Category Archives: real life tales

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

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

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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

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Very “Real” Estate: Axminster

Axminster is a market town and civil parish of about 6,000 on the eastern border of Devon. The town is built upon a hill and overlooks the River Axe. The town dates back to around 300 BC. There was once … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, commerce, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Industrial Revolution, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Scandal Abounds in Brocket Hall’s History

The official Brocket Hall website tells us, “Brocket Hall has one of the most intriguing of any of the great houses of Britain. Indeed the scent of scandal can be found in the fabric of the building back to its … Continue reading

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, peerage, real life tales, Victorian era, William IV | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Walk in Jane Austen’s Shoes, a Guest Post from Sophie Turner

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors on February 16, 2018. I thought you might enjoy the lovely images Ms. Turner shares.  My series on resort towns and my travels has thus far only tangentially touched on Jane Austen, but … Continue reading

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“Very Real” Estate ~ Whitehaven, A Port City on England’s Western Coastline

Whitehaven is a Georgian town situated on the west coast of Cumbria. It was one of the first post-Renaissance planned towns in England. At the end of the 16th Century, Whitehaven consisted of less than a dozen thatched cottages. By … Continue reading

Posted in American History, British history, buildings and structures, Living in the UK, real life tales | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Between the Lines: Sisterhood and Serendipitous Elusiveness, a Guest Post by Gabrielle Mullarkey

BETWEEN THE LINES Sisterhood and serendipitous elusiveness Jane Austen, like many great artists, reaches out to us across time as both a living presence glimpsed between the lines of her own words and as an image orchestrated and reconstructed endlessly … Continue reading

Posted in Austen Authors, British history, customs and tradiitons, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Guest Post, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Pride and Prejudice, reading habits, real life tales, Regency era, Regency personalities, suspense, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Between the Lines: Sisterhood and Serendipitous Elusiveness, a Guest Post by Gabrielle Mullarkey

UK Underground: Chistlehurst Caves, the Setting for “A Touch of Emerald: The Conclusion of the Realm Series”

Yesterday, we had a closer look at Book 8 of my Realm series, A Touch of Emerald. This piece is on where much of the action of the story takes place. Near the railroad station in what is now Bromley … Continue reading

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Jane Austen’s Problematic Health, a Guest Post from Kyra Kramer

This post originally appeared on Austen Authors in December 2017. Predicting the due date of a pregnancy is a matter of guesswork, even in these modern times. Babies are notorious for following their own schedule rather than the convenience of … Continue reading

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Moral Ramifications of Wife Sales

  Last week, I looked at Wife Selling as a Means to a Moral Divorce, but Not Necessarily a Legal One. Today, I will stay with the moral aspects of this practice of the late 1700s and the first half of … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, history, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Moral Ramifications of Wife Sales