Photos courtesy of Monmouth County Historical Association
Middletown to Hold King George’s Birthday Bash
By Mary Ann Bourbeau
MIDDLETOWN – Patriots and Tories alike can take a spin over to the Monmouth County Historical Association on Saturday, June 7, for the annual birthday party celebration for King George III.
The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Marlpit Hall, 137 Kings Highway.
There will be a tour of the historic Georgian-style home, given by costumed reenactors, along with live music played on instruments from the mid-1700s, a sewing demonstration and refreshments. The event is free to the public.
“Within the British Empire, including the American Colonies, the celebration of the king’s birthday was one of the social events of the year,” said Karen Grieco, education coordinator for the Monmouth County Historical Association.
Those who attend will experience the day as it might have been celebrated in the home of loyalist Edward Taylor and his wife, Mary Ogborne Taylor, who lived in Marlpit Hall during the mid- to late-1700s. Historical re-enactors Eric and Phyllis Peterson, volunteers with the Monmouth County Historical Association, will be dressed as the Taylors to welcome guests and take them on a tour of the home, which was built in 1756. The parlor furnishings reflect the style and social status of the Taylor family during that period. Portraits of King George III and his wife, Queen Charlotte, hang on the walls, showing the couple’s loyalty to the monarchy. A sand-casted fireback in the fireplace contains the emblem of a lion and unicorn, the symbol of the King of England.
“The Taylors were a very prominent family at the time of the American Revolution,” Grieco said. “They owned 1,200 acres of land. They were the largest property owners in Middletown Township.”
King George III reigned for nearly 60 years, but Americans don’t always think very highly of him, Grieco said.
“He did a lot but it was overshadowed by people thinking of him as the mad king who lost the colonies,” she said.
Meredith Barnes and Elizabeth Lovett Gothes, also volunteers with the historical association, will portray loyalist wives demonstrating their craft in a sewing circle. Musical entertainment of the period will be played on the harpsichord and recorder, as presented by “The Practitioners of Musick” with John Burkhalter of Princeton.
“He loves playing in the parlor,” Grieco said of Burkhalter. “He says the acoustics are wonderful in that house.”
According to Grieco, music was very central to the lives of King George and Queen Charlotte. King George had a close friendship with composers George Frideric Handel and Johann Christian Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian Bach. Both the king and queen were very accomplished musicians as well.
“King George played the German flute and harpsichord, and Queen Charlotte played the harpsichord and was a singer,” Grieco said.
Marlpit Hall was restored, furnished and donated to Monmouth County Historical Association in 1936 by Margaret Riker Haskell, a collector of Americana, notably decorative arts. The home is furnished to reflect the varying tastes and lifestyles of the 18th century Taylor family and Haskell’s 20th century Colonial Revival plan.
For more information, visit www.monmouthistory.org.
Vibe writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com.
