Category Archives: British history

The Mappa Mundi, the World’s Largest Medieval Map

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Housed in the Hereford Cathedreal, the Mappa Mundi is believed to the be the world’s largest medieval map. England specialized in world maps of the Middle Ages. They were drawn upon cloth or walls or animal skins.  Only those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Age of Chaucer, British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, medieval, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Shetland Sword Dance

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

 Sir Walter Scott wrote in his diary of the Shetland Sword Dance on 7 August 1814. “At Scalloway my curiosity was gratified by an account of the sword-dance, now almost lost, but still practiced in the Island of Papa…. There … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, drama, literature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Gentlemen’s Clubs, a Guest Post from Brenda J. Webb

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

This post appeared on Austen Authors in October 2015. However, I thought it worthy of a second look, especially for those of you who devour everything to do with the Regency Era.  Mention White’s, Boodle’s or Brooks’s in a story … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, British history, buildings and structures, Georgian England, Guest Post, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

John Heywood, England’s First Great Dramatist

Posted on August 3, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

We know little of John Heywood’s life, other than the year of his birth, which was 1497. Likely, he was once served as a choir boy in the Chapel Royale and then studied at Oxford as a King’s Scholar. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, British history, drama, kings and queens, playwrights, poetry, political stance, theatre | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Infamous War of Jenkins’s Ear? Never Heard of It?

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Have you ever heard of the War of Jenkins’s Ear? If not, you are not alone.  This particular war took place in colonial Georgia. It involved both Spain and England in a dispute over the land between South Carolina and … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, American History, British history, British Navy, war | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Hanging a Monkey as a French Spy During the Napoleonic Wars

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

What do you know of the Hartlepool Monkey and the “Monkey Hangers”? I certainly knew nothing of the tale until I stumbled across it. Legend says that a shipwrecked monkey was hanged as a French spy during the Napoleonic Wars … Continue reading →

Posted in ballads, British history, Georgian England, history, legends, Living in the Regency, Napoleonic Wars | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

French Revolution Émigrés in England, a Guest Post from Lona Manning

Posted on July 27, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

It is our delight to welcome Lona Manning, author of A Contrary Wind, a variation on Mansfield Park. Lona’s extensive research on the French Revolution is for our benefit today.  Did you ever read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy? … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, book release, British history, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, political stance, Vagary | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Oxfordshire St. George Play

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Closely related to the Morris and Sword Dancers, the Oxfordshire St. George Play is considered a kind of Mummers Play. As well as possessing close elements of kinship, the characters in all these plays are largely interchangeable. That being said, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, drama, literature, medieval | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Princess Louise’s Early Years of Marriage

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

Last month, we looked at Princess Louise’s choosing to become the future Duchess of Argyll. View that post HERE. Today, we will take at look at the marriage itself.  Just because Princess Louise had finally emerged from the shadow cast … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, family, history, marriage, royalty, Scotland, titles of aristocracy, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Roots of Primogeniture and Entailments

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Regina Jeffers

The concept of “love and romance” were never required in marriage among the English aristocracy. Certainly there were some who did marry for love, but early on, the idea of marriage became a “business transaction,” instead of a romantic joining … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, estates, Living in the UK, political stance, primogenture, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment