Regency Era Lexicon

Cadet – the youngest son or branch of a family

Called to the bar – authorized to practice law as a barrister

Camisole – a woman’s undershirt worn between the dress and the corset

Candlemas – a church festival celebrated on February 2; celebrates the purification of the Virgina Mary and Jesus’s presentation in the Temple

Capping – to follow up with something better in a conversation (Think Darcy and Elizabeth to understand this concept.)

Carking – to worry someone

Carter – the driver of a cart or wagon

Catarrh – mucus fills up the head, nose, and throat

Chair – a light and agile, as well as inexpensive, one-horse carriage (not be confused with the sedan chair, which was a rickshaw-like vehicle) 

Chancellor of the Exchequer – the highest post after the Prime Minister; controlled the treasury

Chancery – the court of equity law; generally sat at Westminster Hall

Chandler – a man who dealt in candles

‘Change – an abbreviation of the Royal Exchange often used in speech

Charabanc – a large carriage with two seats facing forward; lightweight and speedy

Chariot – a four-horse vehicle; the two seats both faced front; lighter than a chaise

Chase and Four – a closed carriage used for traveling; pulled by four horses

Cheapside – a street in eastern London close to the river Thames; a non-fashionable side of London

Chemise – a woman’s long undergarment; much in the form of a nightgown

Chemisette – a partial shirt worn tucked into a very low-cut gown

Chimneypiece – a mantelpiece or decorative moulding about the chimney

Circulating libraries – required a subscription to borrow the best-sellers; most famous was Mudie’s

Climbing boy – the child who would climb up into the chimney to clean it

Clogs – shoes with wooden or metal rims on the bottom; used to walk in bad weather

Coach – a vehicle used for public transportation, as well as private; could hold six or more passengers; two seats facing each other; closed vehicle; front and back axles connected to a “crank neck”

Cob – a sturdily built horse, often ridden by an overweight person

College – one of the residential units around which the universities of Oxford and Cambridge were organized

Come Out – the process by which a young woman (usually 17 or 18) was presented to Society and was considered available for marriage

Commoner – an Oxford undergraduate not on scholarship

Condescension – being polite and generous to those from a lower rank

Conservatory – a room for growing plants

Consumption – an advanced stage of tuberculosis

Cottagers – lived in cottages upon a landowner’s property; worked on the estate

Cotillion – a French dance in which 4 couples form a square

Countenance – another word for the “face” or a person’s appearance

Country dance – very much like a square dance; a vigorous dance

County member – a member of Parliament; represented the county rather than a borough

Courtesy books – publications that advised on the education and conduct of a courtier ( a man of the royal court) or a prince

Covent Garden – a large market near Charing Cross; sold fruit and vegetables; near the theatre district

Crape – a black silk used for mourning clothes

Cravat – a long fine cloth tied about a gentleman’s neck in a variety of “bows”

Cross writing – fill a page of writing normally and then turn it at a 90 degree angle and write between the open spaces; postage was very expensive

Curricle – a two-wheeled carriage; pulled y two horses; could seat two people, who of whom was the driver