Not Worth the Paper It’s Written On…

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

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 before I could add “tissue paper” to the story line, I needed to know if it was used during the period. Below are some of the facts I discovered during my research.

According to the Library of Congress website, “Paper-based materials that are more than 150 years old are in better shape than others that are less than 50.” The composition of paper leads to the rapidity of its deterioration. For example, those papers made with cellulose chains deteriorate quickly in acidic environments when moisture is present. The longer the cellulose chains, the stronger the paper.

Paper products of the 19th Century were commonly made from cotton and linen rags. Therefore, they held up well. Cotton paper fibers are longer than those in more modern paper products. Cotton paper is made from cotton linters or cotton from used cloths (rags) as the primary material source, hence the name rag paper. Cotton paper is superior in both strength and durability to wood pulp-based paper, which may contain high concentrations of acids.

Certain cotton fiber paper is known to last hundreds of years without appreciable fading, discoloration, or deterioration, so it is often used for important documents such as the archival copies of dissertations or theses. As a rule of thumb, for each percentage point of cotton fiber, a user may expect one year of resisting deterioration by use (the handling to which paper may be subjected). Legal document paper typically contains 25% cotton. Cotton paper will produce a better printout than copy paper  because it is able to absorb ink better.

Cotton paper is typically graded as 25%, 50%, or 100% cotton. Holding the cotton paper up to the light and looking just below the watermark for a number allows one to check the quality of the paper. 100% cotton paper may contain small amounts of acids and should be tested or certified before use for archival documents.

Second-cut cotton linters have a normal average fiber length of 1.45 µm and have similar properties as a short softwood pulp. 

Cotton paper is used in some countries’ modern banknotes.  These banknotes are typically made from 100% cotton paper, but can also be made from a mixture of 75% or less flax.  Other materials may also be used and still be known as Currency paper.

Cotton bond paper can be found at most stores that sell stationery and other office products. Though most cotton paper contains a watermark, it is not necessary for it to have one. Higher quality art papers are often made from cotton.

Also it has found extensive use as a Printed Circuit Board substrate when mixed with epoxy resins and classified into CEM 1, CEM 2, etc.

Cotton was first used with a mixture of silk  to make paper called Carta Bombycina. In the 1800s, fiber crops such as linen  fibers or cotton from used cloths (rags) were the primary material source. By the turn of the 20th century most of the paper was made from wood pulp, but cotton is still used in specialty papers. As cotton rags now often contain synthetic fibers, papermakers have turned to second-cut cotton linters as raw material sources for making pulp for cotton papers.

Newsprint breaks down the fastest. Made from ground wood pulp, the pulp is not first treated chemically. Paper, which is used for fine printing and for writing paper, has this chemical treatment. Newsprint is also subject to photolytic degradation (damaged from exposure to light).

Other than alkaline paper, most modern book paper have a short shelf life. Improper storage leads to a quicker decomposition of the paper. Alkaline paper has some sort of alkaline reserve. Chalk and other such reserves neutralize the acid, which destroys the fibers, and give the paper a whiter color. Alkaline paper can last indefinitely. A permanence mark, an infinity symbol within a circle, is often found on this type of paper.

An alum-rosin sizing agent is added to modern paper to prevent the printing inks from feathering. The sizing agent generates sulfuric acid when moisture is present.

HISTORY:

Although cheaper than vellum, paper remained expensive, at least in book-sized quantities, through the centuries, until the advent of steam-driven paper making machines in the 19th century, which could make paper with fibers from wood pulp. Although older machines predated it, the Fourdrinier papermaking machine became the basis for most modern papermaking. Nicholas  Louis Robert of Essonnes, France, was granted a patent for a continuous papermaking machine in 1799. At the time he was working for Leger Didot, with whom he had quarreled over the ownership of the invention.

a fifty euro watermark held up to the light

a fifty euro watermark held up to the light

Didot sent his brother-in-law, John Gamble, to meet Sealy and Henry Fourdrinier, stationers of London, who agreed to finance the project. Gamble was granted British patent 2487 on 20 October 1801. With the help particularly of Bryan Donkin, a skilled and ingenious mechanic, an improved version of the Robert original was installed at Frogmore, Hertfordshire, in 1803, followed by another in 1804. A third machine was installed at the Fourdriniers’ own mill at Two Waters. The Fourdriniers also bought a mill at St. Neots intending to install two machines there and the process and machines continued to develop.

However, experiments with wood showed no real results in the late 18th-century and at the start of the 19th-century. By 1800, Matthias Koops (in London, England) further investigated the idea of using wood to make paper, and in 1801 he wrote and published a book titled Historical account of the substances which have been used to describe events, and to convey ideas, from the earliest date, to the invention of paper.

His book was printed on paper made from wood shavings (and adhered together). No pages were fabricated using the pulping method (from either rags or wood). He received financial support from the royal family to make his printing machines and acquire the materials and infrastructure need to start his printing business. But his enterprise was short lived. Only a few years following his first and only printed book (the one he wrote and printed), he went bankrupt. The book was very well done (strong and had a fine appearance), but it was very costly.

Then in the 1830s and 1840s, two men on two different continents took up the challenge, but from a totally new perspective. Both Charles Fenerty and Friedrich Gottlob Keller began experiments with wood but using the same technique used in paper making; instead of pulping rags, they thought about pulping wood. And at about the same time, by mid-1844, they announced their findings. They invented a machine that extracted the fibres from wood (exactly as with rags) and made paper from it. Charles Fenerty also bleached the pulp so that the paper was white. This started a new era for papermaking. By the end of the 19th-century almost all printers in the Western World were using wood in lieu of rags to make paper.

Together with the invention of the practical fountain pen and the mass-produced pencil of the same period, and in conjunction with the advent of the steam driven rotary printing press, wood based paper caused a major transformation of the 19th century economy and society in industrialized countries. With the introduction of cheaper paper, schoolbooks, fiction, non-fiction, and newspapers became gradually available by 1900. Cheap wood based paper also meant that keeping personal diaries or writing letters became possible and so, by 1850, the clerk, or writer, ceased to be a high-status job.

The original wood-based paper was acidic due to the use of alum and more prone to disintegrate over time, through processes known as slow fires. Documents written on more expensive rag paper were more stable. Mass-market paperback books still use these cheaper mechanical papers, but book publishers can now use acid-free paper for hardback and trade paperback books.

Note! The Library of Congress site also discusses the Development of Solutions for Preservation of Books and Paper and The Synergy of Deacidification and Improved Storage.

Posted in British history, Industry News/Publishing, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Finding Elizabeth Bennet in Film

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

138837600982011704_eanWPsHY_bEmphasis 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 the time of this mini-series’ release.

Today, I would like to examine the visual shift of “desire” to Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 film. Casting the beautiful Keira Knightley in the lead role changed the focus. Choosing Ms. Knightley, who had established herself in Bend It Like Beckham, King Arthur, Love Actually, and The Pirates of the Caribbean, was designed to appeal to a younger and wider audience. Add Joe Wright’s emphasis on social realism to Knightley’s casting, and we have a film that grossed over $125 million worldwide.

Knightley’s casting could have backfired. Remember that Austen describes the character as, “She (Elizabeth) is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me.” and “But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she had hardly a good feature in her face ….” and “Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her form ….” Obviously, the casting of the equally lovely Rosamund Pike as Jane helped to “sell” the idea that Elizabeth’s fair face was less than her elder sister’s.

In the 2005 film, Elizabeth (Knightley) is found in EVERY scene, from the opening shot of her walking home while reading her book to the final kiss in the American version. The camera follows Elizabeth through the house. We see her world through Elizabeth’s eyes. When she walks away from Darcy at the Meryton assembly, everyone else pales, but our focus remains constant on Elizabeth. She is framed by the retreating camera lens.

When Elizabeth and Jane share secrets under the blankets, the audience is invited to join them. When she sensually traces Darcy’s belongings with her fingertips, we feel Elizabeth’s longing for a man she has allowed to slip through her fingers.

Through the camera, the viewer is always at Elizabeth’s side. We read over her shoulder in the opening scene. We enjoy the interplay between Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet regarding Mr. Collins’s pomposity. We hide behind a Netherfield column with her when her family’s actions bring humiliation. We observe Darcy’s approach through the morning mist as Elizabeth would, and we peek through the open door as she watches Darcy spin his sister around in circles.

Even when we have the occasional film seconds when Knightley is not in the framing, the scene pans to Elizabeth’s presence. It’s as if the camera leads us back to her. The maid carries items through the Bennet household and ends up in Elizabeth and Jane’s shared room. The intimate scene of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s bedroom guides us to another meeting between Jane and Elizabeth. Darcy’s appreciation of Georgiana’s pianoforte skills lead the viewer to Elizabeth’s accepting his invitation to Pemberley.

Knightley’s star power is “lessened” by her appearance in dingy, drab dresses and having her surrounded by a “working” home: animals, a barnyard swing, the kitchen, clothes lines, disarray. These techniques “muffle” Knightley’s beauty and allow the viewer to accept her as Austen’s most famous character. In contrast to the 1995 film, Matthew Macfadyen’s Darcy is often shot from a distance and always fully clothed (minus the American ending again). Even his open-shirt appearance in the pre-dawn hours is viewed from Elizabeth’s point of view. He’s coming to her. She waits for him. Therefore, she remains the center of attention.

Wright’s “extra” scenes direct the desire to Elizabeth. Davies’s film showed Darcy in his bath and diving into a pond to increase Colin Firth’s role. Wright uses the near kiss from Darcy’s first proposal, the caress as Darcy helps Elizabeth to the carriage, and the seductive circling of Darcy and Elizabeth at the Netherfield Ball as part of the film’s sexual subtext. These and several other scenes amplify the desire for Elizabeth.

One part of the film that has received much criticism is the way this adaptation minimizes the relationship between Elizabeth and Wickham and between Elizabeth and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Wright chose to omit Austen’s diversions because Elizabeth is the one to be desired, and Elizabeth desires Darcy. In this version, we do not consider her flirtation with either man as serious possibilities. In the 2005 film, Wickham spends more time with Lydia than he does with Elizabeth.

Okay, it is your turn. Where else in the film is Elizabeth the point of desire? How has her character been created? I have other ideas, but I am waiting for our Austen Authors’ loyal fans to add their own opinions.

Holden, Stephen. “Marrying off Those Bennet Sisters Again, but This Time Elizabeth is a Looker.” Review of Pride and Prejudice. The New York Times. 11 Nov. 2005. {http://movies2.nytimes.com/2005/11/11/movies/11prid.html?ex=1176782400&en=97912be821dd7738&ei=5070}

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

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

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 still in the classroom as a teacher. I was explaining to my Advanced Placement class about voice and syntax, and I had pulled several examples of classic literature and popular literature for the students’ examinations. The lesson was in preparation of their reading Pride and Prejudice and later, Ethan Frome. I was highly critical of one of the samples, and one student took up the challenge with “If you know how to do this, do it yourself.” And so, I began writing Darcy’s Passions, a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy’s point of view. I held no conceit or thoughts of glory. I simply wished to answer a student’s challenge so that I might return with one of my own.

I admit at the time, I knew very little of JAFF, and I had only read a few of the Austen-inspired authors. So, I was an absolute publishing virgin. The project came from my love of Austen, and it was the perfect way of encouraging the students to look for voice, syntax, etc. I am occasionally criticized for “grammatical” errors in Darcy’s Passions. What people do not realize is that the students originally had editorial say over the manuscript. I had never thought of publishing the story. When I finished each chapter, they would pursue it for errors, but mostly for continuity. For the classroom experience, I self published the book, even encouraged one of my students to draw the original cover. I had never thought of publishing traditionally. The book went to #8 on Amazon’s sales list, and Ulysses Press contacted me to offer a contract. In hindsight, I laugh at my naïveté. As publishing virgins go, I was clueless. Having spent years in the journalism field, I thought the editor would correct all the errors. It was my fault that I did not take more control of the final book. I signed off on the contract before I knew the why and the wherefore of being traditionally published. So, yes there are a few transitive and intransitive verb errors and even the occasional split infinitive. I admit I should have shown more diligence in the publishing realm. I learned my lesson, and 16 books later, I am a better writer for it. However, the occasional verb tense error does not take away from the story of Fitzwilliam Darcy’s anguish when he cannot win Elizabeth Bennet’s love and his glory at finally arriving the woman’s good graces. That is the beauty of Darcy’s Passions.

What did you do with your earliest efforts? Did anyone read them? Do you still have them?

My earliest efforts were in the performance realm. As a young person, I wrote stories in my head and acted them out. Other than fond memories, there is little remaining from my childhood of a creative slant. Some of my earliest efforts in writing news stories still exist; at least, there are copies of the stories in a box of memorabilia in one of my closets. In college, I occasionally wrote for The Parthenon, the university’s paper. After graduating from college, most of my writing efforts came in the form of grant proposals and curriculum instruction, which are far from “interesting” reading.

What made you choose to write in the genres/time periods you write in?

I have always loved period dramas. My mother was a period drama addict, and I come by my obsession naturally. She loved western epics, while I gravitated toward the early years of the 19th Century, first in America, and later in England. When I discovered Jane Austen’s works, I found my niche. To date, I have written eight Austen-inspired novels and one short story, six Regency romances, and two contemporary ones.

What do you enjoy most in the writing process? What parts of it do you really dislike?

I am a pantser, meaning I write “by the seat of my pants.” I have an umbrella idea of what will happen in the book, but not every detail is set prior to my putting pen to paper. Therefore, I am often surprised at the twists and turns the story takes, and I do so love that “ah-ha” moment. I dance about the room and want to shout news of my “genius” to the heavens.

On the other hand, I struggle with description. Our lovely Jane Austen rarely gave us specific tidbits of the setting (describing the house, the lawn, the skyline, etc.), nor did she describe many of her characters’ physical appearances. I would like to say, I have followed Miss Austen’s style, but the truth is in journalism all those bits of information are omitted from the story. After all, a lead in a news story is typically 20-30 words to tell the 5 W’s + H. Therefore, I write my story, and then I go back and add tag lines/description where it appears needed.

One of the other things about the writing process, which pierces most writers’ thick skins, is the review process. I rarely look at reviews on Amazon or Barnes & Noble because, truthfully, some people take great pleasure in destroying a writer’s reputation. I get the fact that some people will like the book and some won’t. I can live with those types of remarks. Of course, I want everyone to love my stories as much as I, but I am a realist. However, when someone posts a review that has nothing to do with the story or the author, but still rates the book as a 1, that bothers me. How is an author, for example, to blame that the seller did not deliver the book in a timely manner?

If you write in multiple genres, how do you make the switch from one to the other? Do you find it a welcome change, crazy making, or a little of both?

