Drinking Champagne in the Regency Era (or NOT)

Posted on December 30, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

The drink, Champagne, received it name from the French region of Champagne and has been produced locally in France since the Gallo-Roman era. “Champenoise” vintners produced a pale, pink wine from Pinot Noir grapes. However, it was not always an easy go. Champagne, the region, was more northerly than was its counterpart and competition, Burgundy. This created a major problem because of the cold snaps that interrupted the fermentation process. This could cause the wine bottles to explode because yeasts and sugars would form carbon dioxide.

This was both a blessing and a learning experience for those producing champagne. The bottles that did not explode contained effervescent bubbles that the French royalty found to be most pleasing. “In 1715, the Duc d’ Orléans began serving locally produced ‘vin mousseux’ (sparkling wine) at his court in Paris’ Palais Royal, entertaining wealthy and famous guests with a drink that was generally only accessible to the high aristocracy. Its popularity exploded among Parisian elites. But sparking wine remained an accidental novelty item. And in pre-Industrial Revolution France, most winemakers still frowned upon it and sought to eliminate those pesky bubbles.” [History of Champagne – Paris Unlocked]

The BBC website tells us, “Some of the biggest innovations of Champagne came down to the ingenuity of several women. In the 19th Century, the Napoleonic Code restricted women from owning businesses in France without permission from a husband or father. However, widows were exempt from the rule, creating a loophole for Barbe-Nicole Clicquot-Ponsardin, Louise Pommery and Lily Bollinger – among others – to turn vineyards into empires and ultimately transform the Champagne industry, permanently changing how it’s made and marketed.

“In 1798, Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin married François Clicquot, who then ran his family’s small textile and wine business, originally called Clicquot-Muiron et Fils in Reims. It turned into a financial disaster. When Clicquot died in 1805, leaving her widowed at 27 years old, she made the unconventional choice to take over the company.

“‘It was a very unusual decision for a woman of her class,’ said Tilar Mazzeo, cultural historian and author of The Widow Clicquot. ‘It would have been extremely unusual for her to have a business, because she didn’t need to… She could have spent her life in drawing rooms and as a society hostess.'” [“The Little Known History of Champagne” https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230301-the-little-known-history-of-champagne]

Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin took over what became Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin when her husband passed (Credit: INTERFOTO/Alamy) ~ https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230301-the-little-known-history-of-champagne

Up until around 1802, all the wine from abroad had to be imported in casks to be bottled  in England. Though the beverages were allowed to be imported in bottles after that, most importers continued  buying wine in casks. The smugglers usually brought in wine in casks and kegs. Bottles are much more difficult to handle. They were both heavy and noisy when they rubbed against each other and were easily broken. Wine could not be drunk immediately as it had to settle so it was delivered to a bottler who acted as wholesaler.

I can see how this might play out in a plot point in a book, depending on an individual’s or family’s wealth. The wealthiest could afford to buy entire casks for their private cellars, whereas the not-as-wealthy might buy smaller quantities in individual bottles from a wine merchant to stock their cellars, and the not-wealthy might only be drinking their own home-made wines and beers, probably in bottles they cleaned and reused. I am confident the variations also depended on what the particular beverage was. Obviously, from the above information, we know most of the champagne people drank in the Georgian era was likely made in England by adding extra sugar into imported French wine and then bottling (or re-bottling) it for additional fermentation. 

Obviously, champagne does not do as well in casks. Therefore, we might make the assumption that most of the “champagne” sold in England during the Napoleonic War was actually sparkling wine and not the bubbly kind. That being said, some French wines were imported through Portugal. Many advances were made to champagne in France, but they were not readily available in England during the war.

One must remember when writing Regency tales, the wire cage and cork affair sealing champagne bottles had not yet been invented. It was known as “The Devil’s Wine” because of the frequency of explosions caused by the fizz. Like many of you who read Regencies, I read a lot of people drinking champagne and always wonder if this was a real habit or not.

