Category Archives: kings and queens

Dukes: a Dime a Dozen… British Peerages

Those of us who write historical romances love our dukes. We create them left and right. I have two, which is not a large number when one considers I have 50 novels available: Brantley Fowler from A Touch of Velvet: … Continue reading

Posted in Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Saxons, British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, kings and queens, legacy, Living in the UK, peerage, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What is the Difference Between a Peerage That is “Dormant,” “Extinct” or in “Abeyance”?

I was recently looking for names and titles to use for characters in a list of extinct  and abeyant peerages in an online copy of  Debrett’s from the mid 1800s. Some of the titles in abeyance had been in that state since the … Continue reading

Posted in British history, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, Inheritance, kings and queens, Living in the Regency, peerage, real life tales, Regency romance, research, writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on What is the Difference Between a Peerage That is “Dormant,” “Extinct” or in “Abeyance”?

Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex: Two Illegal Marriages

    The sixth son and ninth child of King George III and Queen Charlotte, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, was known to have convulsive asthma’; therefore, he did not join his brothers Ernest, Duke of Cumberland, and Adolphus, … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, kings and queens, Living in the Regency, marriage, Napoleonic Wars, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era, William IV | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Roderick Maclean’s Attempt to Kill Queen Victoria

The last of the attempts on Queen Victoria’s life came on March 2, 1882. Unlike the previous attempts, this one was dangerous because by that date, weapons were well beyond the single shot volley stage. Roderick Maclean’s gun held six … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, England, history, kings and queens, research, royalty, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Roderick Maclean’s Attempt to Kill Queen Victoria

The “Hunchback’s” Attempt to Kill Queen Victoria

Two weeks after John Francis’s second attack on Queen Victoria, the 16-year-old John William Bean made an attempt to assassinate the Queen. “In 19th century Britain, treason had its own special rules of evidence and procedure, which made it difficult to … Continue reading

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Did Edward Oxford Really Shoot Prince Albert?

On Monday of this week, I added a post to the blog regarding Edward Oxford, the man who was the first to make an attempt on Queen Victoria’s life. However, afterwards, I was wondering if Oxford was the one who … Continue reading

Posted in British history, film adaptations, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, kings and queens, marriage, Victorian era, weaponry | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Richard Bertie’s Attempt to Become Lord Willoughby d’Eresby ~ Part II

This post is a continuation of the one from September 3, which introduced my readers to Richard Bertie and his unsuccessful attempt to become Lord Willoughby d’Eresby.  Richard Bertie married the widowed Duchess of Suffolk and had issue by her, … Continue reading

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Elizabeth I, estates, Inheritance, kings and queens, marriage, peerage, research, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Richard Bertie’s Attempt to Become Lord Willoughby d’Eresby ~ Part II

English Drama and the Origins of Censorship

Of late, on social media we have been bombarded with what is termed “obscenities.” We writers are often accused by “reviewers” of writing obscenities or sexually explicit scenes when in our estimations, we are writing PG scenes. The problem is … Continue reading

Posted in Age of Chaucer, British history, Church of England, drama, kings and queens, playwrights, religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on English Drama and the Origins of Censorship

Very “Real” Estate ~ Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire ~ Church for Robin Hood and Maid Marian’s Wedding???

 In 633 A. D., King Edwin of Northumbria (King of Deira and Bernicia), a Saxon, whose kingdom at the time stretched from the River Trent, which marks the boundary between the Midlands and the north of England, to Edinburgh (Edwin’s borough), … Continue reading

Posted in Anglo-Saxons, British history, buildings and structures, kings and queens, legends and myths, medieval | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Very “Real” Estate ~ Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire ~ Church for Robin Hood and Maid Marian’s Wedding???

The Village of Ewelme and Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk

In the wooded village of Ewelme in Oxfordshire, we discover an elaborate church monument incorporating a cadaver tomb at St Mary’s Church. An alabaster tomb, remaining essentially undamaged by time, is the resting place of Alice Chaucer, granddaughter of Geoffrey … Continue reading

Posted in architecture, British history, buildings and structures, Chaucer, kings and queens, legacy, medieval, military, real life tales, war | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Village of Ewelme and Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk