Category Archives: buildings and structures

Life Below Stairs, Part II – Rules of Engagement

Previously, we looked at what a servant in an upper house, or even in a second-class household, of the late Regency Period or early Victorian times, might encounter. We spoke of wages, delineation of duties, and additional compensation. Today, we … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | 9 Comments

Life Below Stairs, Part I: Obligations and Compensation

With the popularity of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downtown Abbey, the populace has become more aware of the British servant class. So what do we know of those who lived “below stairs”? First, rank and precedence ruled those of the servant … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, legends, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | 9 Comments

Getting Ready for October: The Screaming Skull of Bettiscombe Manor

Bettiscombe is a small village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Beaminster. Dorset County Council’s 2012 mid-year estimate of the population of the civil parish is 70. This … Continue reading

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Being Punk’d Regency Style

Being Punk’d Regency Style This is a repeat post, back by popular demand. I was asked by several to add it again because their friends did not believe them. Theodore Hook In mid August I shared this information on my … Continue reading

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Quenby Hall, “Home” to Stilton Cheese

Quenby Hall is a Jacobean house in parkland near the villages of Cold Newton and Hungarton, Leicestershire, England. It is described by Pevsner (Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, E (revision) (1984). The Buildings of England – Leicestershire and Rutland. Penguin. pp. 351–3.) … Continue reading

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The Hound of Hergest Court, Inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Hound”

Hergest Court, found in Kington, Herefordshire, was once a fine home, but it is but a “shadow” of its former greatness. However, its decline appears appropriate when one considers the history of the building and of its owner. Many people … Continue reading

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UK Mystery: Stanton Drew Stone Circles

Location: near Stanton Drew and Bristol Region: Somerset, England Coordinates: 51.367797°N 2.575257°WCoordinates: 51.367797°N 2.575257°W Type: Henge monument Condition: intact The Stanton Drew stone circles are just outside the village of Stanton Drew in the English county of Somerset. The largest … Continue reading

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UK “Real” Estate: Wimborne Minster’s Grandeur

Wimborne Minster’s Grandeur Known locally as the Minster, Wimborne Minster is the parish church of Wimborne, Dorset, England. The Minster has existed for over 1300 years and is recognised for its unusual chained library (one of only four surviving chained … Continue reading

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England Thrives Under George III

England Changes Under George III’s Reign In 1762, the year George III and his wife Queen Charlotte gave the English people the first heir born to a ruling monarch since the “Old Pretender,” James II’s son (1688), Britain was on … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, George IV, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Napoleonic Wars, real life tales, War of 1812 | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Oh, Give Me Land, Lots of Land (or) the 19th Century Entail

Oh, Give Me Land Lots of Land (or) the 19th Century Entail As it had been for centuries, a man’s status in 19th Century British Society rested in the land he held. Land was a symbol of wealth and social … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, Great Britain, Inheritance, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, political stance | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments