Category Archives: primogenture

Being a “Gentleman” in Regency England

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

 In 1583 Sir Thomas Smith wrote: “One who can live idly and without manual labour and will bear the port (deportment) and countenance of a gentleman, he shall be taken for a gentleman.” But what does “being a gentleman” entail? … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, George Wickham, Georgian England, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, Regency era | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Regency Romance Series Month: His American Heartsong: A Companion Book to the Realm Series

Posted on November 26, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

At the request of my readers, I created Lawrence Lowery’s story. In my Realm series, you first met Sir Carter’s older brother Lawrence in A Touch of Velvet when the future baron came to Linton Park at the request of Viscount … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, books, British history, eBooks, estates, Georgian England, historical fiction, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage, primogenture, Realm series, titles of aristocracy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Regency Romance Series Month: His American Heartsong: A Companion Book to the Realm Series

Primogeniture and Inheritance and the Need for a Widow’s Pension in Jane Austen’s Novels

Posted on September 15, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

By Jane Austen’s time, primogeniture was no longer the law of the land, but it remained a strongly entrenched custom of inheritance proceedings. Breaking apart large landholdings were frowned upon. An impoverished aristocracy, whose wealth rested in the agricultural realm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, customs and tradiitons, estates, family, Georgian England, Inheritance, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Primogeniture and Inheritance and the Need for a Widow’s Pension in Jane Austen’s Novels

Peerage Law in Georgian England

Posted on January 27, 2021 by Regina Jeffers

TITLES (IN DISPUTE): One could not renounce an English title.  In the mid 20th century,  a law was passed allowing a man to disclaim a title he had not yet taken up. However, the title became “dormant,” and no one … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Inheritance, peerage, primogenture, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Peerage Law in Georgian England

Female Inheritance Laws + an Excerpt from MR. DARCY’S BRIDEs

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Regina Jeffers

Under English law, women were subordinate to their husbands. It was expected that she was under the “protection and influence of her husband, her baron, or lord.” The law stated the old adage of “two shall become one.” She was … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, estates, excerpt, giveaway, Inheritance, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, publishing, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The Common Practice of Primogeniture in Regency England

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Regina Jeffers

Of late, I have been studying the laws and statutes that comprised the practice of primogeniture in Regency England. In truth, I can only work on the project for a few hours each day for some of the material is … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, Anglo-Saxons, British history, business, commerce, Georgian England, history, Living in the Regency, marriage customs, primogenture, Scotland, titles of aristocracy, Wales | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Effects of Primogeniture on Family Dynamics

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Regina Jeffers

 As a writer of historical fiction set in England during the Regency era, I am constantly dealing with the ramifications of the practice and the law of primogeniture. In primogeniture, the first born legitimate son is the sole inheritor of … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, eBooks, Great Britain, history, Living in the UK, primogenture | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Oh, What Tangled Webs We Weave: The Complicated Banbury Peerage Case

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Regina Jeffers

In writing historicals set in England in the early 1800s, it is necessary for me to possess more than a working knowledge of primogeniture, which is both the custom and the law of inheritance in practice at that time. In … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, historical fiction, history, Inheritance, Jane Austen, marriage, primogenture, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Tale of Richard Bertie Continues, Part III

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

  Briefly, Richard Bertie (ca. 1517 – 9 April 1582) was an English landowner and religious evangelical. He was the second husband of Catherine Willoughby, 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby and Duchess Dowager of Suffolk. As his wife was a baroness in her … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, England, estates, heraldry, Inheritance, marriage, marriage customs, peerage, primogenture, research, titles of aristocracy | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Tale of Richard Bertie Continues, Part III

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

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Regina Jeffers

Like Barry Lyndon (see post on November 27, 2017), Richard Bertie was born of humble origins, but aspired to claim a peerage through marriage. Bertie (ca. 1517 – 9 April 1582) made an astounding marriage to the widowed Duchess of … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Elizabeth I, family, history, Inheritance, marriage, peerage, primogenture, real life tales | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Richard Bertie’s Attempt to Become Lord Willoughby d’Eresby ~ Part I