Switching from Austen-inspired literature to Regency romance is not a great leap. How the characters speak and react to certain social situations remain much the same. Although I do not add sex to a book simply for the sensationalism, my Regencies are a bit sexier than are the Austen titles. My characters, whether Austen or Regency or contemporary, are not promiscuous. Obviously, there are distinct changes in dialogue and the role of women and social interactions in my contemporaries as opposed to the Regencies. Being permitted to use a contraction in a modern story, for example, is a great relief. I often say that the Wickham/Lydia drama of Pride and Prejudice could not easily translate into the modern story line. In a country where people need only to fly to Las Vegas to marry within hours of their arrival, Darcy giving chance nearly a week after the elopement proves null. Overall, I prefer to stay with the Regency Period, but I have enjoyed the two contemporaries I have on the market. They were sweet diversions.

Historical fiction takes a lot of research. What is the most memorable or interesting thing you have learned along the way?

In research for Captain Wentworth’s Persuasion, I discovered the story of Captain Sir Thomas, Lord Cochrane, a man who exceeded naval fiction. At the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Cochrane presented the future George IV with a secret proposal, which would revolutionalize warfare. At the time, Wellington was struggling in Spain, and the British Navy, which was greatly overextended by the blockade of French ports, was holding Bonaparte’s warships in check. Lord Cochrane had known great success, having earned 75,000 pounds sterling in prize money. His later raids on the Biscay Coast caused Napoleon to label Cochrane as ‘le loup des mers’ (the sea wolf).

Cochrane’s plan was to reduce the need for the blockades. He proposed the use of “the temporary mortar,” or “explosive ship.” In Cochrane’s plan, the decks and inner shell of a ship would be removed and the hull braced with heavy timbers. In the ship’s bottom, a layer of clay would be added. Embedded in the clay would be metal scraps and obsolete ordnance pieces. A thick layer of powder, rows of shells, and animal carcasses came next. When detonated, the mortar would blast a lethal load in a lofty arc. In addition, Cochrane wanted “stink ships” to attack the land fortifications. In these ships, the upper deck would remain, but it would be covered by a layer of charcoal and followed by one of sulphur. The resulting noxious clouds created by the explosion would cover the land fortifications with a choking gas. In other words, Lord Cochrane advocated saturation bombing and chemical warfare.

How do you keep all your research information and plot ideas organized and accessible?

For each book, I keep a “History of…” the title. In each “History,” I record details, such as a list of characters and important details regarding them. For example, I record the name of a character’s horse, his physical appearance, a family tree (especially for the hero/heroine), his servants, etc. I also keep a bulleted list of events for each chapter. For my Realm series, that “History” includes all those details for the four completed books and the fifth one, upon which I am currently working. Finally, each “History” sports a list of historical references/historical notes I used for research.

What is the best piece of writing advice you have ever gotten?

A friend of my presented me with a plague containing a Benjamin Franklin quote. I display it on a shelf of my writing desk. It says, “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” I find my eye seeks out Franklin’s wisdom when I am struggling with a scene or a section of dialogue. I am also quite fond of Ernest Hemingway’s “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Of a personal nature, my favorite journalism teacher was known to say that a news reporter did not write characters. Later, when he discovered I was writing novels, he amended his advice to tell me that I should write “people,” not characters.

Tell us a little about your current project(s).


HisCropIn early February, I released “His,” an anthology containing two Regency based novellas. “His American Heartsong” gives us the tale of Lawrence Lowery, the future Baron Blakehell. Lowery is the older brother of Sir Carter Lowery from my Realm series. He has made brief appearances in three of my “Touch” books. “His American Heartsong” is HIS “happily ever after.”

Blurb: Lawrence Lowery has been the dutiful elder son his whole life, but when his father Baron Blakehell arranges a marriage with the insipid Annalee Dryburgh, Lowery must choose between his responsibility to his future estate and the one woman who makes sense in his life. By Society’s standards, Arabella Tilney is completely wrong to be the future Baroness–she is an American hoyden, who demands that Lowery do the impossible: Be the man he has always dreamed of being.

The second novella, “His Irish Eve,” is the story of Adam Lawrence, Viscount Stafford. Adam makes an appearance, a walk-through in stage terminology, in eight of my novels. In The Phantom of Pemberley, Adam Lawrence becomes an integral part of the Darcys solving the mystery of the Phantom. Many of my fans expressed a desire to learn more of Adam’s future, so this is HIS story.

Blurb: When the Earl of Greenwall sends his only son, Viscount Stafford, to retrieve the viscount’s by-blow, everything in Adam Lawrence’s life changes. Six years prior, Lawrence had released his former mistress Cathleen Donnell from his protection, only to learn in hindsight Cathleen was with child. Lawrence arrives in Cheshire to discover, not only a son, but also two daughters, as well as a strong-minded woman, who fascinates him from their first encounter. Aoife Kennice, the children’s caregiver, is a woman impervious to Adam’s usual tricks and ruses as one of England’s most infamous rakes. But this overconfident lord is about to do battle: A fight Adam must win–a fight for the heart of a woman worth knowing.

TMDOMD2coverThis month, I have released my newest Austenesque title. The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy brings readers another Pride and Prejudice cozy mystery.

Blurb: Fitzwilliam Darcy is devastated. The joy of his recent wedding has been cut short by the news of the sudden death of his father’s beloved cousin, Samuel Darcy. Elizabeth and Darcy travel to Dorset, a popular Regency resort area, to pay their respects to the well-traveled and eccentric Samuel. But this is no summer holiday. Danger bubbles beneath Dorset’s peaceful surface as strange and foreboding events begin to occur. Several of Samuel’s ancient treasures go missing, and then his body itself disappears. As Darcy and Elizabeth investigate this mystery and unravel its tangled ties to the haunting legends of Dark Dorset, the legendary couple’s love is put to the test when sinister forces strike close to home. Some secrets should remain secrets, but Darcy will do all he can to find answers—even if it means meeting his own end in the damp depths of a newly dug grave.

With malicious villains, dramatic revelations and heroic gestures, The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy will keep Austen fans turning the pages right up until its dramatic conclusion.

What is up next for you?

At the moment, I am working on book 5 of the Realm series. I hope to have A Touch of Mercy out by early May. That will be followed by book 6, A Touch of Love at the end of the 2013 calendar year. In February 2014, I will release Hers, which will again include two novellas. The first will be the story of John Swenton from the Realm series; the second will be the conclusion of that series and the whereabouts of the missing emerald. Finally, Ulysses Press and I are developing a new Austen story line to come out in early 2014.

The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Mysterious-Death-Mr-Darcy-Prejudice/dp/1612431739/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357665923&sr=1-1&keywords=the+mysterious+death+of+mr+darcy

Barnes & Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mysterious-death-of-mr-darcy-regina-jeffers/1112705054?ean=9781612431734

Books a Million

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Mysterious-Death-Mr-Darcy/Regina-Jeffers/9781612431734?id=5576661320540

Ulysses Press

http://ulyssespress.com/?books=mysterious-death-of-mr-darcy

Regina Jeffers

Website    www.rjeffers.com

Twitter @reginajeffers

Blog     https://reginajeffers.wordpress.com/

http://austenauthors.net

http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/

Facebook – Regina Jeffers Author Page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Regina-Jeffers-Author-Page/141407102548455

Posted in book excerpts, British history, Industry News/Publishing, Jane Austen, legends and myths, real life tales, Regency era, Ulysses Press, White Soup Press, writing | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Regina Jeffers from Random Bits of Fascination

Editing~The Most Dreadful Word in the English Language: Words Which People Often Confuse

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

 

As an author, I come across words all the time, which people frequently confuse. Do I sometimes make errors in these choices? Heck, yes. Do I attempt to eliminate the errors prior to a book’s release? ABSOLUTELY! Among those are

Affect = a verb meaning to influence
Effect = a noun meaning result
Effect = a verb meaning to cause an action
The explosive sound affected the crowd’s behavior.
The Cavs fans had little effect on the Miami Heat’s play.
The administration has effected how we see ourselves as students.

