Monthly Archives: February 2016

St Michael Paternoster Royal Church, a Medieval Marvel, and Whittington College

St Michael Paternoster Royal is a church in the London proper. The original building, which was first recorded in the 13th century, was destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666. The church was rebuilt under the aegis of Sir Christopher Wren. … Continue reading

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Life Below Stairs, Part 3 ~ The Male Servant

The English aristocrat often lived beyond his means. Maintaining country houses (often several of them) and a large Georgian town house in Mayfair took its toll on his purse strings. In addition to owning the property, Society forced him to … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, tradtions, Victorian era | 2 Comments

George Taylor, From Indentured Servant to Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Born in northern Ireland in 1716, Taylor arrived on American shores in 1736 as an indentured servant to an ironmaster in Coventry Forge, near Philadelphia. Originally, Taylor was a “filler” for the iron furnaces, but because he had some formal … Continue reading

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Life of the Gentry in the Regency Period

During the Regency Period, wealth and social class separated the English citizenry. Beginning with the Royals, citizens found their place based on birthright and wealth. The nobility stood above the gentry, who stood above the clergy, who stood above the … Continue reading

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“I Won’t Dance, Don’t Ask Me” – Dance as a Plot Device in Jane Austen’s Novels

  “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love.” (Pride and Prejudice, Chapter 3) During Austen’s time, young people looked for a potential mate at dances. Austen, herself, enjoyed a good dance, and, therefore, she … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Life Below Stairs, Part II – Rules of Engagement

Previously, we looked at what a servant in an upper house, or even in a second-class household, of the late Regency Period or early Victorian times, might encounter. We spoke of wages, delineation of duties, and additional compensation. Today, we … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | 9 Comments

Changes in Weaponry at the End of the Regency

This post appeared the last week of September 2015 on Caroline Warfield’s most-excellent blog on historical fiction/fact, but I thought I’d share it here in case some of you missed it. The first seven books of my award-winning “The Realm” … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Realm series, Regency era, Victorian era, weaponry | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Abraham Clark, Signer of the Declaration of Independence and “The Poor Man’s Counselor”

Abraham Clark’s great-grandfather, Richard Clark, emigrated from England to Barbados in 1634, moving to Southampton, Long Island in the 1650s, and later took part in the Indian War. For many years, Richard was a shipbuilder and planter. Later he moved … Continue reading

Posted in America, American History, British history, Declaration of Independence, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Congratulations to the Winner of Heidi Sprouse’s “Whispers of Liberty”

Congratulations to kwithey, who will receive a signed copy of Heidi Sprouse’s time slip novel, Whispers of Liberty. Heidi will contact the winner directly for her mailing address. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!!

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Valentine Corbett in Suzanne Enoch’s “Sin and Sensibility: The Griffin Family, Book 1”

Okay, it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend. So, I’m taking a look at a couple of books who have characters named Valentine. The first is Valentine Corbett, Marquis of Deverill, from Sin and Sensibility by Suzanne Enoch. This book is part … Continue reading

Posted in books, Georgian England, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, Regency romance, review, romance, Uncategorized | 3 Comments