Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Houghton Hall" in English language version.
Mrs Herbert Jones is quoted in "Volume 8, Transactions from the Norfolk Archaeological Society" that guests at Sir Robert Walpole's house parties were "royal" and that a letter from a Norfolk gentleman said that a cavalcade of visitors and gentry going out hunting "could only be compared to an army going on its march....."
....he (Sir Robert Walpole) entertained friends and allies at a month-long "Norfolk Congress"...
(Walpole) usually had two annual meetings at Houghton, one in the spring, to which were invited his most select friends and leading members of the Cabinet, and continued for about three weeks ... the second was in autumn for the (hunting season) ... lasting (nearly) two months ... to which all gentleman in the county found a ready admission ...
(Houghton Hall) was visited yearly by all the great officers of state ... this annual meeting ... was called the (Norwich) Congress ... .
"Walpole lived rather high on the hog, you could say, and would spend vast sums of money on art and entertaining his political cronies, and then borrow more", says Cholmondeley.
