FASHION, CELEBRITY AND CULTURES OF THE GEORGIAN COURT: ‘Circling angels, crowding in a ring’: Ireland and the supply of linen damask to the Hanoverian court, c.1734 to 1820

Now presiding over the Household Below Stairs, in 1737 a leading Dublin newspaper announced the Duke of Dorset’s recommendation of Irish napery to their majesties and his directions for the making of it in great quantities with the Royal arms in their centre and corners. Having returned after seven years service as viceroy, in which he had distinguished himself a one of Ireland’s most notable hosts and promoters of its manufacturers, he was intimate with the growing repute of the kingdom’s linen damask. A poem inscribed to Dean Swift of St Patrick’s Cathedral c.1734 celebrating a Carlow damask weaver’s portrayal of King George II on his throne attended by a King’s coronation in the richest detail staked a claim to its ability to rival foreign linen damask, in particular that of Saxony its principal rival. The venue chosen by Dorset to assert its primacy - the Hanoverian as opposed to the viceregal court - was a reminder of the continued importance of the royal court as a public place where patronage and politics were brokered and made visible. In weaving a golden thread of royal patronage he had hoped to shape consumer behaviour and steer it from an ‘ill judged partiality in ourselves for foreign manufacture’. Through the lens of the Hanoverian court, this paper traces the consequence of Dorset’s agency and maps the complex network of personal, high politics and international relations that caused the golden thread to blaze and fade in turn.