Lord Grenville's Ball

You are cordially invited to the country residence of

Lord Grenville, Foreign Secretary, Baron of Wotton-under-Berhewood

At Wotton House, Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire

The distinguished HRH Prince of Wales will Grace us with his Presence

Entertainment will be provided by Signorina Bosco, of the Italian Opera

When discussing the historical accuracy of Orczy's writings, it is significant to note that she included historical characters in her writing.  A recent post mentioned the boxer, Mendoza, but she also used the HRH Prince of Wales and Lord Grenville himself.

William Grenville, who served as Prime Minister from 11 February 1806 to 25 March 1807, was serving as Foreign Secretary in 1792.  This explains why in our text the Prince asks Lord Grenville of the current conditions in France, and why Chauvelin is in attendance at this party.  Most likely the Ball would have been held in town, but it could also have been held at his country residence:

Wotton House: the country residence of Lord Grenville

Also in attendance at the Ball would have been the current HRH Prince of Wales, George Augustus Frederick, later to be King George IV.  Baroness Orczy's correctly characterizes the prince with his paunchy belly, taste for oysters, love of entertainment and wealthy surroundings.  While Prince, and later as King, George IV led an extravagant lifestyle which eventually, made him very unpopular with his subjects.  Obviously, Orczy wanted to emphasize the popularity and social height of her distinguished characters, Sir Percy and Lady Blakney, she placed them in a party of the highest social standing.  In fact, she made them even appear to be more popular than the Prince himself.  Form many, the popularity of the fictional Scarlet Pimpernel has certainly eclipsed the historical memory of George IV!

As for the entertainment by the Italian Opera singer, Signorina Bosco, a fictional character which could have been based on the real life diva, Marietta Alboni.  Mozart's opera's were the popular music of choice and would have been familiar to Lord Grenville's guest.  Below is an example of Mozart's beautiful music from The Marriage of Figaro, illustrated by period costumes most likely worn by the guest at Lord Grenville's ball.

So please take advantage of this opportunity to attend Lord Grenville's Ball in the performance of The Scarlet Pimpernel on May 19 and 20,  I promise, you will not be disappointed!