Student Activity #3: Royal Tour Comes to London

I’m really excited about visiting London, Canada West. My “own” London has almost three million people living in it; this Canadian London has just over 10,000. [For a view of London, Ontario at this approximate era, link to Canadian Heritage Gallery at [www.canadianheritage.org/]

Prince Edward’s schedule while in London was very similar to royal tours today. Compare the Prince’s schedule with that of his great-granddaughter Queen Elizabeth II’s 2005 tour [http://www.pch.gc.ca/] Are there similar events listed? How would you account for similarities and differences between the two royal tours?? You can use the Royal Tour Comparison Chart; the first line has been completed as an example for you.

When I read the newspaper accounts (from 1860), they mention that the greeting for the prince was very enthusiastic. Over 40,000 people from the city and the surrounding farmland gathered to greet the Prince of Wales. At times, “the escort of cavalry was hard put to keep the people from actually climbing into the royal carriage”. (London Free Press, Special Edition, September 15, 1860)

Because I’m one of the Prince’s footman, I get to work at the ball. Mainly, I’m collecting guests’ coats and walking canes, but I’m also able to observe the dancing and partying pretty closely.

On my free time, I’m out taking a look at this London. I’ve visited Dundas Street and the Covent Garden Market. I notice that, although they all came out to cheer for the Prince, most of the people who live in London didn’t get invited to the ball. Hmmmm….

Are you savvy enough to find a historic photo of this site at the Canadian Library and Archives:
(Hint: Try using quotations around the term "Tecumseh House")
http://www.collectionscanada.ca/

Can you find other historic images of London from this time period?

The highlight of the royal visit was a ball for 300 invited couples, held at the recently-completed Tecumseh House hotel. Guests included the county wardens, city council members, officers from the London regiment, the Bishop of Huron, and members of Canada West parliament. Would you like to take on a historic challenge? Click here to begin a search for this famous building from London's past.

The custom at the time was to have a specific list of dance partners -- a “dance card” filled out ahead of time. The choice of dance partners was, according to the London Free Press report, “of supreme importance socially”. Prince Edward’s dance partners included:

Miss Moffat (daughter of the mayor)
Miss Becher (daughter of a future mayor)
Miss Gzowski (daughter of the Grand Truck Railway chief executive)
Mrs. Small (wife of county judge)

In his position as royal footman, Will would have been able to observe the guests at the ball very closely. He would also have had an opportunity to wander through the streets of the burgeoning city. What differences would he have noticed between the guests at the ball and the general population? Does the list of the prince’s dance partners represent a good cross-section of Canada West’s population at the time? Why or why not?

Your task: The ticket for the Royal Ball at Tecumseh House is rather plain. Your task is to re-design it to better reflect the historical significance of the occasion. You could include symbols of the Prince of Wales and/or Canada West and London.
You also need to help Will sort out his impressions of Canada West society in 1860.

• Who turned out to see Prince Edward?
• Who was invited to the Royal Ball? Is there a pattern?
• Why would this be so?
• Why does the ball ticket have the phrase “and one lady”?
• Refer to the 2005 Royal Itinerary. Did the Queen interact with a wider range of the population than her great-grandfather did in 1860? What does this suggest about Canadian society then and now?
  

Will’s notes: Judge Small from London gave me his ticket to the Royal Ball for my Royal Tour album. London, Canada West is a exciting place -- carved right out of the forest! I noticed that most of the people the Prince met were ________________. I wonder why?