Other Sources on Champagne and Its History:

Champagne – 10 Surprising Facts about Its History

The Regency Redingote – Champagne, but no glasses?

Champagne and its History

The World’s Oldest Champagne Discovered

Posted in aristocracy, British history, food and drink, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, publishing, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Drinking Champagne in the Regency Era (or NOT)

December 27, National Fruitcake Day with a Celebration of Both Truman Capote and the Fruitcake

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Okay, I know many of you do not fruitcake, but I am in the minority. I am one of those who still, for example, makes a Christmas pudding. I begin it on Stir Up Sunday, which was 24 November this year.

For those who do not know of Stir-up Sunday, it is “an informal term in Catholic and Anglican churches for the last Sunday before the season of Advent. It gets its name from the beginning of the collect for the day in the Book of Common Prayer, which begins with the words, “Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people…”, but it has become associated with the custom of making the Christmas puddings on that day. [Oxford English Dictionary] The Christmas pudding is one of the essential British Christmas traditions and is said to have been introduced to Britain by Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria (the reality is that the meat-less version was introduced from Germany by George I in 1714). Most recipes for Christmas pudding require it to be cooked well in advance of Christmas and then reheated on Christmas Day, so the collect of the day served as a useful reminder.

If one is writing a Christmas tale set in the Regency, Stir Up Sunday is often inserted. I did so in A Touch of Grace, book 4 of my Realm series. It is what finally brings the hero Lord Gabriel Crowden, Marquis of Godown, and the heroine Miss Grace Nelson together. Of course, I pull them apart again, just for good measure, but that is material for another post.

“Traditionally, families gather together in the kitchen of their homes to mix and steam Christmas pudding on Stir-up Sunday. Parents teach their children how to mix ingredients for the pudding. Everyone takes a turn to stir the pudding mix, for each person involved is able to make a special wish for the year ahead. Practically, stirring the mixture is hard work, therefore as many people as possible are involved. By tradition the pudding mixture is stirred from East to West in honor of the three wise men who visited the baby Jesus.” [Christmas Pudding “Stir Up Sunday]

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/fruitcake-day/

Days of the Year tells us, “While none of us know the true creator of the fruitcake, many historians believe that fruitcakes originated from Rome, over 2,000 years ago! Historians believe that one of the earliest recipes known comes from ancient Rome listing pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into a barley mash. Then there are records from the Middle Ages documenting that they added honey, spices, and preserved fruits into the original mix.

“Starting in the 16th century, sugar from the American Colonies along with the discovery that high concentrations of sugar could preserve fruits, ended up creating an enormous excess of candied fruits, thus resulting in making fruit cakes more affordable and popular in regions around the world. The fruitcakes that began in the Roman era are quite different from today, which can be iced, gluten-free, lactose-free, diabetic, alcoholic, or just a regular old fruitcake.

“It is said that in the 18th century, European-made fruitcakes were banned from production for having too much butter and sugar. These ingredients were restricted for being unhealthy. After these cakes were allowed to be sold again in the 19th century, they were common in high-class European weddings.

“Fruitcakes have an incredible shelf life, they can remain on the shelves for many, many years and still be edible and non-harmful to the human body. An example of this is in a 2003 episode of The Tonight Show, where Jay Leno sampled a piece of a fruitcake baked in 1878 which was kept as an heirloom by a family in Michigan.

“The reason that fruitcakes can remain edible for long periods of time is actually in the cooking methods. The fruits and nuts used are often dried and then soaked in a sugar substance, which means that they can remain on the shelf without adding preservatives. In addition to this method, some recipes also include alcohol, or involve an alcohol-soaked storage cloth during the baking process, removing harmful bacteria that decrease the shelf life.

