Fitzgerald Ball

This page refers to the costume ball held at Rotherham House on Thursday 16th May in honour of Lady Olivia Fitzgerald's coming out into society. The theme of the ball is characters from Shakespeare.

For the purposes of the ball, the screen between the music room and gilded drawing room will be thrown open to create a long ballroom. Supper will be served in the dining room and the green drawing room will be used for cards. The billiards room will be open for any gentlemen wishing to play and the library will be available for guests to leave their wraps. If it is a warm evening, the doors in the library out onto the garden will be left open. A set of pictures representing Shakespearean scenes are on display in the picture gallery and on the stairs. The orchestra are dressed in Elizabeth costumes.

Costumes

The Hosts

• Viola Fitzgerald: Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing. Viola wears a splendid Georgian outfit in red and gold and carries a half mask[1].
• Olivia Fitzgerald: Miranda from The Tempest. A full description of Olivia's appearance can be found here[2].
• Robert Fitzgerald: Prince Hal from Henry IV Part 1 in a dark blue velvet doublet embroidered with flowers in gold thread and matching breeches [3]. (Please note: He will not be dancing).
• Lord Rotherham: Lord Capulet from Romeo and Juliet.
• Lady Rotherham: Lady Capulet from Romeo and Juliet.

The Guests

Under construction. Please add your characters' costumes and group by families in alphabetical order for ease of reference.

Groups

The d'Aubins/Montgomerys/Worthings:

• Lunete d'Aubin: Hermia from A Midsummer Night's Dream in a simple white gown in the Grecian style with matching asymmetrical ringlets and silver ornamentation.
• Jean Laurent d'Aubin: Rosencrantz and/or Guildernstern from Hamlet
• Rawdon Montgomery: Guildenstern and/or Rosencrantz from Hamlet
• Clementine Worthing: Juliet from Romeo and Juliet

The Bartrams:

• Honoria Bartram: Duchess of York from Richard III. A Burgundian gown of deep blue with a deep v-neck and fitted sleeves over a red undergown like so. The dove grey trims of the gown are matched by the wide belt cinched above the natural waist. Her head is covered by a simple black truncated hennin with a turned-over brim and lappets sans veil. A little brooch with a ruby adorns the side of one of the lappets, quite nearly matching the colour of the undergown.
• John Bartram: Richard III from Richard III.

The Careys:

• Blanche Carey: Anne Boleyn from Henry VIII An amalgamation of Elizabethan, Tudor and modern regency style: A black gown [4] with dark red detail and an Elizabethan style collar, a pearl necklace with a golden B [5] and a Tudor style French hood similar to this [6] but in black and red to match her gown
• Adrian Carey: Thomas Cromell from Henry VIII An approximation of a Tudor man's attire, in black velvet with a matching cap and a gold chain. Similar to this [7]

The Devenishes:

• Charlie Devenish: Malvolio from Twelfth Night in Elizabethan costume with mustard yellow stockings.
• William Devenish: Orsino from Twelfth Night

The Fairmonts/Winters:

• Marcus Fairmont: A lost sailor, from the ship in "The Tempest".
• Rosalind Fairmont: Rosalind from As You Like It", dressed as a shepherd with a crook, but a very feminine one.
• Augusta Winter: Celia/Aliena from As You Like It".
• Katie Winter: Audrey from As You Like It", dressed as a shepherdess.

The Graftons/Palmers:

• Katharine Steele: Katherine of Aragon from Henry VIII. Kate's costume is modeled after the Hornebolte portrait: a deep red velvet dress with full sleeves (albeit short sleeves to accommodate the weather) with a square neckline that is trimmed in gold ribbon. She wears a papier-mâché cross with paste rubies and glass pearls. On her head is a gable hood with black lappets to hide the majority of her hair.
• Jemima Palmer: Cordelia from King Lear. Jem's dress is red over white, a bit like this, embroidered at the bottom with golden dragons and fleurs-de-lis. Rather than a necklace, she wears a ribbon tied around her neck, in a nod to Cordelia’s fate. Over her hair she wears a long sheer veil, held in place by a thin gold circlet.

The Goslings:

• Nicholas Gosling: Duke Orsino from "Twelfth Night", in classic 17th century garb but in light colours to contrast with his brother.
• William Gosling: Malvolio, from "Twelfth Night", all in black, with a false moustache and spectacles.

