Category Archives: British history

No Longer a Bumpy Ride! The 1762 Westminster Paving Act…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

In doing research for my newest release, THE MYSTERIIOUS DEATH OF MR. DARCY, which is set in Dorset, I came across the Purbek marble, a fossiliferous limestone found on the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula in southeast Dorset, England. That … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian Era, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Regency Courtesan: Harriette Wilson

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

A celebrated British Regency courtesan, Harriette Wilson was one of fifteen children of a Swiss clockmaker, John James Dubouchet, a Mayfair shopkeeper. She became the mistress of William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven, when she was but fifteen years of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Legend of Castle Eilean Donan, a Scottish Icon

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

In the earlier thirteenth century, during the reign of Alexander II  (ruled 1214–1249), a large curtain-wall castle (wall of enciente) was constructed, enclosing much of the island. At this time the area was at the boundary of the Norse-Celtic Lordship of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, castles, legends and myths, real life tales, Scotland | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Fortune Hunter: A German Prince in Regency England, Hermann, Fürst von Pückler-Muskau

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

Prince Hermann Ludwig Heinrich von Puckler-Muskau (born as Count Pückler, from 1822 Prince) (30 October 1785 – 4 February 1871) was a German  nobleman, who was an excellent artist in landscape gardening and wrote widely appreciated books, mostly about his travels in Europe … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, White Soup Press | Tagged | Comments Off on The Fortune Hunter: A German Prince in Regency England, Hermann, Fürst von Pückler-Muskau

The Scottish Legend of True Thomas

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

Thomas Learmonth (c. 1220 – c. 1298), better known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, was a 13th century Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston (then called “Erceldoune”), which is situated on the Scottish border, not far from the towns of Galashiels and Melrose. He is also the protagonist of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, legends and myths, real life tales, Scotland | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Scottish Legend of True Thomas

Regency Scandal Most Sensational

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

In the spring of 1809, Lady Charlotte Wellesley eloped with Lord Paget. Lady Charlotte was the sister-in-law of the Duke of Wellington and the mother of four children. Lord Paget was the heir to the Earl of Uxbridge and a … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Eccentrics of the Regency Series: Scrope Berdmore Davies

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

In 1976, the New York Daily News reported a story of an unusual find in the Barclay Bank’s vaults. Scrope Davies’s leather trunk was identified, and as Davies being a close associate of both Byron and Shelley, the news was … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, gothic and paranormal, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mudiford: The Forgotten Resort plus Excerpt from “The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy”

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

(This post and excerpt first appeared on My Jane Austen Book Club on March 11, 2013.) With the onset of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, the idea of a European Grand Tour for English aristocratic class lost its … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, excerpt, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Mudiford: The Forgotten Resort plus Excerpt from “The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy”

Writing “The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy”

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

This interview originally was posted to The Dark Jane Austen Book Club website on March 18, 2013. My novel “The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy” is their book read for March. When did you begin with your Pride and Prejudice books? … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, gothic and paranormal, Industry News/Publishing, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Ulysses Press | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Writing “The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy”

Eccentrics of the Regency Series: Robert Barclay Allardice

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

Known at Captain Barclay, Robert Barclay Allardice was in Scotland in August 1777. Compared to his sedentary contemporaries, Barclay was one of the most athletic men of his time. Barclay came by his athletic tendencies honestly. His family is said … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Eccentrics of the Regency Series: Robert Barclay Allardice