As to literary references, did you know, “Truman Capote, known for his book In Cold Blood, discussed the popular dessert in his short story “A Christmas Memory.” Originally published in Mademoiselle magazine in December 1956, A Christmas Memory was reprinted in The Selected Writings of Truman Capote in 1963. The largely autobiographical story, which is set in the 1930s, describes a period in the lives of the seven-year-old narrator and an elderly woman who is his distant cousin and best friend. The woman was Nanny Faulk, elder sister of the household where Capote’s wayward parents deposited him as a young boy. Nanny, whom everyone called Sook, was thought to be developmentally disabled. But Capote later wrote a friend, “I had an elderly cousin, the woman in my story ‘A Christmas Memory,’ who was a genius.”[“”A Christmas Memory” and a Season’s Truths”. The Attic.]

“The family is very poor, but Buddy looks forward to Christmas every year nevertheless, and he and his elderly cousin save their pennies for this occasion.  Every year at Christmastime, Buddy and his friend collect pecans and buy other ingredients to make fruitcakes; although set during Prohibition, this includes whiskey, which they buy from a scary—but ultimately friendly—Indian bootlegger named Haha Jones.  They send the cakes to acquaintances they have met only once or twice, and to people they’ve never met at all, like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”

In a sad but poignant ending, they spend one finally Christmas together. The following year, the boy is sent to military school.  Although Buddy and his friend keep up a constant correspondence, this is unable to last because his elderly cousin suffers more and more the ravages of old age, and slips into dementia.  Soon, she is unable to remember who Buddy is, and not long after, she passes away.

I remember watching this tale spins out in a Hallmark television adaptation in 1997. This production starred Eric Lloyd as Buddy and Patty Duke as Sook.

Truman Capote further explored the lives of Buddy and Sook in his story “The Thanksgiving Visitor,” which also was adapted for television. The 1967 television production of The Thanksgiving Visitor earned Geraldine Page a second Emmy Award. Capote’s third short story about Buddy and Sook was “One Christmas“, published in 1983, and televised in 1994.

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Some Facts About a Regency Christmas You May Not Have Heard Previously

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

I am often asked questions on tidbits of information I have accumulated over the years on this subject or that concerning the Regency era in which Jane Austen lived. Sometimes I have volumes of information to share and others not so much so. Unfortunately, Christmas as we think of it is more a product of the Victorian era rather than that of the Regency. I recall when I was still writing for Ulysses Press they sent me the cover for “Christmas at Penberley.” It was beautiful, but I quickly rejected it for it has a Christmas tree, which, again, was more Victorian than Georgian in tradition.

second Ulysses Press cover for the book
current cover for the book

First, we must remember there was NO Christmas celebrations, from around 1645 to 1666 in England.  After the Restoration, some vestiges of religion were still attached to certain Holy days, Christmas being one of them. It was Christ’s Mass at first and was a Quarter day. It was celebrated except during the rule of the Puritans.

The three days people were supposed to go to church to prove they were members of the Church of England and not Catholics or Dissenters were Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, also called Whitsunday. Whitsunday has been called the day the Christian church came into being.

Actual information about the celebration Christmas during the Regency period is hard to find.

Jane Austen mentions Christmas in a couple of books but gives no details, just scenes of children making  decorations or family gatherings.

Also, while we say “Christmas” and often mean Christmas day, most of the Regency accounts mean  anytime within a fortnight, basically what is sometimes referred to as “Christmastide” or “Twelfth Night.”

The weeks before Christmas and Advent were often treated in the same manner as was Lent as to restrictions of weddings and balls.

“Christmastide” is a season of the liturgical year in most Christian churches. It is sometimes referred to a Twelvetide (for the Twelve Days of Christmas).

For those in the Anglican Church, Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and for many in the Methodist Church, Christmastide begins at sunset (or Vespers) on December 24. Therefore, December 24 is not considered part of Christmastide, but rather part of Advent, the season of the Church Year that precedes Christmastide. Christmastide ends at sunset on January 5 (Twelfth Night) by the related season known as Epiphanytide. It begins on Epiphany Day, and ends at various points as defined by those denominations. The typical liturgical color for the day of Epiphany is white, and the typical color for Epiphany season is green.

