Category Archives: medieval

The Quem Quaeritis Trope, the Roots of Liturgical Drama

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

 The first Easter or Quem Quaeritis trope had its beginnings in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Gall, Switzerland. (The script of this first trope and an accompanying translation can be found below.) The Easter trope became the model for similar … Continue reading →

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All Hallow’s Eve During the Regency

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

For this piece, I pulled together bits of information on All Hallow’s Eve from a variety of sources, all of which are cited within the post. I hope you enjoy learning of some of Halloween’s traditions.  All Hallow’s Eve (Halloween … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, history, holidays, Ireland, Jane Austen, legends, legends and myths, medieval, Northanger Abbey, real life tales, religion, Scotland, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on All Hallow’s Eve During the Regency

March 25, Lady Day – What are the Quarter Days in UK?

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

In the Western liturgical year, Lady Day is the traditional name in some English-speaking countries of the Feast of the Annunciation, which is celebrated on 25 March, and commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, holidays, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, medieval, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, religion, research | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on March 25, Lady Day – What are the Quarter Days in UK?

St. Agnes Eve, a Plot Point in “A Dance with Mr. Darcy” + Excerpt

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

A major turning point in my latest Austen-inspired vagary, A Dance with Mr. Darcy, comes when Lydia convinces Elizabeth to join in the St  Agnes Eve festivities.  But who was St Agnes? And why would we still celebrate her? Meredith Ringel … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, books, customs and tradiitons, eBooks, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, legends, legends and myths, medieval, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, research, Scotland, Vagary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 37 Comments

“Deck the Hall” with Music and History

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

I recently attended the local Christmas Parade for our rural community. You can keep your Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, for there is nothing better than watching young children scrambling for candy thrown by the various floats. Young, shining face, full … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, history, medieval, music, Scotland, Wales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Very “Real” Estate: Vicars’ Close, Wells, Somerset, England

Posted on November 24, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

The oldest purely residential street in England is known as Vicars’ Close, which is located in Wells, Somerset, England, and dates from the mid 14th Century.  Planned by Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury, at one time it was 42 separate houses, … Continue reading →

Posted in architecture, British history, buildings and structures, customs and tradiitons, England, Great Britain, history, medieval, research | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How NOT to Do Away with One’s Hero or Heroine …

Posted on July 26, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

How often have you read a Regency based story and the author uses some sort of concoction to incapacitate the hero or the heroine? Heck, I have written that plot line several times. Yet, what was the truth of this action?

Mostly used during the period were opium based and alcohol based mixtures and were used for pain. Some were plant based in could be found among the herbal realm, but, generally, nothing during the day worked efficiently and safely. Part of the problem was the dosage could not be adjusted for the person’s weight and medical history, as one might find today. A woman like my 95 pounds mother might be given the same dosage as a 200 pounds man. Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, excerpt, food and drink, Georgian England, Georgian Era, herbs, heroines, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, medicine, medieval, reading, reading habits, Realm series, Regency romance, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How NOT to Do Away with One’s Hero or Heroine …

Celebrating the Release of “Regency Summer Scandals” Anthology + a Giveaway

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

In my latest tale, Loving Lord Lindmore, my heroine has some hoydenish tendencies, for the stories in the A Regency Summer Scandal Anthology, are all about scandals and who commits them. Lady Cora has been taught to use a knife … Continue reading →

Posted in anthology, book release, British history, Dreamstone Publishing, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, medieval, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Kilts and Tartans and the Wearing of the Plaid (as we say in the U.S.)

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

The idea of identification of one tartan to a clan is fairly recent in a historical perspective.  Those of us who write Regency era based stories have a more difficult time than others historical periods to discover an actual clan name and its supporting colors. Most of the tartans identified to a clan came about in Victorian times, so just had to be careful. They were created by tailors during that time period. Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, fashion, film, Georgian England, history, Living in the Regency, medieval, military, Regency era, research, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Entails and Common Recovery

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

As always happens, I received a number of questions on Wednesday’s post on A Debt-Ridden Inheritance about the legality of all this. Back in feudal times, land was given from lord to tenant in exchange for services. This “service” could … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, estates, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, Inheritance, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, medieval, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Entails and Common Recovery