Category Archives: British history

Use of Mews in Regency London

Question from a Reader/Writer – Were mews actually kept behind London’s great houses or were there a, for lack of another word, a group barn for the people along a street? Okay, I admit I am not an expert in … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Regency era, research, travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Use of Mews in Regency London

Children’s Meals in the Regency Era

A reader recently asked of what I knew of children’s meals during the Georgian era. In truth, I have collected a hodgepodge of facts. I will attempt to organize the in some manner, but I fear not to know true … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, food, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Living in the UK, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Children’s Meals in the Regency Era

Proving Oneself the New Peer

I had a recent question from a reader/writer about how after the death of the current peer was one made the new peer. Was it immediate? Is there a process or some sort of hearing. What must he prove to … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, book excerpts, British history, eBooks, excerpt, Great Britain, history, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, peerage, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, romance, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Proving Oneself the New Peer

The Cambridge Five: “We need people who could penetrate into the bourgeois institutions. Penetrate them for us!”

 If you are a great lover of all things British, as am I, you are likely familiar with the BBC2 mini-series, Cambridge Spies. It starred four of my personal favorites: Toby Stephens, Rupert Penry Jones, Tom Hollander, and Samuel West. … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, film, history, military, political stance, real life tales, war, world history | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on The Cambridge Five: “We need people who could penetrate into the bourgeois institutions. Penetrate them for us!”

What the Heck Is “Abeyance” When Speaking of the English Aristocracy?

I am back again to ramble on about another issue of inheritance, this one has to do with “abeyance.” Abeyance (from the Old French abeance meaning “gaping”) is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, aristocracy, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Inheritance, laws of the land, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Orphans and Orphanages in Late Georgian England

I had a recent question regarding what I knew about the conditions inside of orphanages during the Regency and Georgian eras. Below is a mash of all the tidbits I had accumulated on the subject. I have attempted to organize … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Orphans and Orphanages in Late Georgian England

Did Heirs to a Title Ever Enter the Commons Before Succeeding? Answering a Reader’s Questions…

I am again attempting to answer a variety of questions from a reader on peerages. So, here goes… Question: I have a question about politics circa 1812. I am constructing my character development fir a story line, and my hero … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, aristocracy, British history, estates, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Inheritance, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Napoleonic Wars, Regency era, research, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Did Heirs to a Title Ever Enter the Commons Before Succeeding? Answering a Reader’s Questions…

Who the Heck was the Lord Lieutenant of the County in Regency Times?

Question from a Reader: Who or what does the term “Lord Lieutenant of the County” mean? Answer: Simply speaking, the Lord-Lieutenant represents His Majesty The King or Her Majesty The Queen in his respective county/shire. They were not just in the … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, military, peerage, reading, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Card Playing in the Regency Era

This post is not about the rules of card games, but rather about the cards themselves. Question from a Reader: I read your Bell, Book, and Wardrobe novel, and I wondered about how one might have cards made up thusly. … Continue reading

Posted in book excerpts, British history, Dreamstone Publishing, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, Regency romance, research | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Examining the Character of John Willoughby in Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”

John Willoughby is one of Dashwood family’s country neighbors in Devon in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, but what do we know of the character. He and Sir John Middleton serve as bookends in the country society.  Willoughby literally sweeps Marianne … Continue reading

Posted in Austen actors, books, British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments