gallavanting antedated (?) to 1817

[Stephen Goranson]

OED has 1823.
The actress of the present day ...[3 volumes]
1817
English Book Book : Fiction 3 v. 20 cm.
London, Printed for J. Harper.

vol. 3 p.  156
...."Umph!....'tis no wonder: if ladies will so forget themselves, and meet officers in disguise at a distance, and stay out with them _gallavanting_, they must take the consequence....
...."Lack-a-day!....and as for gallavanting with officers, 'tis no such thing....

http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark%3A%2F13960%2Ft6640711h;view=image;seq=164;q1=gallavanting;start=1;size=10;page=search;num=156

Stephen Goranson
http://www.duke.edu/~goranson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org