Category Archives: history

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey ~ Tudor Poet

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Born in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, in 1517, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was the eldest of Thomas Howard and Lady Elizabeth Stafford’s children. Surrey was of royal descent on both the paternal and the maternal sides of his family. He received an … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, history, Tudors | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scotland’s Merrick Murder Hole and The Old Grey Man

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

  This article first appeared on the Dark Jane Austen Book Club Website on March 11, 2013.  The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy Shackled in the dungeon of a macabre castle with no recollection of her past, a young woman finds … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, gothic and paranormal, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, mystery, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, Scotland, spooky tales, Ulysses Press, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Scotland’s Merrick Murder Hole and The Old Grey Man

Princess Helena Augustus Victoria of the United Kingdom

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Queen Victoria gave birth to her third daughter, and fifth child, Princess Helena Augusta Victoria on 25, May 1846, one day after the queen’s twenty-seventh birthday. Named in honor of Princess Hélène of Orléans, Helena’s godmother. (Princess Hélène of Orléans was … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, family, Great Britain, history, marriage, royalty, Victorian era | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sir Thomas Wyatt (c. 1503 – 1542), 16th C English Ambassador and Lyrical Poet

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Born to Henry and Anne Wyatt at Allington Castle, near Maidstone, Kent, in 1503, Thomas Wyatt made his first appearance at the royal court in 1516 as Sewer Extraordinary to Henry VIII.  In 1516 he also entered St. John’s College, … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Britain, history, marriage, poetry, real life tales, romantic verse, Tudor | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do You Know The Origin of These Words and Phrases?

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Three Sheets to the Wind – Urban Dictionary defines this phrase to mean “to be explicitly drunk; inebriated.” The origin is likely found in practicality: Sheets actually refer to the ropes that are used to secure a ship’s sail. If the … Continue reading →

Posted in Age of Chaucer, Canterbury tales, etymology, history, Jane Austen, real life tales, tall tales, word origins, word play, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

John Skelton (1460 – 1529), Tudor Poet

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

The Poetry Foundation tells us something of John Skelton. “No one can deny the power, endurance, and memorable lines of the work of John Skelton; he is indisputably the first major Tudor poet, writing during the reigns of Edward IV, … Continue reading →

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19th Century Childbirth Before and After Princess Charlotte’s Death

Posted on June 7, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

(This post originally appeared on Geri Walton’s Unique Histories of the 18th and 19th Century blog.)  I am writing a new Regency era novel in which a forceps birth is required. To write the scene and the ramifications of the … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, medicine, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Meet Author Barbara Gaskell Denvil, Parachuting into Escapism with the Release of “Fair Weather”

Posted on June 3, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Today I welcome one of dear “internet” friends, Barbara Gaskell Denvil, who has an exciting new release. Barbara agree to a short interview so we could all learn more of her and LEARN you will. She is absolutely fascinating.  First, … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglo-Normans, book release, books, British history, castles, Guest Blog, Guest Post, historical fiction, history, interview, legacy, legends, mystery, reading habits, suspense, witchcraft acts | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Guano, “Fertile Fortune” of the 19th Century

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Regina Jeffers

Living in one of the Southern states in the U.S., the season when I do not “fight” the battle of bird droppings on my Buick Lacrosse does not exist. It is a fact of life that I pay for the … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, commerce, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era, Vagary, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Guano, “Fertile Fortune” of the 19th Century