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… entering. The Master of the Ceremonies or Lady Directress managed the space of the assembly rooms and ensured that the rules of the rooms were followed to the letter. These figures were revered, known as ‘Kings’ and ‘Queens’ who regulated … Indeed, ‘Beau’ Nash required the Duchess of Queensberry to remove her apron, which was forbidden in Nash’s assembly room rules, remarking that ‘none but Abigails appeared in white aprons [… to which] the good-natured dutchess [sic] acquiesced … than good-nature. ( Traditions, 288) The Master of Ceremonies or Lady Directress was responsible for upholding the rules of the assembly rooms which were usually determined in meetings of the subscribers, as they determined the rules by …

… mid-eighteenth century, informal discussion groups in taverns had turned into discussion clubs by establishing their own rules and membership dues. Some, in turn, transformed into debating societies in the early 1770s and moved into dedicated … with respectability, as is testified by many elements: the rituals of public speaking arbitrated by a president, many rules on impolite behaviour (including fines for swearing or interrupting speakers), the removal from taverns into … city and by newspapers advertisements. The Robin Hood Society was a well-structured society, with officers, a book of rules, rituals, the publication of questions and summaries of debates. It also had a sense of civic responsibility and …

… thus creating a fashion among worldly circles. In 1742, Edmond Hoyle’s Short Treatise on Whist , in which the rules of the game are defined, became a best-seller. Faro (derived from the word Pharaoh ) was one of the oldest games of … In 1705, the ‘Groom Porter’ was given full power by Queen Anne “to supervise, regulate, and authorize (by and under the Rules, Conditions and Restrictions by the Law prescribed) all manner of Gaming within this Kingdom”, The London Gazette … in which the ability to play the most fashionable games was seen as a prerequisite for entering polite society. The rules of etiquette and the mastery of sociable pastimes were integral to the conduct manuals of the time, as part of …