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Antiquaries in the Age of Romanticism: 1789-1851 - Queen Mary ...

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actor Charles Kemble on historic costume. Douce suggested Kemble should make <strong>the</strong><br />

scenery historically consistent, as well as <strong>the</strong> clo<strong>the</strong>s and later told James Rob<strong>in</strong>son<br />

Planché that Kemble was appalled by <strong>the</strong> idea. ‘“He exclaimed…<strong>in</strong> a tone almost <strong>of</strong><br />

horror, ‘Why, if I did, sir, <strong>the</strong>y would call me an antiquary.’ And this to me, sir! … to me,<br />

who flattered myself I was an antiquary.”’ 60<br />

Elsewhere, however, romantic self-consciousness allowed antiquaries to take<br />

satire and even <strong>in</strong>sults <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>ir own hands. Many did it as <strong>in</strong>dividuals, as <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

correspondence shows, but <strong>in</strong> 1828 <strong>the</strong> society <strong>of</strong> Noviomagus was founded to do it<br />

collectively. A k<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> Anti-Antiquarian Society, made up <strong>of</strong> members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Society <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>Antiquaries</strong> it met <strong>in</strong> London but named itself after a site at Keston <strong>in</strong> Kent which <strong>the</strong><br />

members affected to believe was <strong>the</strong> location <strong>of</strong> Noviomagus, <strong>the</strong> Romans’ first city <strong>in</strong><br />

Brita<strong>in</strong>. It was a d<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g society pledged to support ‘mutual Friendship and good<br />

fellowship’. 61 As well as ‘promot<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> study and knowledge <strong>of</strong> Archaeology’ aspir<strong>in</strong>g<br />

members had to demonstrate that <strong>the</strong>y were ‘well versed <strong>in</strong> all <strong>the</strong> sciences comical and<br />

gastronomical’ and <strong>the</strong> meet<strong>in</strong>gs ‘on a convenient Thursday each month’ (though<br />

sometimes on a Wednesday) comb<strong>in</strong>ed discussion <strong>of</strong> discoveries with a good d<strong>in</strong>ner ‘<strong>the</strong><br />

quantity <strong>of</strong> w<strong>in</strong>e to be…conf<strong>in</strong>ed to a p<strong>in</strong>t for each person’. 62<br />

Members not <strong>in</strong>frequently came <strong>in</strong> costume, as Planché recalled:<br />

Upon particular even<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> society, consist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> a president (Cr<strong>of</strong>ton Croker), a vicepresident,<br />

a treasurer, and a secretary, a lord chancellor, a high admiral, a fa<strong>the</strong>r confessor, a physician, and<br />

a Ch<strong>in</strong>ese pr<strong>of</strong>essor, received orders to attend <strong>in</strong> full costume, and <strong>the</strong> table certa<strong>in</strong>ly presented a most<br />

extraord<strong>in</strong>ary sight to <strong>the</strong> visitor who for <strong>the</strong> first time had been honoured by an <strong>in</strong>vitation. Croker<br />

generally made his appearance <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> full-fea<strong>the</strong>red and elaborately beaded costume <strong>of</strong> a North-American<br />

Indian chief, mocass<strong>in</strong>s [sic] and all, <strong>the</strong> lord chancellor <strong>in</strong> gown and wig, and <strong>the</strong> rest <strong>in</strong> every imag<strong>in</strong>able<br />

60<br />

Planché, Recollections, 1, p.54.<br />

61<br />

Wellcome Library, ms 5303, ‘Laws <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> ’.<br />

62<br />

Wellcome Library, ms 5303, ‘Laws <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Society <strong>of</strong> ’.<br />

29

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