Author Archives: Regina Jeffers

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About Regina Jeffers

Regina Jeffers is the award-winning author of Austenesque, Regency and historical romantic suspense.

The Duke Is Dead, Long Live the Duke . . . Now What?

Posted on May 17, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

During the Georgian era, a will could be declared void it the person was insane or drunk at the time of its creation or be voided if it was proven to have been written for a convicted felon, a prisoner, or an outlaw/thief. So it was also for those who committed suicide or had been excommunicated from the church or if the person was a slave. A married woman required the consent of her husband to have a will drawn up. Worst so, the husband had the right to withdraw his permission up until the will was probated. Because the legal age to marry during the time was 14 for boys and 12 for girls, such was the same ages for wills. Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, aristocracy, British history, estates, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Inheritance, laws of the land, legacy, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, real life tales, Regency era, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Two Attempts to Assassinate King George III in a Single Day, 15 May 1800

Posted on May 15, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

On 15 May 1800, George III went to Hyde Park to review the 1st Foot Guards. During the review, a shot was fired which narrowly missed the King. Mr Ongley, a clerk in the Navy Office, who was standing only a few paces away, was struck, and it was said that “had the wound been two inches higher it must have been mortal”.

Undeterred, later that same day, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, James Hadfield tried to shoot King George III while the national anthem was being played, and the king was standing to attention in the royal box, along with other members of the Royal Family. Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, political stance, Realm series, royalty | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Two Attempts to Assassinate King George III in a Single Day, 15 May 1800

Rotten Row: How This Fashionable Place Earned Such an Unusual Name?

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

During the Regency Era one of the places to see and be seen was a broad stretch of track running along the south side of Hyde Park in London. It was known as Rotten Row, not a very enticing name … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Living in the Regency, real life tales, research, travel, vocabulary, word origins | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rotten Row: How This Fashionable Place Earned Such an Unusual Name?

Gibbeting, A Grotesque and Very Slow Means of Death

Posted on May 10, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

A gibbet is an instrument used as part of a public execution. Gibbeting refers to the gallows-type structure used in the execution. A dead or dying body would be hung on public display to deter other potential criminals from committing similar crimes. A gibbet could also be used as the means of execution, essentially leaving the condemned person in a small cage, with no means of escape, to die from exposure to the elements or from thirst and starvation.  Continue reading →

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, spooky tales | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Pitfalls of Breaking an Engagement During the Regency Era

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

Only if a man uncovered a flaw in the morals of the lady to whom he proposed could he even consider calling off a marriage proposal. Once he spoke the words and the lady had accepted, there was no “take backs.” If the man left the woman standing at the altar as a no-show, it was thought he had discovered something of her low character, generally, that she had known another intimately. Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, marriage, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading, reading habits, Regency romance, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Amending the Shades of Pemberley ~ Featured Today on @eBookDaily

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

CHECK IT OUT!!!! <a href=”http://<a id=”ebookdaily” href=”https://ebookdaily.com”><img id=”ebookdaily-img” alt=”I’ve been featured on eBookDaily” src=”https://ebookdaily.com/img/eBookDaily250.jpg”>http://<a id=”ebookdaily” href=”https://ebookdaily.com”><img id=”ebookdaily-img” alt=”I’ve been featured on eBookDaily” src=”https://ebookdaily.com/img/eBookDaily250.jpg”></a&gt;

Posted in Always Austen, book release | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Practicing Medicine in Jane Austen’s Regency England

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

In Regency England, the medical field consisted of apothecaries, surgeons, and physicians. Only physicians could call themselves “Doctor.” Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, herbs, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, medicine, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

How Did a By-Election Work During the Georgian Era?

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

First, I suppose I should explain a “by-election” for those of us in the U.S. The UK Parliament page does a wonderful job of summarizing the key tenets of the situation. Here are some of the other things I know … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, laws of the land, Living in the UK, political stance, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How Did a By-Election Work During the Georgian Era?

‘Kinder- un Hausmärchen’ + the Release of “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of their collected fairy tales in 1812 under the title Kinder- und Hausmärchen. By 1822, the brothers had published three volumes containing 170 tales total with subsequent editions bringing that number to over 200. Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, books, British history, customs and tradiitons, eBooks, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, literature, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, tall tales, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cecil Sharp’s Influence on “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

As with many folk songs, the author and date of origin of “Hush, Little Baby” remain an unknown. The English folklorist Cecil Sharp collected and notated a version of this song found in Endicott, Franklin County, Virginia in 1918, but such simply means the song had been around much longer, passed down from generation to generation, with little changes in it depending on whether one’s ancestors were from Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, or Northwest Europe. Sharp, himself, found a different version with complete lyrics in Micaville, North Carolina. A version recorded by James Madison Carpenter on a wax cylinder in the early 1930s in Durham, North Carolina, can be heard online at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. Naturally, that date is well past the time of my story, but Cecil Sharp discovered such songs over and over again. If you have never heard of Sharp, you will be surprised by all he accomplished. Continue reading →

Posted in Appalachia, ballads, book excerpts, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, eBooks, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, Ireland, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, tradtions, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments