlemen - I am Napoleon Bonaparte"

At the end of the journey Tum Tum being highly amused said to the farmer, here is a picture of my mother, and handed him a gold sovereign.

Rgds
John

[Crystal]

Prince Eddy..

Hi Crystal,

An interesting story and I must say I would have liked to have been a fly on that wall!

Can I ask were the House was?

Rgds
John

Hi John - yes, it was at Witley Court. You can go there, the gardens are run by English Heritage, but the servants quarters were underground(!) which I don't suppose they were too keen on! I don't think there's any public access.

If what you could read there was anything to go on, Eddy liked nothing better than to pick up a few anonymous 'common' women and entertain them there for the weekend - joke, apart from anything else - It all seems a bit obscene today.
It's a fascinating place, but a shell now. There was graffiti everywhere - contemporary graffiti I mean, the ripest of which was in the stables and grooms quarters.