Political historians have recognized that politics and high society interacted in
eighteenth-century England; and most would also recognize the presence of elite women in the social
world of politicians. These assumptions have not, however, been subjected to much scrutiny. This
article takes the social aspects of politics seriously and aims to provide an introduction to social
politics – the management of people and social situations for political ends – and, specifically, to the
involvement of women therein. Politics in eighteenth-century England was not just about parliament
and politicians; it also had a social dimension. By expanding our understanding of politics to include
social politics, we not only reintegrate women into the political world but we also reveal them to have
been legitimate political actors, albeit on a non-parliamentary stage, where they played a vital part in
creating and sustaining both a uniquely politicized society and the political elite itself. While specific
historical circumstances combined in the eighteenth century to facilitate women's socio-political
involvement, social politics is limited neither to women nor to the eighteenth century. It has wider
implications for historians of all periods and calls into question the way that we conceptualize politics
itself. The relationship between the obstinately nebulous arena of social politics and the traditional
arena of high politics is ever-changing, but by trivializing the former we limit our ability to understand
the latter.