It was about this time that special attention was called to this gaming mania, and Gillray (?) on the 16th May, 1796, published a Caricature called "Faro's Daughters, or the Kenyonian blow up to gamblers." Here we see the Lady Archer, and Mrs. Concannon, placed together in the pillory, and mutually upbraiding each other.
The motif for this picture was a speech of Lord Kenyon's, who, at a trial to recover £15, won at gaming, on Sunday, at a public house—commented very severely on the hold, the vice of gaming had, on all classes of society, from the highest, to the lowest. The former, he said, set the example to the latter—and, he added, "They think they are too great for the law; I wish they could be punished,"—and then continued, "If any prosecutions of this kind are fairly brought before me, and the parties are justly convicted, whatever be their rank, or station, in the country—though they be the first ladies in the land—they shall certainly exhibit themselves in the pillory."
"A new stratagem has been hit on to gain early intelligence of the drawings of the ensuing Irish Lottery. As Pigeons are found sometimes not to fly quick enough, some of our speculating Lottery Rooks have been for some time past trying experiments on high eminences in North Wales, by exhibiting rockets about seven o'clock in the evening. It is to be seen whether this mode of communication can be rendered sufficiently intelligible, to answer the purposes of fraud."—(Times, Nov. 4, 1796.)
"It is said, and we hope with truth, that the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the head, and with the concurrence of the Episcopal Lords, means to introduce a Bill into Parliament to prevent gambling on a Sunday. An act at present does exist against this pernicious practice; but the penalty amounts to a fine, that the Groom-porters at Hazard, or the Dealer at Faro, can with ease pay by the profits of an hour. The punishment for the offence of playing any game of chance on a Sunday is, by this new intended Bill, to be transportation for seven years to Botany Bay. The owner of the house, by a particular clause, is more severely dealt with. He, or she, permitting such gambling, shall be transported for life."—(Times, Feb. 13, 1797.)
Dividing the Spoil, St. Giles's.—1796.
"PUBLIC OFFICE, MARLBOROUGH St. FARO BANKS. On Saturday came on to be heard, informations against Lady Buckinghamshire, Lady Elizabeth Luttrell, Mrs. Sturt, and Mr. Concannon, for having, on the night of the 30th of last January, played at Faro, at Lady Buckinghamshire's house, in St. James's Square, and Mr. Martindale was charged with being the proprietor of the table.
"The evidence went to prove that the Defendants had gaming parties at their different houses by rotation, and that when they met at Lady B.'s, the witnesses used to wait upon them in the gambling room, and that they played at E.O., Rouge et Noir, &c., from about eleven, or twelve, till three, or four, o'clock in the morning. After hearing Counsel, the Magistrates convicted Hy. Martindale in the penalty of £200, and each of the Ladies in £50. The Information against Mr. Concannon was quashed, on account of his being summoned by a wrong Christian name."—(Times, Mar. 13, 1797.)
The Magistrates were not quite so severe as Lord Kenyon had promised to be, should he ever get any of these ladies into his clutches: perhaps they had heard of the recent loss of Lady Buckinghamshire's, when in Feby. her Faro Bank was stolen, or, at least, she said it had been. Gillray caricatured it very cleverly—as also he did in the accompanying illustration, "Discipline à la Kenyon"—in which the Lord Chief Justice, is administering a sound flogging to Lady Buckinghamshire, whilst Lady Archer, and Mrs. Concannon, stand in the pillory, guarded by a stalwart constable.
"The expence of entertainments at a Gaming House of the highest class, in St. James' Square, during the eight months of last season, has been said to exceed 6000 Guineas! what must be the profits to afford such a profusion?"—(Times, March 21, 1797.)