The Eglinton Tournament
Preserved but no longer current.
At Eglinton Castle, Ayrshire, an attempt was made to revive the mediaeval tournament, on August 28th, 1839. The lists were richly decorated, the ladies wore 14th and 15th century costumes, and young society men practised how to ride a charger, in full armour and wielding a tilting-lance. The Marquess of Londonderry was King of the Tournament; Lady Seymour, later Duchess of Somerset, was Queen of Love and Beauty.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Eglinton Tournament” mean?
At Eglinton Castle, Ayrshire, an attempt was made to revive the mediaeval tournament, on August 28th, 1839. The lists were richly decorated, the ladies wore 14th and 15th century costumes, and young society men practised how to ride a charger, in full armour and wielding a tilting-lance. The Marquess of Londonderry was King of the Tournament; Lady Seymour, later Duchess of Somerset, was Queen of Love and Beauty.
Is “The Eglinton Tournament” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.