''Town and Country Magazine'' was an 18th-century London-based publication that featured tales of scandals and affairs between members of London's upper classes.

History

''Town and Country Magazine'' was founded by Archibald Hamilton in 1769. It gained the name "Town and Country" because Hamilton had two offices, one in urban

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell () is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an ancient parish from the mediaeval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The well after which it was named was redisco ...

and one in a rural area near

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

. In the 1770s there was a dramatic increase in lawsuits brought by men and their wives' lovers in England. Many people became eager to read transcripts of adultery trials, seeing them as a form of

soft-core pornography Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. Sof ...

. ''Town and Country Magazine'' capitalised on the public's interest by running stories on the topic. The initial issues often made political points, but this focus was lost over time. By 1771 ''Town and Country Magazine'' claimed monthly sales of 12,000 copies, although some scholars argue that the actual number was significantly fewer. Prominent contributors included

Thomas Chatterton Thomas Chatterton (20 November 1752 – 24 August 1770) was an English poet whose precocious talents ended in suicide at age 17. He was an influence on Romantic artists of the period such as Shelley, Keats, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Althoug ...

and

Thomas Holcroft Thomas Holcroft (10 December 174523 March 1809) was an English dramatist, miscellanist, poet and translator. He was sympathetic to the early ideas of the French Revolution and helped Thomas Paine to publish the first part of ''The Rights of Man ...

. ''Town and Country Magazine'' was published until 1796 when it folded. It has been credited with inspiring later papers, including ''

The Satirist ''The Satirist, or the Censor of the Times'' was a controversial 19th-century British newspaper which featured reports of scandals involving well known residents of London. It was published by Barnard Gregory, who faced multiple libel charges ...

''. The opening scene of the original production of ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sna ...

'' mentions ''Town and Country Magazine'', which was the only publication mentioned by name in the play.

Content

''Town and Country Magazine'' was more upscale than many of its competitors, who focused on prostitutes and brothels. It printed stories about members of many different professions, although the most common subjects were "aristocratic rakes and their kept women". ''Town and Country Magazine'' featured what were known as Tête-à-Tête articles that detailed illicit meetings between members of society. The articles always featured oval miniature portraits of the subjects of the articles. While portions of the names of the involved parties were often partially redacted, it frequently was easy for readers to deduce their identities. Some of the stories that were published were fictional, but most were inspired by actual events.

Notes and references

Bibliography

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Town Country Magazine archive at HathiTrust
{{Authority control Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1769 Magazines published in London Magazines disestablished in 1796 1796 disestablishments in England 1769 establishments in England