Category Archives: real life tales

Not Worth the Paper It’s Written On…

Recently, while working on my WIP (work in progress), I spent several hours researching the paper used during the Regency Period. My character was wrapping several dresses in paper to place in storage. My first thought was tissue paper, but … Continue reading

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Finding Elizabeth Bennet in Film

Emphasis on Elizabeth Bennet… In a previous post, we discussed how Andrew Davies “created” the image of a very masculine and virile Darcy by adding scenes to the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Some of us probably participated in “Darcy Loving Parties” at … Continue reading

Posted in film, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

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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Eccentrics of the Regency Period Series: “The Golden Ball” or Edward Hughes Ball Hughes

Edward Hughes Ball Hughes, also known as “The Golden Ball,” was an English dandy infamous for his extravagant lifestyle. Born in May 1798, Hughes was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He spent some time in the 7th Hussars … Continue reading

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Living in Regency England – Heating the House

From the Georgian Period forward, the majority of the London townhouses were heated by coal rather than wood. Thus, members of Society and visitors to the City “enjoyed” the ever-preent film of coal dust in the air. In the late … 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

Posted in British history, gothic and paranormal, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

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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Do You Speak Jane Austen? (Part 3)

The last third of the alphabet was a bit of a challenge. The letters “x” and “z” were less than cooperative. I searched Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Parkfor the letters, but was, generally, unsuccessful. “X” was impossible to … Continue reading

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Jane Austen and Feminism

In 1968, the Women’s Liberation Movement staged a demonstration at the annual Miss America Beauty pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They protested the idea that the most important thing about a woman is how she looks. Women’s liberation attacked … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , | 7 Comments