Christmastide includes these celebrations: December 25 (Christmas Day); December 26 (St. Stephen’s Day); December 28 (Childermas or Children’s Mass or Holy Innocents’ Day); December 31 (New Year’s Eve); January 1 (the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ or the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Day); the Feast of the Holy Family day varies. The Twelve Days of Christmas finish with Epiphany Eve or Twelfth Night on January 5.

December 26 was originally called “Boxing Day” or “St Stephens Day,” a Catholic holiday. It was the second day of Christmastide. Originally it was a holiday to give gifts to the poor. However, in the present, it is, generally, a shopping holiday.

Boxing Day originated in Great Britain and is celebrated in a number of countries once part of the British Empire. The bank holiday or public holiday can occur up to December 28, if necessary, to ensure it falls on a weekday.

The origin of “Boxing Day” is not as definitive as we would like. In the Middle Ages, those in Europe were known to give gifts to those “in service” to their families. Alms boxes were placed in the narthex of early Christian churches to collect offerings for the poor. This is where the Feast of Saint Stephen comes in. In the early Christian churches and even today, it is customary in some localities to open the alms boxes and distribute the contributions to the poor.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestations from Britain in the 1830s, defining it as “the first weekday after Christmas day, observed as a holiday on which postmen, errand boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas box”[“Boxing-day, n.”, OED Online, 1st ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1887).]

The term “Christmas box” dates back to the 17th century, and among other things meant:

A present or gratuity given at Christmas: in Great Britain, usually confined to gratuities given to those who are supposed to have a vague claim upon the donor for services rendered to him as one of the general public by whom they are employed and paid, or as a customer of their legal employer; the undefined theory being that as they have done offices for this person, for which he has not directly paid them, some direct acknowledgement is becoming at Christmas. [“Christmas-box, n.”, OED Online, 1st edn (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1889), sense 3.]

Tradesmen collected “Christmas boxes” of money or fairings on the first weekday after Christmas in reward for their exemplary service through the year. I, for one, still present the trash collectors, my postal carrier, etc., each year with a token of my thanks for their good service.

This giving of “thanks” is mentioned in Samuel Pepys‘ diary entry for 19 December 1663. [“Saturday 19 December 1663 (Pepys’ Diary)”. Pepysdiary.com] This custom is linked to an older British tradition where the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families since they would have had to serve their masters on Christmas Day. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts, bonuses, and sometimes leftover food. Until the late 20th century there continued to be a tradition among many in the UK to give a Christmas gift, usually cash, to vendors, although not on Boxing Day as many would not work on that day. [“Boxing Day and it’s surprising facts”. shoppersinusa.]

During the Regency, it is said, the church gave out boxes to the poorer families, and landlords presented villagers and tenants and workers boxes. I read somewhere how all the maids in a house, generally, received a length of cloth from which to have a gown made. I also recall how the men received material for shirts or received shirts made up. Pensioners/tenants would receive a goose or a hen. There were no set rules, and each employer/landlord gave as the spirit moved him or not. Some might just present the boxes so as not to lose face in front of neighbors.

The fun and frolic lasted until January 6, which was Three Kings’ Day. In Spain and Latin America, Three Kings ‘s Day celebrates when Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the time of King Herod, and is symbolic of the Three Magi from the East who came to Jerusalem. The gifts the Three Kings gave Jesus were meant to be symbolic. Gold was associated with the belief Jesus was the King of Jews. Frankincense, which is often burned in churches today, was meant to represent the divine nature of Jesus and the fact people would come to worship him as the Son of God. And myrrh, a perfume sometimes used to embalm dead bodies, represented the fact Jesus would eventually suffer and die. Each gift represented a distinct part of the baby’s destiny.

