Category Archives: customs and tradiitons

UK “Real” Estate: The Isle of Portland and Nanny Diamond Fairies

The Isle of Portland and Nanny Diamond Fairies The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, 6 kilometres (4 mi) long by 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) wide, in the English Channel. Portland is 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Dorset, Living in the Regency, real life tales, spooky tales | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Celebrating Christmastide

Celebrating Christmastide Christmastide (also Christmas or the Christmas season) is one of the seasons of the liturgical year of most Christian churches. It tends to be defined (with slight variations) as the period from Christmas Eve to the Epiphany. This … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Open Christmas Letter 1914

In the lead up to Christmas 1914, there were several peace initiatives. The Open Christmas Letter was a public message for peace addressed “To the Women of Germany and Austria,” signed by a group of 101 British women suffragettes at … Continue reading

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Do You Speak Jane Austen? Part One

I have run this series previously, but it never hurts to revisit a “good thing.” Part I: Do You Speak Jane Austen? When my son was about three years of age, he shocked several onlookers at the mall by saying, … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

The Etiquette of “Visiting” and How Jane Austen Used the Tradition as a Plot Device

The Etiquette of “Visiting” and How Jane Austen Used It as a Plot Device In the 1800s, morning calls or visiting upon a household developed a certain protocol, and those who broke protocol were often shunned. First a calling card … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

George William Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, Advocate for Protestant Principles

George William Finch-Hatton, 10th Earl of Winchilsea, 5th Earl of Nottingham (1791–1858) was an English politician known for duelling with Prime Minister Wellington. Hatton, born at Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire, on 19 May 1791, was grandson of Edward Finch-Hatton, and son … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, dueling, George IV, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, military, real life tales, religion | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

“Memento mori,” or “Remember to Die”

Memento mori (Latin ‘remember (that you have) to die’), or also memento mortis, “remember death”, is the Latin medieval designation of the theory and practice of the reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Elizabethan drama, gothic and paranormal, Great Britain, legends and myths, medieval, mystery, real life tales, religion | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Adder Stones? Hag Stones? Witch Stones? Magical Powers or False Hopes?

Adder Stones, Hag Stones, Witch Stones…Do You Know These? Adder stones are usually glass stones with a naturally occurring stone in them. Archaeologists have found them in both Britain and Egypt. In Britain, they stones are also called hag stones, … Continue reading

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, gothic and paranormal, legends and myths, Living in the UK | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil: The Three Monkeys

As part of my coming release of “The Prosecution of Mr. Darcy’s Cousin,” I completed research on the Three Mystic Apes, as there are references to the extended maxim within my story’s plot line. I thought you might enjoy a … Continue reading

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The Concept of a “Marriage of Convenience” as a Plot Line in Jane Austen’s Novels

What hope was there for the dowerless daughters of the middle class during Jane Austen’s lifetime? Such is a topic Austen explored repeatedly in her novels. Elizabeth and Jane Bennet sought men of a like mind. The Dashwood sisters found … Continue reading

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