Agree To = used when referring to things
Agree With = used when referring to people
We agreed to the changes in policy.
We agreed with the experts in the field.

Amount = an indefinite quantity (cannot be counted)
Number = a quantity which can be counted
The amount of news consumed by individuals each day varies.
The number of people at the malls on Black Friday increased.

Amuse means to entertain or to hold someone’s attention. Bemuse means to bewilder, to confuse or to become lost in thought.

Backward is ALWAYS used; never use Backwards.
She stumbled backward into the arms of the man she loved.

Envelop = means to surround
Envelope = the paper wrapper for a letter

Ensure = to guarantee or to make certain
Insure = to purchase protection for life, health, etc.
Even an expensive stereo system cannot ensure good quality sound.
I will insure the package’s contents when I ship it.

Lead = a soft, heavy material
Lead = to guide, show the way, to be in command of
Led = past tense of the verb “lead”

Passed = is a verb
Past = is never a verb (can be a preposition, a noun, or an adjective)
He passed his test.
I walked past the cemetery on my way here.
In my past, I have done things of which I am not proud.
In the past year, my career has changed dramatically.

Intra meaans within or inside of, where Inter refers to between or with each other.

Interesting means to arouse curiosity or to excite attention; Intriguing means to beguile or puzzle.

Do not use where when the words in which are needed. Use where if you mean to point out a direction or a location, and in which when the reference is not to a direction or location.  For example: The teacher handed out an outline in which (not where) he listed the course requirements.

Poor = lack of financial stability
Pore = (verb) meaning to study or read; (noun) meaning small openings in the skin
Pour = to flow in a continuous stream

Precede = means to go before
The man preceded his wife in death
Proceed = means to continue
He could not proceed with the experiment

respectfully = in an honorable manner
respectively = listing person or things in order
Matthew MacFadyen has played Mr. Darcy and Aramis is Pride & Prejudice and The Three Musketeers, respectively.

Last = means “final”
The last week of the Winter Olympics features my favorite sport: ice skating.
Past = means “previous”
The past two weeks crawled by.

Emerge = to rise from obscurity
Sarah Palin emerged as a legitimate candidate, with whom people would align themselves after the 2008 elections.
Immerge = disappear into or plunge into
Alvin Green immerged quickly into the ranks of obscure candidates.

altogether = wholly; entirely
It is altogether too hot for December.
all together = every person or thing in the same place at the same time
We were all together at Christmas time.

all ready = everyone or everything is prepared or available for use
The PRHS players are all ready for the state championship game.
already = previously (in time)
We have already completed the last draft of the manuscript.

all right = giving permission; better than before
He said he felt all right after his bout with the flu.
It was all right with Mom that we stayed until the end of the game.
Alright is not a word!!!

So, what words and phrases confuse you? Do you have some such as “lie” and “lay,” which forever plague you?

Posted in Industry News/Publishing, writing | Tagged | 7 Comments

The Highland Lady: Elizabeth Grant

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

At the beginning of the 19th Century, Edinburgh, Scotland, held its position as one of the world’s intellectual centers. The Scottish Enlightenment held a reputation for developing some the most gifted minds of the period. One of the leaders of the group was Francis Jeffrey, a Scottish lawyer, and founder of the Edinburgh Review. Among the earliest contributors to the Whig magazine was Sydney Smith, Henry Brougham, John Murray, and Sir Walter Scott.

GrantMemoirsOne of the more controversial tenets of the movement was the idea of universal education. The “Highland Lady,” Elizabeth Grant (1797-1886) of Rothiemurchus, was an early success of the movement. Elizabeth Grant was a writer and social observer. She was the eldest child of Sir John Peter Grant. In her early years, Grant was educated at home, much to the standard of the day. Unlike some of her contemporaries, Grant had the opportunity to meet many “movers and shakers” of the Highland scene and society. From these familial acquaintances, Grant absorbed details not normally in the realm of an “educated” lady. After her life, the Memoirs of a Highland Lady (1898) were published, after the original manuscript was loaned to the National Library of Scotland by one of the lady’s descendants.

Spending much of time in Edinburgh, Elizabeth met and socialized with a variety of eminent people, all of whom she recorded in sharp detail. In 1827, she and her family moved to Bombay so her father might avoid his financial troubles. When she was younger, Elizabeth had fallen in love with a young man of which her father disapproved. Sir John had argued with the boy’s father, and Grant would not permit his daughter’s joining to his enemy’s sons. While in India, Elizabeth married Colonel Henry Smith of Baltiboys, Co Wicklow. She lived in Ireland for over 50 years. GrantHighlandHer The Highland Lady in Ireland: Journals 1840-1850 brings readers a different look at the potato famine. Likewise, Grant’s A Highland Lady in France 1843-1845 detailed her time on the Continent.

For Colonel Smith, theirs was a marriage of convenience. Smith was the second son with no great inheritance to his name, and he had chronic and acute asthma. He was also 17 years older than Elizabeth Grant. Grant was two and thirty at the time and possessed a small dowry so finding a “gentleman” husband was an acceptable consequence for her. Surprisingly, Henry lived a long time, and the marriage was a “happy” one.

Several days before the marriage, word arrived that Henry’s brother John passed, without issue, in Paris, and Henry was the new master of the estate at Baltiboys.  From Jim Corley and History Articles, we learn, “Well before that, however, a marriage agreement had been drawn up between the couple. It should be kept in mind that even in the event of Henry’s death the estate in Co. Wicklow could never be owned by Elizabeth, but would be held in trust by trustees. A son or daughter would be heir to the property, and in the event of no children the estate would pass to the nearest male relative. In the possibility, indeed probability, of the demise of her husband, Elizabeth would be well looked after. She would get an annuity of £230. She would have an entitlement from the Military Fund of the East India Company. A sum of £4,000 would be provided for any children of the union. A further £6,000 would become available on her death. certSums of £4,000 and £3,000 were to be immediately directed to the trustees. Provision for the maintenance and education was arranged for any boys till the age of 21 and girls also to 21 or until they married. If Henry were to expire in India Elizabeth was to be paid 8,000 rupees to provide passage to England and she would be left all household furniture, jewels, plate, books, linen, china, uisce (whiskey), and other liquors. £6,000 had been secured on the lands of Kinloss in Scotland by Elizabeth’s father Sir John Peter Grant to the three younger children of his marriage, of whom Elizabeth was one.

“While still in their first year of wedded life, they were advised by their doctor that if husband Henry were to remain in the oppressive climate of India in the pursuit of his career, he faced certain death in the not too distant future. A decision was made, therefore, to return to the more suitable climate of Europe and, in particular, Baltiboys. So it was that on the 4th of November 1829, they headed for home in a sailing ship, the Childe Harold.”