Ironically, in Britain, the Holy Days and Fasting Days Act of 1551 (which has not yet been repealed) states every citizen must attend a Christian church service on Christmas Day and must not use any kind of vehicle to get to the service.

Although, in fact, what had not been repealed of this act in previous legislation was repealed as part of the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969, under section 1 of, and Part II of the Schedule to, the 1969 act many believe this act is still in effect.

However, we know hackney rules in London modified this, though probably just in Town. London passed laws to prohibit hackneys from operating on Sundays, but that prevented those who could not walk from attending church, which was required by law. At the time, the law required attendance every Sunday. So an exemption was passed to allow a limited number of hackneys to operate on Sundays solely for the purpose of transporting people to church. The entire hackney law was repealed in 1930.

It would not at all be unusual for a law to have an exception for the city of London.

Enforcement depended on how vigilant the constable, vicar, sexton, and church wardens were. In some parishes, fines were handed out for none attendance more than in other parishes.

The sources I have consulted say it was still in effect. A duke was entitled to six chaplains and so could easily say he had services in a private chapel. 

Bits and pieces of the law were repealed over the centuries, a lot of it in 1888. (See Holy Days and Fasting Days Act 1551)

Pity. One could have fun with it. Imagine a pompous magistrate charging the dissolute duke for his failure to go to church!

Posted in British history, Christmas, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, holidays, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, religion, research, tradtions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some Facts About a Regency Christmas You May Not Have Heard Previously

Christmas in Regency England

Posted on December 20, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Often times, the average reader or those not familiar with the early 1800s in England, think that Christmas was celebrated in the same manner as it is today, or at the very least something from the Victorian era. I once had a publisher provide me with a wonderful cover for my novel, Christmas at Pemberley, but it had a lighted Christmas tree, a no-no for the Regency Period. So what might we find in the Regency?

If you read the story from my last post by Washington Irving, you hold a bit of knowledge of the time. But is that what we should expect from our Regency characters in the novels we read? In truth, it is very difficult to come across even the briefest mention of “Christmas” or “presents” or “holiday decorations” in pieces written during the actual Regency period.

In Persuasion, Jane Austen (chapter 14) describes the arrival of the Musgrove children, who have been away at school. “Immediately surrounding Mrs. Musgrave were the little Harvilles, whom she was sedulously guarding from the tyranny of the two children from the Cottage, expressly arrived to amuse them. On one side was a table occupied by some chattering girls*, cutting up silk and gold paper; and on the other were trestles and trays, bending under the weight of brawn and cold pies, where riotous boys were holding high revel; the whole completed by a roaring Christmas fire, which seemed determined to be heard in spite of the noise of the others.” This is seen as too noisy by the heroine and her friend Lady Russell, who remarks, “I hope I shall remember in future not to call at Uppercross in the Christmas holiday.”

In a letter to her sister Cassandra that holds the dates of 24 December and 25 December, our beloved Austen does wish her sister a “Merry Christmas,” but that is the extent of the mention of the day. Austen tells her sister of being invited to supper at a nearby house, but does think she can attend because the weather was too bad to be out.  Ironically in Austen’s Emma, we are told, “At Christmas every body invites their friends about them, and people think little of even the worst weather.” So, what was Christmas like through most of our Regency period? From what I gather from the simple mentions of the celebration among the gentry, Christmas was still very much a religious holiday. Many of the traditions we now associate with Christmas were practiced in the past, but by the Regency period, they were considered rustic and unrefined, which if one thinks of the “hype” now associated with Christmas, “vulgar” and “unrefined” are appropriate words. 

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John Taylor’s pamphlet The Vindication of Christmas, 1652.

Part of the problem for a lack of celebrations dates back to the 1640s and 1650s. History Extra tells us: “As the year 1645 limped towards its weary close, a war-torn England shivered beneath a thick blanket of snow. A few months earlier, parliament’s New Model Army, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, had routed the forces of Charles I at the battle of Naseby. Although that defeat had struck the king’s cause a mortal blow, the royalists still refused to surrender, and the bloody Civil War which had divided the country ever since 1642 continued to rage.

‘Under constant pressure from the armies of both sides to supply them with money, clothing and food, few Englishmen and women can have been anticipating a particularly merry Christmas. Yet, for those who lived in the extensive territories which were controlled by the king’s enemies, there was to be no Christmas this year at all – because the traditional festivities had been abolished by order of the two Houses of Parliament sitting at Westminster.

“Following parliament’s victory in the Second Civil War and the execution of Charles I in 1649, demonstrations in favour of Christmas became less common. There can be no doubt that many people continued to celebrate Christmas in private, and in his pamphlet The Vindication of Christmas (1652), the tireless John Taylor provided a lively portrait of how, he claimed, the old Christmas festivities were still being kept up by the farmers of Devon.

“Nevertheless, recent scholarship has shown that, as time went by, Christmas effectively ceased to be celebrated in the great majority of churches. It was ironic, to say the least, that while the godly had failed to suppress the secular Yuletide festivities which had vexed them for so long, they had succeeded in ending the religious observance of Christmas!

“Following Cromwell’s installation as lord protector in 1653, the celebration of Christmas continued to be proscribed. While he had not been personally responsible for ‘cancelling Christmas’ in the first place, it is evident that both Cromwell and the other senior members of his regime were behind the ban, frequently transacting government business on 25 December as if it were a day just like any other. Only with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 was ‘old Christmas Day’ finally brought back in from the cold, to widespread popular joy.” 

Some “decorating” appears to have occurred during the Regency. A Yule log is likely and the use of greenery. BBC History tells us, “The tradition of decorating the home with native evergreens is a truly ancient one. Since pagan times evergreens have been valued for their ability to retain signs of life in the middle of winter – even in some instances producing berries and flowers.

“Early Christians displayed evergreen plants in the home to symbolise everlasting life. Holly, ivy and evergreen herbs such as bay and rosemary were the most commonly used, all with symbolic meanings that were familiar to our ancestors. Rosemary, for remembrance, and bay, for valour, are still well known. Holly and ivy were a particularly popular combination, the holly traditionally thought to be masculine and ivy feminine, giving stability to the home.

“A kissing-bough was often hung from the ceiling. This would consist of a round ball of twigs and greenery, decorated with seasonal fruit, such as apples. It was the precursor to the bunch of mistletoe, under which no lady could refuse a kiss. Mistletoe was sacred to the Druids and was once called ‘All Heal’. It was thought to bring good luck and fertility, and to offer protection from witchcraft.

“In the medieval period, the Yule log was ceremoniously carried into the house on Christmas Eve, and put in the fireplace of the main communal room. Often decorated with greenery and ribbon, it was lit with the saved end of the previous year’s log and then burnt continuously for the Twelve Days of Christmas, providing much needed light and warmth.”

Greenery, such as holly and ivy and mistletoe were used in the Winter Solstice Festival to ward off spirits. The greenery stood true even in winter, so the greenery represented a renewal of life. When Christianity reached Western Europe, some people held onto these pagan rituals and presented the greenery with Christian symbolism. The was especially true in Germany and the countries that now constitute the United Kingdom. 

