In GOSFORD PARK the evil host complained to his wife that she had put the countess next to him at the table, saying he didn’t want to sit next to “that old trout.” This made me realize that when one has guests one must sit them in order of rank. So I’m now wondering does this mean that whatever the rank of the host, he or she sits at the head of the table, and then the next highest ranking person sits to his right? Or does the highest ranking person sit at the head of the table even if he is not the host? Also, 2) what if there is a marquess, a duke, and an earl, all English, and another earl who is Scottish and a count from Italy or France or somewhere. To the right of the host would be the duke, then the marquess, and then what? For the count is equivalent to an earl and I don’t know how English and Scottish earls rank with regard to each other.
(Also in case anybody knows, what WAS the countess’s relation to the evil host? She was played hilariously by Maggie Smith and the host was supposed to be giving her a salary. Was she his sister? Did she marry some earl and then the earl died or something)?
Signed, Wondering How to Seat My Guests.
Whole books have been written on this subject, with the standard work on English precedence being G. D. Squibb, Precedence in England and Wales (Oxford University Press, 1981). IIRC, the traditional rule is that the host sits at the head of the table, unless the monarch is present, although a host may choose to offer his place to a very high-ranking guest, such as a another member of the Royal Family. Consult any book on English etiquette for the full, mind-numbing details. Of course, in real life these rules are now only ever applied on the most formal of occasions or by the very pretentious.
According to the Gosford Park website, Maggie Smith’s character was called Constance, Countess of Trentham, so she was presumably the widow of an earl.