O their return journey, the Colonel and  Mrs Smith visited Napoleon’s tomb. Of it she writes, “The tomb was saddening; ‘after life’s fitful fever’ to see this stranger grave; in a hollow, a square iron railing on a low wall enclosed the stone trap entrance to a vault, forget-me-nots were scattered on the sod around, and the weeping willow drooped over the flag. The ocean filled the distance. It would have been better to have left him there, with the whole island for his monument.” They reached Portsmouth at the end of April 1830. Since they had departed Bombay almost five months had passed

Again from Crowley, we discover, “A few weeks later they arrived in Ireland. Baltiboys House was in a bad state as were its tenants. The previous owner, Henry’s brother John, had fled abroad at the time of the 1798 rebellion. The estate had been neglected. Within a short time plans were drawn up for a new house (these plans are still extant ). The tenants’ lot was improved. They had some employment in building the new mansion, and later on draining their farms. Thousands of trees were sown. An effort was made to do away with small uneconomical holdings, without raising too many hackles. When the potatoes rotted in the mid 1840,s the Smiths were not found wanting in their efforts to relieve their hungry tenants.

“Remember the all important Marriage Settlement made in Bombay in 1829? Well, it was still a binding legal document and came into unexpected prominence many years later. On Henry Smith’s death their only son, Jack, inherited the house and estate at Baltiboys. Jack was married in June 1871 to Frances Harvey, (a relation of the Capt. Harvey R. N. who fought alongside the great Nelson), but died a mere 2 years and 5 months later. Two months after his death his little girl Elizabeth was born. Because Jack had made no will in favour of his mother, this baby was now mistress of the house and estate. Her grandmother was now just a tenant where for 40 years she had held sway. Without Elizabeth’s knowledge there was an auction of her property. All her fine cows were gone. As were her pigs and poultry, horses and carts, implements, beehives, frames, plants from greenhouse, tubs and watering pots and so on. All had belonged to her son Capt. Smith. The scandal of an auction could have been prevented by John J. Hornidge of Russelstown, she felt, but he was bent on doing his utmost for the young widow and orphan child, and the deed was done before she knew of it. Mr Hornidge then tried to sell the house furniture. The Smith solicitor, Mr Cathcart, was contacted to see if this auction could be stopped. Mr Cathcart came down with the Marriage Settlement made in India in 1829. He pointed out the part that stated that in the event of Henry Smith’s death all furniture, plate et cetera would go to his wife Elizabeth. The plans for auction were abandoned. The Highland Lady continued to live at Baltiboys. She purchased a horse and cart, 2 wheelbarrows, spades, rakes, a shovel, plough, harrow, cow, pig, 6 hens, 3 Aylesbury ducks, and had work on her hands for many a year to come. Her jointure paid the rent on Baltiboys, and she took in grazing cattle to pay the workmen and housemaids. Her daughter-in-law Frances was very kind to her and had not allowed her brougham to be sold nor the double harness Jack had given her for it. Frances herself had to buy Jack’s watch, rings, pictures, books, sword and so on. Such was the law.
Aunt Bourne had died and left most of her estate to Mrs Smith. Her share came to £30,000, with which she released her family from liabilities, lent £10,000 to the Bermingham estate in Tuam, Co. Galway, at five and a half % per annum, purchased the townland of Lacken, also land at Golden Hill. Later on her daughter Annie and her 10 children came to live at Baltiboys.”

In her memoirs, Elizabeth speaks of her early education. She writes, “It is curious that I have no recollection of learning anything from and body except thus by chance as it were, though I have understood that I was a little wonder, my Aunts having amused themselves in making a sort of show of me.” Unlike other young girls of her time, Elizabeth’s nursery was full of educational toys: small bags of beans to count, books such as Puss in Boots, Riquet, Blue Beard, Cinderella, colorful prints. A procession of private tutors instructed her and her sisters, including one for the pianoforte, one for the harp, one for French, another for Italian, one for drawing, another for writing and ciphering, and one for dancing.  Her brothers had tutors for chemistry, math and natural philosophy, and even a metaphysician as a tutor.

***There is a wonderful review of Grant’s works on “I Prefer Reading.”

Posted in British history, legends and myths, Living in the Regency, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Characteristic of the Gothic in My Austen-Inspired Novels

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

First, those who read Gothic novels know that Horace Walpole started the phenomenon with his The Castle of Otranto way back in 1764. We define a Gothic novel based on the characteristics we find in Walpole’s work. With the March release of my eighth Jane Austen-inspired novel, I thought I would take a look back at what some consider Gothic influences in my works.

1. The setting is always based on an old castle. The castle may be occupied or not. It should contain secret passageways or secret rooms. (The Phantom of Pemberley, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy, and the upcoming The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy). Ruined sections of the castle are often used as part of the story line. (The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy). The darkened passageways and staircases adds to the mysterious flavor of the work. (The Phantom of Pemberley and The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy). In more modern works, we find an old house or mansion. (Vampire Darcy’s Desire)
2. Speaking of mysteries, obviously, a true Gothic is laced with the fear of the unknown. This is usually enhanced by the plot involving an “unknown” secret (Vampire Darcy’s Desire), an “unknown” relative, an inexplicable event (The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy), or, best of all, a unexplained disappearance (The Phantom of Pemberley and The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy).
3. Characters often have dream visions (Vampire Darcy’s Desire) or an omen of death occurs. Shadowy figures appear, but are often mistaken for a nightmare. (The Phantom of Pemberley)
4. An ancient prophecy is connected to the castle or the people who live there. (Vampire Darcy’s Desire and The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy). The prophecy is not readily explainable.
5. Supernatural elements are found in the book. (Vampire Darcy’s Desire and The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy)
6. Women at the mercy of a powerful male. (The Phantom of Pemberley)

The male manipulates the woman into committing an intolerable act. (Vampire Darcy’s Desire) The women in Gothic novels usually respond by crying or screaming. The woman is often a sympathetic character because her life is less than pristine. (The Phantom of Pemberley)
7. Emotions are readily displayed by the characters – terror, surprise, anger, etc. (The Phantom of Pemberley, The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy, The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy,  and Vampire Darcy’s Desire)
8. The text is loaded with the metonymy of a movie. There is a book entitled How to Read Literature Like a Professor. One of the chapters deals with “rain.” What we find is when it rains in literature or in the movies, someone is likely to die. That is metonymy, where something like rain equals death. It is an extended metaphor. (Vampire Darcy’s Desire)


JeffersDofGDThe Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy
A Pride and Prejudice Mystery
By Regina Jeffers

A thrilling novel of malicious villains, dramatic revelations, and heroic gestures that stays true to Austen’s style

Darcy and Elizabeth have faced many challenges, but none as dire as the disappearance of Darcy’s beloved sister, Georgiana. After leaving for the family home in Scotland to be reunited with her new husband, Edward, she has disappeared without a trace. Upon receiving official word that Georgiana is presumed dead, Darcy and Elizabeth travel to the infamous Merrick Moor to launch a search for his sister in the unfamiliar and menacing Scottish countryside. Suspects abound, from the dastardly Wickham to the mysterious MacBethan family. Darcy has always protected his little sister, but how can he keep her safe from the most sinister threat she has ever faced when he doesn’t even know if she’s alive? Written in the language of the Regency era and including Austen’s romantic entanglements and sardonic humor, this suspense-packed sequel to Pride and Prejudice recasts Darcy and Elizabeth as a husband-and-wife detective team hunting for truth amid the dark moors of Scotland.

JeffersPhantom
The Phantom of Pemberley
A Pride and Prejudice Murder Mystery
By Regina Jeffers

HAPPILY MARRIED for over a year and more in love than ever, Darcy and Elizabeth can’t imagine anything
interrupting their bliss-filled days. Then an intense snowstorm strands a group of travelers at Pemberley, and terrifying accidents and mysterious deaths begin to plague the manor. Everyone seems convinced that it is the work of a phan-tom—a Shadow Man who is haunting the Darcy family’s grand estate.
Darcy and Elizabeth believe the truth is much more menacing and that someone is trying to murder them. But Pemberley is filled with family guests as well as the unexpected travelers—any one of whom could be the culprit—so unraveling the mystery of the murderer’s identity forces the newlyweds to trust each other’s strengths and work together.

Written in the style of the era and including Austen’s romantic playfulness and sardonic humor, this suspense-packed sequel to Pride and Prejudice recasts Darcy and Elizabeth as a husband-and-wife detective team who must solve the mystery at Pemberley and catch the murderer—before it’s too late.

JeffersVDDVampire Darcy’s Desire
A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation
By Regina Jeffers

In Austen’s original novel, Darcy and Elizabeth are compelled to overcome countless obstacles — but that’s nothing compared to what they face in Vampire Darcy’s Desire. This inventive, action-packed novel tells of a tormented Darcy who comes to “Netherfield” to escape the intense pressure on him to marry. Dispirited by his family’s 200-year curse and his fate as a half-human/half-vampire dampir, Darcy would rather live forever alone than inflict the horrors of a vampire life on a beautiful wife. Destiny has other plans. Darcy meets Elizabeth and finds himself yearning for her as a man and driven to possess her as a vampire. Uncontrollably drawn to each other, their complex relationship forces them to confront their pride and prejudice like never before and to wrestle with the seductive power of forbidden love. Meanwhile, dark forces are at work all around them. Most ominous is the threat from George Wickham, the purveyor of the curse, a demon who vows to destroy each generation of Darcys and currently has evil intentions for the vulnerable Georgiana.

TMDOMD2coverThe Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy
A Pride and Prejudice Mystery
By Regina Jeffers

A thrilling story of murder and betrayal filled with the scandal, wit and intrigue characteristic of Austen’s classic novels

Fitzwilliam Darcy is devastated. The joy of his recent wedding has been cut short by the news of the sudden death of his father’s beloved cousin, Samuel Darcy. Elizabeth and Darcy travel to Dorset, a popular Regency resort area, to pay their respects to the well-traveled and eccentric Samuel. But this is no summer holiday. Danger bubbles beneath Dorset’s peaceful surface as strange and foreboding events begin to occur. Several of Samuel’s ancient treasures go missing, and then his body itself disappears. As Darcy and Elizabeth investigate this mystery and unravel its tangled ties to the haunting legends of Dark Dorset, the legendary couple’s love is put to the test when sinister forces strike close to home. Some secrets should remain secrets, but Darcy will do all he can to find answers—even if it means meeting his own end in the damp depths of a newly dug grave.

With malicious villains, dramatic revelations and heroic gestures, The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy will keep Austen fans turning the pages right up until its dramatic conclusion.

Posted in gothic and paranormal, Industry News/Publishing, Jane Austen, legends and myths, Regency era, Ulysses Press, Victorian era, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Characteristic of the Gothic in My Austen-Inspired Novels

Male vs. Female Perspective in Writing

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

When I write a Pride and Prejudice sequel/adaptation, I do so from Darcy’s point of view, rather than from Elizabeth’s. When I speak of Austen’s Persuasion, I speak of Wentworth’s thoughts. When I am writing of the Realm, I do so as a member of this British covert unit. So, what does this mean in terms of how I approach a tale? It means that I must know something about the differences in how a male and a female views the world. For example, a woman would say, “I bought an indiglo-colored gown with a cornsilk netting.” However, a man might respond, “She bought a blue dress with some sort of beige-colored scratchy material attached.” With this in mind, let us take a look at some of the basis differences, which affect the plot line.

*Women are better at judging a person’s character. A man excels in judging cause and effect.
*Women seek acceptance; men seek respect.
*Women see “romance” as the building of tension (eye contact, whispered words, gentle caresses, etc.). For men, desire equals instant gratification.
*Women lie to make someone feel better. Men tell lies as a cover up, as a way to build their own egos, or as a means to expedite an issue.
*Women prefer an emotional bonding (talk about it). Men hate to jump through a woman’s “hoops” just to get what he wants.
*Women are more likely to conform to the group/situation’s rules regarding sex. Men will seek sex even if the group has outlawed it.
*When women dine out, they carefully divide the check for what each owes. Men will often compete to pay the whole bill, or they will throw money on the table to cover the tab.
*Women are competitive about the degree of attractiveness among their acquaintances. They are also competitive about morals and about domestic abilities. Men are highly competitive about job, social/professional status, and income.
*Women can speak and listen at the same time. Men have no idea how to accomplish this.
*Women will use words such as “Always” and “Never” when they argue. This allows a man to prove the woman’s points have no basis.
*Women choose blank greeting cards. Men choose ones already loaded with words so they do not have to write anything beyond their names.
*Women have a better recall of the spoken word than do men.
*Women are more than likely to show their teeth when they smile.
*Women leave a relationship because they are emotionally unfulfilled. A man feels he has failed if “his woman” is unhappy.
*Women ask questions. Men make statements.
*Women use words such as “could,” “would,” and “shall.” Men prefer the word “will.”
*Women nod their heads to show they are listening. Men take that as agreement to their ideas. Little do they know, an argument will ensue later.
*When a man seeks a mistress, he wants only the “status” of doing so. Often, he has no desire to leave his wife. A woman gives a man her heart and her body.
*Men will challenge and interrupt more often than women.
*Men will speak more bluntly than women. They are also more likely to use risqué language.
*When speaking with female friends, women are likely to call each other by their given names and discuss intimate details of their lives. In an all-male gathering, men discuss life in general (no specifics), make crude jokes, and are likely to call each other by some derogatory nickname.
*Women not on hormone replacement or the Pill find more masculine features attractive (the cave man effect). Women on the Pill, etc., find “softer” male faces more attractive.
*Women need a “connection” to allow themselves to be vulnerable. For men, sex is the connection of choice. They use sex to display their vulnerable side.

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

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

280px-Alfred_Guillaume_GabrielEdward 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 but left arm life to enjoy his fortune. He quickly attracted the attention of the Haut Ton. Hughes was a handsome man known for his chocolate-colored coach and his invention of the black cravat.

In 1823, Hughes made a mésalliance by unexpectedly marrying Maria Mercandotti, a 16-year-old Spanish dancer, who left a theatre full of patrons waiting in vain to see her. William Harrison Ainsworth reportedly said, “The damsel is gone, and no wonder at all/that, bred to the dance, she is gone to a Ball.” The couple later separated and was divorced in 1839.

In 1824, Hughes purchased Oatlands Palace (near Weybridge) from the Duke of York for the exorbitant price of £180,000. Later, the sale of the grounds for housing lots, which created the modern community of Oatlands, was a profitable venture for Hughes. He and young wife went to live in Greenwich, where he kept an “open” house and played whist for five-pound points. Hughes achieved the reputation as one of the great gamblers of the day. He was said to have spent a night in the garden betting on the outcome of games of battledore and shuttlecock.

Hughes mounting gambling debts and extravagant living forced him to move to France in 1829 to avoid his creditors. His affairs were left in the hands of his solicitors, Freere and Forster, who sent Hughes an allowance upon which to live. He was far from destitute, however; according to a governmental report, Hughes was one of the foreign investors in the Second Bank of the United States. In 1832, his holding amounted to $51,000 in stock.

