Category Archives: legends and myths

Eccentrics of the Regency Series: Scrope Berdmore Davies

In 1976, the New York Daily News reported a story of an unusual find in the Barclay Bank’s vaults. Scrope Davies’s leather trunk was identified, and as Davies being a close associate of both Byron and Shelley, the news was … Continue reading

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Writing “The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy”

This interview originally was posted to The Dark Jane Austen Book Club website on March 18, 2013. My novel “The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy” is their book read for March. When did you begin with your Pride and Prejudice books? … Continue reading

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Eccentrics of the Regency Series: Robert Barclay Allardice

Known at Captain Barclay, Robert Barclay Allardice was in Scotland in August 1777. Compared to his sedentary contemporaries, Barclay was one of the most athletic men of his time. Barclay came by his athletic tendencies honestly. His family is said … Continue reading

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Eccentrics of the Regency: Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford

Francis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford (11 March 1777 – 1 March 1842), styledViscount Beauchamp between 1793 and 1794 and Earl of Yarmouth between 1794 and 1822, was a British Tory politician and art collector. Seymour-Conway was the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd … Continue reading

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Interview with Regina Jeffers from Random Bits of Fascination

This interview originally ran on Random Bits of Fascination, the blog of fellow Austen author, Maria Grace. Writing is such a challenging endeavor. What got you started on it, and what keeps you doing it? In November 2008, I was … Continue reading

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The Highland Lady: Elizabeth Grant

At the beginning of the 19th Century, Edinburgh, Scotland, held its position as one of the world’s intellectual centers. The Scottish Enlightenment held a reputation for developing some the most gifted minds of the period. One of the leaders of … Continue reading

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Characteristic of the Gothic in My Austen-Inspired Novels

First, those who read Gothic novels know that Horace Walpole started the phenomenon with his The Castle of Otranto way back in 1764. We define a Gothic novel based on the characteristics we find in Walpole’s work. With the March release of … Continue reading

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Eccentrics of the Regency Period Series: Charles Stanhope, Lord Petersham

Eccentricity was not social suicide during the Regency, as long as Society’s pundits had given their approval. Occasionally, eccentricity was considered quite fashionable. During the Regency, Lord Petersham was as popular as Beau Brummell, but we know little of him … Continue reading

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Plough Monday and Molly Dancing: British Traditions

The Oxford Dictionary of English Folk Lore describes a plough jag as, “One of the three main types of mumming play, found only in the East Midlands, and first reported in the 1820s. Performances were concentrated on Plough Monday,  but could … Continue reading

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Would You Recognize a Hunky Punk?

“Hunky Punk” is a West Country (UK) word for grotesque carvings on the side of English buildings, especially churches. The word originated in Somerset and is ascribed to the Old English word “hunkers,” which means haunches and “punchy,” which means … Continue reading

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