Category Archives: real life tales

Fencibles: Defending the Homeland + an excerpt from “Mr. Darcy’s Inadvertent Bride”

Posted on May 16, 2022 by reginajeffers

Fencibles were the British “defense” (from the word ‘defencible’) forces raised for a specific war. They were raised for defense against the treat of invasion during the Seven Years’ War, the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, the … Continue reading →

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, military, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, war, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Babington Plot to Kill Queen Elizabeth I

Posted on May 11, 2022 by reginajeffers

Anthony Babington, the third child and eldest son of Henry Babington, was born into a wealthy Catholic family in Dethick, Derbyshire, in October 1561. The bells of the church announced his birth to the world; yet, his plotting would destroy his family. … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Elizabeth I, England, history, kings and queens, real life tales, religion, research, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Strict Social Structure of Jane Austen’s Novels

Posted on April 27, 2022 by reginajeffers

Overall, the early 19th Century novels were those that expressed society in realistic terms. Austen’s novels, as well as others of her time, immerse the reader in the various levels of society, the social strata, so to speak. Austen does … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, British currency, British history, customs and tradiitons, estates, Georgian England, Inheritance, Jane Austen, literature, Living in the Regency, marriage, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A Levirate Marriage? Art Thou Thy Brother’s Keeper?

Posted on April 20, 2022 by reginajeffers

Recently, I listened to a minister discuss what is known as a Levirate Marriage, a marriage between the widow and the husband’s brother. Many Christians, especially those in the Western world, consider this a reprehensible action, but the Bible does … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Levirate marriage, Living in the Regency, real life tales, world history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Death of Princess Charlotte, Signaling the End of the Hanoverian Line of Succession Was on the Horizon

Posted on April 11, 2022 by reginajeffers

[Image: Engraving of Princess Caroline from La Belle Assemblée (1806)] Much to the surprise and relief of George III’s England, his son George, Prince of Wales, fulfilled his duty by marrying Princess Caroline of Brunswick on 8 April 1795. Although they were … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Elizabethan drama, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, marriage customs, real life tales, Regency personalities, royalty, tradtions, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Death of Princess Charlotte, Signaling the End of the Hanoverian Line of Succession Was on the Horizon

The “Royal” Legacy of the Marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Posted on April 4, 2022 by reginajeffers

Alexandrina Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India  (1819 – 1901) + Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel, Prince Albert of Saxe-Colburg and Gotha, Prince Consort (1819 – 1861)              Their Children Were… … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, real life tales, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Voidable Marriage in History: Marrying the Sister of One’s Late Wife or the Brother of One’s Late Husband

Posted on March 28, 2022 by reginajeffers

A plot we readers often encounter in historical romance set in the Regency Period is when the hero takes up with his late wife’s sister. But was it possible? “For most of the nineteenth century, the question of whether a … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, marriage, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The Characterization of Elinor Dashwood in Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”

Posted on March 23, 2022 by reginajeffers

Austen began writing Elinor and Marianne as an epistolary novel in 1795. It was published as Sense and Sensibility in 1811. The novel set the tone for many of Austen’s titles: defiance of the social and economic barriers to marriage and … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Great Britain, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Turmoil in Europe and Queen Victoria’s England

Posted on February 28, 2022 by reginajeffers

Mourning was one of the great constants in Queen Victoria’s life. The Queen and her beloved Albert lost his maternal step grandmother, Princess Karoline Amalie of Hesse-Kassel, in February 1848. In her journal, Queen Victoria wrote, “My poor Albert is quite … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, commerce, Great Britain, history, real life tales, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Story of the Botanics’ Sabal Palm Tree, a Living Vestige of the Regency, a Guest Post from Eliza Shearer

Posted on February 25, 2022 by reginajeffers

This post originally appeared on the Austen Authors’ blog on October 12, 2020. Enjoy! I am a proud Edinburgh resident. As such, I’m spoilt for choice when it comes to reminders of the Regency, from windows and house doors to family portraits in museums … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Mansfield Park, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Story of the Botanics’ Sabal Palm Tree, a Living Vestige of the Regency, a Guest Post from Eliza Shearer