In 1835, Hughes came into the possession of the manor of Sidmouth. In 1835, he helped finance a new sea wall for the town. In 1839, a law was passed by Parliament allowing Hughes to tear down the market and build a new one. An 1846 law confirmed that the new market had been built and that no one could sell anything in the manor except at the market, unless they paid a toll at the market building.

Many stories were told about Hughes’ origins and family, most of them untrue. For example, one tale said he was the son of a slop seller. His grandmother Ruth (c. 1731 – 1800), after her first husband, a Mr. Ball, had died, married Admiral Edward Hughes. Admiral Hughes advanced the career of his wife’s eldest son, Captain Henry Ball (c. 1754-1792), who served under Hughes as captain of his flagship in India, but Henry predeceased him. Admiral Hughes died in 1794 without issue, and Hughes, son of Ruth’s second son David Ball (c. 1760-1798), inherited the Hughes money (40,000 pounds a year, an enormous fortune, and especially so without the encumbrance of an expensive country house to maintain) upon turning 21; he adopted the Hughes last name at that time. Ball Hughes’ mother’s name was Sarah; she later remarried, to a man named Thomas Johnson.

Hughes’ older sister Catherine Ball was a socialite, journalist, and novelist who eventually styled herself the “Baroness de Calabrella” after acquiring property in Italy. She married an older man, Rev. Francis Lee, at the age of 16 in 1804, without her mother’s permission, and was separated from him in 1810 on charges of adultery; her lover, Captain George de Blaquiere, was successfully sued by Lee for criminal conversation. She was later a friend of the Countess of Blessington  and married the Countess’ first patron, Thomas Jenkins. Another sister, Ruth, married Houlton Hartwell, son of Admiral Francis Hartwell, in 1812; he was one of the Prince Regent’s chaplains. A third sister, Sydney, married Sir John Ignatius Burke, 10th Baronet of Glinsk. There was a fourth sister, Elizabeth Ball.

PastedGraphic2-2012-12-27-08-33Hughes had several several relationships while in France, although it is unclear whether he actually remarried. With actress Eliza Breugnot Momborne he had three children: Edward Seymour; Adeline Eleanor, and Sydney Matilda. Edward Seymour died in 1867 in Dieppe after his horse fell on him; d’Orsay had made a portrait of him as a young man. Hughes later had several children with Anne Henriette de Dauvet: Edward Edmund Hughes Ball Hughes and Kate Henrietta Edwardine Hughes Ball Hughes.

Hughes was exceedingly handsome, generous, and entertained lavishly. Lord William Pitt-Lennox, a rival dandy, declared that Hughes tried too hard to be the toast of the ton. Pitt-Lennox said of Hughes, “Brummell sets the fashion; Ball Hughes merely follows it.” Hughes, for example, was known to dislike hunting, but he nevertheless kept a string of hunters because he saw doing so as “trendy.” He also disliked music while maintaining a box at Covent Garden. He knew little of racing but always attended Ascot and Goodwood. Pitt-Lennox was also to have said of Hughes, “[His] manner in public was too coxcombical; he screwed his mouth up, and lisped or drawled forth his words, while his manner of walking was so affected that he looked as if he was on stilts, and had swallowed the kitchen poker.”

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

Living in Regency England – Heating the House

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Regina Jeffers

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 17th and early 18th Century, the fireplaces remained wood-burning elements within the households. These fireplaces were designed with wide chimneys and a brick hearth.

Fireback in the house of Jeanne d'Arc in Domrémy

Fireback in the house of Jeanne d’Arc in Domrémy

When coal came into use, a free-standing iron or steel basket was placed in the fireplace. These baskets usually had an iron fireback behind it. After 1750, these iron baskets occurred regularly in both country, as well as city, households. Quite often, down drafts drove smoke from these coal baskets into the rooms, and the heat escaped up the chimneys (i.e., the constant “smog” in London).  A fireplace fireback is a heavy cast iron, sized in proportion to the fireplace and the fire, which is placed against the back wall of the fireplace. The metal is heated by the fire, and then that heat is radiated into the room. The thick iron keeps the heat which would otherwise be lost and returns it to the room. A fireback may increase the fire’s efficiency by as much as 50%. The thicker the fireback, the longer (and softer) the radiative effect. The fireback also protected the back of the fireplace from heat and flames.

 

18th Century firedogs

Stove “grates” became popular in early to mid 18th centuries. These stove grates combined the coal basket, the fireback, and firedogs.  The first fireplaces in Tudor homes consisted of a pair of fire dogs, which raised the ends of the burning logs to improve the burning efficiency. By the end of the 18th Century, the first fire baskets came into use, which helped to contain and manage the fire, improving efficiency.

From Russell Taylor at Building Conservation, we learn, “Chimneys and flues are subjected to intense heating and cooling cycles, condensation and aggressive chemical reactions caused by hot flue gases. Above the roof line the chimney stack is exposed to the full force of the weather. To withstand such conditions, maintenance and repairs need to be of the highest standard, and it is important that design elements of such significance are conserved properly. Yet works are often badly executed by unqualified contractors using inappropriate materials and ill-conceived methods. The result can be damaging to the character and fabric of the building, and may even be dangerous.

“Although flues have been in use since ancient times, many early domestic fires were open hearths where the smoke billowed around inside the building. The widespread adoption of flues in the late medieval period coincided with an increase in the use of brick, which is better able to withstand the temperature of a domestic fire than stone because it is a fired material. Even in stone building areas brick was often used for the chimneys and flues, particularly from the 19th century onwards.

“The earliest chimneys were large, crude structures serving a single fire, but as more fireplaces were required, chimneys became smaller and more efficient, combining several flues, each serving a separate fire.

“At first the usual domestic fuel was wood, but coal was used surprisingly early – in London from the mid-17th century and everywhere except rural areas by the mid-18th century. The change to coal resulted in smaller fireplaces as more heat is given off by a smaller quantity of fuel, and grates were required because coal, being denser than wood, will not burn unless there is an oxygen supply under it.

“In the 17th and 18th Centuries, when coal was the principal fuel used, grates were really simple baskets combining fire-dogs and fire-back in a single unit. Then came cast iron hob-grates and finally the various types of register grates based on principles established by Count Rumford in 1797. These grates had a narrow throat for more efficient flue draught, the fire was pushed forward to the front of the hearth and the sides were splayed to radiate heat more efficiently. Register grates became the standard from then on.

“By the 18th century most chimneys were built with 12″ flues, and this size was reduced still further following Count Rumford’s innovations. As a result the usual dimension for a brick flue came to be just 9 x 9″ (one brick by one brick) and the wall between the flues, the ‘withe’, was usually 4½” (half a brick). Brick dimensions often also govern the dimensions of quite elaborately shaped stacks so for any replacement bricks the original Imperial sizes must be precisely matched.

“Flues are lined with ‘parging’, a render mix used to prevent gases escaping through mortar joints and cracks in the structure. Parging is always somewhat roughly executed and is usually of the same mix as the brick mortar, because it is done piecemeal as the chimney stack rises. However, special mixes were also used and are found in older and larger flues. The first edition of McKay’s Building Construction in 1944, for example, recommended a mix of one part lime to three parts sand with ox hair, mixed at the rate of one pound of hair to three cubic feet of mortar. An alternative mix comprised one part lime to two parts sand and one part cow dung.”

