Monthly Archives: March 2020

Jane Austen, Contagions, & the Danger of Doubling, a Guest Post from Collins Hemingway

This post originally appeared on the Austen Authors’ blog on 19 March 2020. I thought it appropriate to repeat here.  It has been so long since a disastrous contagion swept through the Western world that most of us have forgotten … Continue reading

Posted in American History, Austen Authors, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, medicine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Life Below Stairs: English Servants Emigrating to Australia, Part I

In the mid to late 1840s, many girls in service decided to make the arduous journey from England to Australian ports. One must remember that the journey took three to four months to complete, depending upon the weather and the … Continue reading

Posted in British history, business, commerce, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Celebrating the Release of “Courting Lord Whitmire: A May-December Regency Romance” + a Giveaway

The hero of my latest Regency tale has spent fifteen years of his life is service to the Crown, first upon the Continent in the Napoleonic Wars and then upon the Canadian front, in what was known as Rupert’s Land, … Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, military, reading habits, Regency era, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

PEERAGE SUCCESSION + WELCOMING THE RELEASE OF “COURTING LORD WHITMIRE” + A GIVEAWAY

In “Courting Lord Whitmire,” there is a lengthy scene where Andrew Whitmire claims his viscountcy before the House of Lords. Although there were some exceptions to a peerage passing to the eldest son, the majority of those written about in … Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Inheritance, Living in the Regency, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, titles of aristocracy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Life Below Stairs: Non-Existent Legal Redress

Was there legal redress for the servants of Victorian households?  Although there was genuine concern for the conditions in which many of the servants operated, most claimed it was impossible to make laws to protect domestic servants. Those that were … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Meet Francis Grose, Author of the 1811 Dictionary of theVulgar Tongue

As my novels are set in the early part of the 1800s, attempting to discover appropriate words to express “dismay” or “disgust” often sends me searching out my online copy of 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, a Dictionary of … Continue reading

Posted in British history, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, real life tales, research, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Did It Mean to Be a “Gentleman” in Jane Austen’s England?

The word “genteel” is an adjective, meaning polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way. Its roots can be found in the late 16th century (in the sense ‘fashionable, stylish’): from French gentil ‘well-born’. From the 17th century … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, customs and tradiitons, film adaptations, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage customs, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on What Did It Mean to Be a “Gentleman” in Jane Austen’s England?

The Many Visions of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” a Guest Post from Eliza Shearer

With the latest release of Emma at the theatres over the weekend, I thought some of you might like to view the various adaptations of Austen’s Emma through the eyes of another. This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, Emma, film adaptations, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, reading habits, Regency era, Regency romance | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Social Class in Jane Austen “Emma”

Hopefully, you will have the opportunity to view the newest film version of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” this weekend or have been fortunate to have viewed it already. I plan to see it with my friend Kim. Below are some of … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , | 24 Comments

Life Below Stairs – The Footman

There are tales of footmen who experienced criticism and mild taunts when they went about their master’s business. Even so, the footman became a sort of symbol of the division in society. Reports abound of street urchins throwing mud on … Continue reading

Posted in British history, estates, fashion, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, servant life, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments