Haberdasher – a man who dealt with small items for sewing, such as thread, needles, buttons, ribbons, etc.
Hack – a general-purpose riding horse; not used for hunting or military purposes
Hackney Coach – one for hire; the taxicabs of the early 1800s
Ha-Ha – a landscaping technique; a dug trench or sunken fence, not easily seen unless one was close to it
Hair Ring – a ring made from the hair of one’s sweetheart
Half Crown – an English coin worth two shillings and sixpence
Half Pay – a payment which kept military men on the active list; a step toward retirement
Handsome – a term used during the period to describe women, buildings, dresses, etc. (but not men)
Ha’Penny – a halfpenny
Hardtack – biscuits for sailors
Harrow – a frame with iron teeth which broke up the earth after the plowing was completed
Harvest – the cutting of the corn crop (Note: hay was “made” rather than cut)
Hatchment – a shield bearing the coat of arms of recently deceased person; was displayed on the front of the house and then in the church
Hedgerow – a row of hedge which served as a barrier to keep cattle/sheep from moving about too freely upon the land
Heir Apparent – the heir to property, regardless of any contingencies that might occur
Heir Presumptive – the heir who would inherit if certain contingencies did not occur
Hessian boots – long boots worn by German mercenaries who fought the colonists during the American War of Independence; were popular in the early part of the 1800s
High-Lows – a type of lace up boots
Hob – beside the grate; a place to put kettles to keep them warm
Honeymoon – the honeymoon actually meant the first time a couple had marital relations (not necessarily the journey celebrating their marriage); frequently, the bride’s sister or a close friend accompanied the couple
Honourable – a title used for all members of Parliament; also a “courtesy title,” one not accompanied by any legal rights (bestowed on viscounts and barons and the younger sons of earls)
Horse Guards – the cavalry who guarded the monarch; nicknamed the “Blues”; had barracks at Whitehall
Hostler (or Ostler) – tended to the horses of travelers at inns
Housekeeper – the top ranking female servant in a household
Housewife – a small case for carrying around items such as needles and thread to mend clothing (pronounced “huzzif”)
Hulks – old ships pressed into use in 1776 as “temporary” floating prisons; not abolished until 1858
Hundred – an ancient English unit of government, being the unit next down from a shire
Hunter – a horse bred specifically for fox hunts
Huntsman – the man at a hunt who kept the dogs under control and on the scent
Hussars – a cavalryman who wore a flamboyant uniform
Hyde Park – a 388-acre park in London’s West End; was the most fashionable park of the time
Thanks for the newest set of words, they are always interesting to learn about.
It’s funny. I was reading a Louise Allen novella today, and there was one of these words. Allen is one of my favorite Regency writers.
That’s cool that you came across one of them while reading, now you know more of the words you come across while reading (and so do I).
Chelsea, for one of my later Lexicon posts, I came across a “R” word that I did not know, which perfectly fit the situation in my new novel. It was great to have a term I could use that would explain things to a modern audience.