The cast iron hob grate was the first major improvement to the 3-part stove grate. Early hob grates were used in modest homes as early as 1720.

Late Georgian Cast Iron Hob Grate from the Caroon Foundry

Late Georgian Cast Iron Hob Grate from the Caroon Foundry

Original hob grates were made from cast iron with hobs either side used for heating and cooking and were fitted into the chimney breast. Hob grates are often known as register grates, the difference being register grates have a register plate on the back to protect the back brickwork of the chimney, control emissions and airflow from the fire. Today “register grates” are popularly known as “hob grates” despite having the register plate on the back. The name “register grate” came because the original hob grate design with a register plate on the back was registered/ patented/ copyrighted.

Regency Cast Iron Hob Grate

Regency Cast Iron Hob Grate

Original hob grates were first used during the reigns of King George I – IV (1740-1830) and in the Regency period (1811-1820) where the Prince Regent ruled due to his father King George III’s sickness. Hob grates were popular during these periods as they were an effective way of cooking and heating at the same time. The two hobs either side of the grate allowed for plenty of room for cooking utensils and at the same time the fire would radiate heat into the room. Hob grates were used right up until the Edwardian period although the functionality of being able to cook on the hobs died out as new technologies became available. During the Edwardian period and Art Nouveau hob grates tended to have changed in style somewhat, the main difference being that they often had tiles placed in them.

The hob grates allowed for smaller coal baskets and more efficiency. The cast iron versions radiated more heat into the rooms. They came into being around 1750. The top and front were made of one single iron casting, while the remainder of the apparatus was a thin sheer iron. Being economical to produce, hob grates soon became the standard in townhouses and smaller rooms in great mansions. In poorer Georgian houses, the hob grate served as a cooking stove.

Count Rumford

Count Rumford

In 1796, Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford, the polymathematical founder of the Royal Institution, wrote a pamphlet called Chimney Fireplaces. In it, Rumford described the advantages of a narrower chimney throat. Rumford applied his knowledge of heat to the improvement of fireplaces. He made them smaller and shallower with widely angled covings so they would radiate better. And he streamlined the throat, or in his words “rounded off the breast” so as to “remove those local hindrances which forcibly prevent the smoke from following its natural tendency to go up the chimney…” Rumford “put his money where his mouth was” by installing new grates in his Brompton Row, Knightsbridge, residence. “Rumford Stoves,” which brought the heat source closer to the opening and which canted the sides to increase radiation, quickly became popular among wealthy aristocrats, including the Marquis of Salisbury.

The Rumford fireplace created a sensation in London when he introduced the idea of restricting the chimney opening to increase the updraught. He and his workers changed fireplaces by inserting bricks into the hearth to make the side walls angled and added a choke to the chimney to increase the speed of air going up the flue. It effectively produced a streamlined  air flow, reducing turbulence  so the smoke would go up into the chimney rather than lingering and often choking the residents. Many fashionable London houses were modified to his instructions, and became smoke-free as well as more efficient. Thompson became a celebrity when news of his success became widespread. In an age when fires were the principal source of heat, this simple alteration in the design of fireplaces was copied everywhere .

Plan of Rumford fireplace

Section of Rumford fireplace

Rumford fireplaces were common from 1796, when Count Rumford first wrote about them, until about 1850. Jefferson had them built at Monticello, and Thoreau listed them among the modern conveniences that everyone took for granted. There are still many original Rumford fireplaces, often buried behind newer renovations. He also invented a cast iron stove, which competed successfully with the famous Benjamin Franklin stove. Both devices gave much more control over the air flow into the fire, and were both much more efficient users of fuel. Such stoves were expensive, but saved so much fuel as to justify the cost of installation very quickly.

Further improvements were slow coming. In the 1820s and 1830s stove grates and hob grates, continued to follow the patterns of the late 1780s.

 

 

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Eccentrics of the Regency Period Series: Charles Stanhope, Lord Petersham

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Regina Jeffers
Charles Stanhope, Viscount Petersham

Charles Stanhope, Viscount 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 because little has written of him other than the occasional paragraph in a period journal. He was described by Princess Lieven as the “maddest of all the mad Englishmen.”

Charles Stanhope, 4th Earl of Harrington (8 April 1780 – 3 March 1851) was an English peer and man of fashion. He was Viscount Petersham until he assumed the position as the Earl in 1829. At age 15, Petersham entered the Coldstream Guards in 1793, and later became Captain of the 10th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1799. In 1803, he was made a major in the Queen’s Rangers, and a Lieutenant Colonel in the 3rd West India Regiment in 1807. He was made Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III until 1820, and continued in that role from 1820 to 1829 for King George IV.

from the Victoria and Albert Museum

from the Victoria and Albert Museum

Petersham never appeared in public before 6 P.M. The Prince Regent emulated Petersham’s affected manners, especially the viscount’s “fashion,” his tea drinking, and his addiction to snuff. Petersham owned 365 snuff boxes, one for each day of the year.

from the Victoria and Albert Museum

Said to resemble Henry VI, Petersham purposely grew a small pointed beard to emphasize the similarity. He designed many of his clothes. It was the Petersham who introduced “Cossack” trousers to Society. These trousers had nipped-in waists and ankles, with balloon legs in the middle, and made of garish striped material. He gave his name to the Harrington hat and the Petersham overcoat. Petersham was a man of many moods and whims. For example, he once decided he preferred a particular shade of brown above all other colors. This affection reportedly started as a tribute to a widow named Mary Browne, but the color brown became his trademark long after his love affair with the lady had ended. He was famous for the brown color of his coach, his harness, his coachman’s top hat and spurs, his clothing, and his servants’ livery. He even ordered a brown sild embroidered coat to wear at Court.

Petersham was equally known for his obsession with expensive trivia. From The Eclectic Magazine, we find this description of Petersham’s apartments: “The room into which we are ushered was more like a shop than a gentleman’s sitting-room. All around the walls were shelves, upon which were placed the canisters containing congou, pekoe, souchong, bohea, gunpowder, Russian, and many other teas, all the best of their kind; on the other side of the room were beautiful jars, with names in gilt letters, of innumerable kinds of snuff, and the necessary apparatus for moistening and mixing. Other shelves and many tables were covered with a great number of magnificent snuff boxes; for Lord Petersham had perhaps the finest collection in England, and was supposed to have a fresh box for every day of the year. I heard him, on the occasion of a delightful old light-blue Sévres box he was using being admired, say in his lisping way, ‘Yes, it is a nice summer box, but it would not do for winter wear.'”

Unlike his contemporary Beau Brummell, Petersham enjoyed the company of women. Lady Frances Webster’s husband attempted to horsewhip Petersham on the street in retribution for the viscount’s affair with his wife.

Maria Foote

Maria Foote

At age 50, he acceded to the Stanhope family title. He finally married in 1831 to Maria Foote, the Covent Garden actress and ex-courtesan, who was 17 years his junior. Their affair had met with the 3rd Earl’s disapproval and had been the gossip of London and Derbyshire. The 4th Earl of Harrington commissioned William Barron to landscape the park at Elvaston Castle, his father’s Gothic’s confection by James Wyatt. Lewis Cottingham redecorated Wyatt’s original entrance hall. Renamed the Hall of the Fair Star, it was dedicated to the chivalrous pursuit of love. The new Countess was in her element in this make-believe world of chivalry. They lived quite happily in their “love nest” and were said to host some of Society’s “jolliest” parties.

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