Category Archives: British history

Do You Know Your Jane Austen Novels?

  Becoming Jane is an imaginative, romantic tale that captures Jane Austen’s spirit, while playing with the truth. Many of us on this site have written our own “what if” stories, and so, maybe, we might be able to suspend reality … Continue reading

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Not Worth the Paper It’s Written On…

Recently, while working on my WIP (work in progress), I spent several hours researching the paper used during the Regency Period. My character was wrapping several dresses in paper to place in storage. My first thought was tissue paper, but … Continue reading

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Interview with Regina Jeffers from Random Bits of Fascination

This interview originally ran on Random Bits of Fascination, the blog of fellow Austen author, Maria Grace. Writing is such a challenging endeavor. What got you started on it, and what keeps you doing it? In November 2008, I was … Continue reading

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The Highland Lady: Elizabeth Grant

At the beginning of the 19th Century, Edinburgh, Scotland, held its position as one of the world’s intellectual centers. The Scottish Enlightenment held a reputation for developing some the most gifted minds of the period. One of the leaders of … Continue reading

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Eccentrics of the Regency Period Series: “The Golden Ball” or Edward Hughes Ball Hughes

Edward Hughes Ball Hughes, also known as “The Golden Ball,” was an English dandy infamous for his extravagant lifestyle. Born in May 1798, Hughes was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He spent some time in the 7th Hussars … Continue reading

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Living in Regency England – Heating the House

From the Georgian Period forward, the majority of the London townhouses were heated by coal rather than wood. Thus, members of Society and visitors to the City “enjoyed” the ever-preent film of coal dust in the air. In the late … Continue reading

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Eccentrics of the Regency Period Series: Charles Stanhope, Lord Petersham

Eccentricity was not social suicide during the Regency, as long as Society’s pundits had given their approval. Occasionally, eccentricity was considered quite fashionable. During the Regency, Lord Petersham was as popular as Beau Brummell, but we know little of him … Continue reading

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To Horse! Regency Side Saddles

I recently wrote a scene for Book 5 of my “Realm” series, A Touch of Mercy, in which the heroine must ride side saddle and be unseated from the ride. Therefore, I spent a good deal of time checking other … Continue reading

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Plough Monday and Molly Dancing: British Traditions

The Oxford Dictionary of English Folk Lore describes a plough jag as, “One of the three main types of mumming play, found only in the East Midlands, and first reported in the 1820s. Performances were concentrated on Plough Monday,  but could … Continue reading

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Would You Recognize a Hunky Punk?

“Hunky Punk” is a West Country (UK) word for grotesque carvings on the side of English buildings, especially churches. The word originated in Somerset and is ascribed to the Old English word “hunkers,” which means haunches and “punchy,” which means … Continue reading

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