The Grenfells:

• Matilda Grenfell: Ariel from The Tempest in a blue confection and windswept hair (along these lines)
• Sophronia Grenfell: Emilia from Othello
• Sybilla Grenfell: Hippolyta from A Midsummer Night's Dream. A Greek chiton-inspired dress of cream muslin with the 'Greek key' meandros scrolling on the hems in gold, and a decorative girdle accentuating the waist made of deerskin. Her hair is swept up in a wide milkmaid braid, plaited with bronze and copper ribbons in a way that evokes a crown, with a few wisps and curls ganging loose here and there. A pair simple golden drop earrings in her ears are all the jewellery she wears.

The Laytons:

• Henry Layton: A bear from The Winter's Tale. He will be in a full, hot bear costume up to the neck with furry ears in addition. Extremely impractical for dancing.
• Catherine McAvoy: Lady Macbeth from Macbeth in a black Medieval costume with a short cloak in Kirkfries tartan and a silver diadem.

The Lazenbys:

• Sophia Lazenby: Peaseblossom from A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Frederick Lazenby: The Lion/Snug from A Midsummer Night's Dream

The Pritchards:

• Blake Pritchard: Count Paris from Romeo and Juliet
• Gabriel Pritchard: Ferdinand from The Tempest
• Charity Pritchard: Rosalind from As You Like It
• Elise Hampton: Celia from As You Like It

The Scarboroughs & Associates:

• Nathaniel Scarborough: Laertes from Hamlet. He is wearing a gold jacket cut vaguely in the shape of a doublet, with buff breeches and leather knee boots. He wears a blue velvet Tudor half-cape slung over his left shoulder, covering his bad arm. [8] He starts the evening with a small ruffled collar in concession to the designer, but it will probably end up discarded by the end of the night.
• Emily Grey: Ophelia from Hamlet. She wears a high-waisted pale blue gown with a green-gold shot silk-gauze overlay. The overlay has a train, and both are short-sleeved. [9] Her hair is coiled and braided, with flowers worked into it (rosemary, pansies, daisies, violets.) There is a small posy of rue, fennel, and columbine at her waist. Significance of the flowers: [10]

The Vickerys:

• Emma Vickery: Portia from The Merchant of Venice A cream velvet gown in the Jacobean/early Stuart style similar to this, accessorised with a jet demi-parure[11]. On arrival, she is wearing a scholar's gown and mortarboard instead of a cloak.
• Robert Vickery: Antonio from The Merchant of Venice

Individuals

• Annabelle Beacham: Ophelia from Hamlet in medieval attire, hair loose with a wreath of flowers on her head.
• Arthur Cartwright: Feste from Twelfth Night
• George Hackett: Anthony from Anthony and Cleopatra in standard dress with red cloak, Roman helmet and breastplate.
• Edmund Mayoh: Oberon from A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Gwendolyn Moncrieff: Angelo from Measure for Measure
• Thomas Sterne: Othello from Othello
• Ira Wilson: Prospero from The Tempest
• Mirabelle Delafield: Ophelia from Hamlet A white medieval inspired gown adorned with waterlillies similar to this [12] but with a lower waistline. Mirabelle's hair is worn half up and half down her back in hanging curls, plaited with flowers
• Harun Abd'Allah: Othello, from Othello. He is wearing traditional Moroccan dress for the occasion, with a striking blood-red kaftan worn open over loose shirt and silk trousers. The basic style is something like this: [13], though his head is bare and his hair is loose. An embroidered handkerchief is tucked into his wide blue sash, and a short curved dagger is worn at his hip (peace-bonded / tied closed so that it obviously cannot be drawn in haste).

The Dances

The dances will be called by the following ladies, selected for being Fitzgerald family members or for their high rank:

One: Lady Olivia Fitzgerald with Lord Foxford
Two: Lady Elizabeth Dunford
Three: Lady Rosalind Fairmont with Lord Alderhan
Four: Lady Juliet Landon
Five: Lady Julianne Grafton
Six (supper dance): Lady Viola Fitzgerald with Lord Emerson
Seven: Miss Charity Pritchard
Eight: Miss Henrietta Freye
Nine: Miss Elise Hampton
Ten: Boulanger