holly.jpg ivy.jpg laurel01.jpg rosemary.jpg Holly’s prickly leaves came to represent the crown of thorns that Jesus wore upon the cross. The berries are the color of the blood he shed. In Scandinavia, the holly bush/tree is sometimes referred to as the “Christ Thorn.” In medieval times, the holly was the male plant and the ivy the female plant. Whichever plant was brought in first would indicate whether the male or the female of the house would rule the household for the year. The fact that ivy must cling to something to survive and grow is meant to remind Christians that they must “cling” to God’s teachings. From the Roman days, men have worn a laurel wreath upon their heads to symbolize victory over an enemy. To Christians, it was God’s victory over Satan. Pagan’s thought that rosemary could protect a person from evil spirits. It was used to garnish the boar’s head eaten by the rich at the main “Christmas” meal celebrated in the Middle Ages. Rosemary is sometimes referred to as the “remembrance herb.” Do you not recall the Simon and Garfunkle tune? Are you going to Scarborough Fair/ Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme/ Remember me to one who lives there/ She once was a true love of mine.” For Christians, it is used at Christmas for we must remember the birth of Jesus. “In the late 1700s a special Christmas Rosemary Service was started in Ripon Cathedral School where a red apple, with a sprig of Rosemary in the top of it, was sold by the school boys to the members of the congregation for 2p, 4p or 6p (depending on the size of apple!).” (Why Christmas)

You might also check out this article from Jo Beverley on a Regency Christmas. I keep it in a file as a reference to the day. 

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419Tf4g4GSL.jpg Christmas at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Holiday Sequel

(Inspirational Romance; Fiction/Historical Fiction; Classics)

2011 Booksellers’ Best Award Finalist, Inspirational Romance

2012 New England Book Festival, 2nd Place, General Fiction

To bring a renewed sense joy to his wife’s countenance, Fitzwilliam Darcy secretly invites the Bennets and the Bingleys to spend the Christmastide festive days at Pemberley. But as he and Elizabeth journey to their estate to join the gathered families, a snowstorm blankets the English countryside. The Darcys find themselves stranded at a small out-of-the-way inn with another couple preparing for the immediate delivery of their first child, while Pemberley is inundated with friends and relations seeking shelter from the storm.

Without her brother’s strong presence, Georgiana Darcy desperately attempts to manage the chaos surrounding the arrival of six invited guests and eleven unscheduled visitors. But bitter feuds, old jealousies, and intimate secrets quickly rise to the surface. Has Lady Catherine returned to Pemberley for forgiveness or revenge? Will the manipulative Caroline Bingley find a soul mate? Shall Kitty Bennet and Georgiana Darcy know happiness?

Written in Regency style and including Austen’s romantic entanglements and sardonic humor, Christmas at Pemberley places Jane Austen’s most beloved characters in an exciting yuletide story that speaks to the love, the family spirit, and the generosity that remain as the heart of Christmas.

Amazon    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1790547946

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Audible     http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Pemberley-Pride-Prejudice-Sequel/dp/B00J55WFXG/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1448475874&sr=1-1

Kindle  https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Pemberley-Prejudice-Holiday-Through-ebook/dp/B07L9G7YTV/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1544626483&sr=8-7&keywords=christmas+at+Pemberley

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/christmas-at-pemberley-by-regina-jeffers

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51c1Oq1-zcL.jpg Mr. Darcy’s Present: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary 

[Fiction; Romance; Regency; Austenesque; vagary; Christmas; holiday]

The Greatest Present He Would Ever Receive is the Gift of Her Love…

What if Mr. Darcy purchased a gift for Elizabeth Bennet to acknowledge the festive days even though he knows he will never present it to her? What if the gift is posted to the lady by his servants and without his knowledge? What if the enclosed card was meant for another and is more suggestive than a gentleman should share with an unmarried lady? Join Darcy and Elizabeth, for a holiday romp, loaded with delightful twists and turns no one expects, but one in which our favorite couple take a very different path in thwarting George Wickham and Lydia Bennet’s elopement. Can a simple book of poetry be Darcy’s means to win Elizabeth’s love? When we care more for another than ourselves, the seeds of love have an opportunity to blossom. 

Words of Praise for Mr. Darcy’s Present…

Jeffers takes a familiar story and reinvigorates it with humor, warmth, and wisdom. – Roses and Lilacs Reviews

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcys-Present-Prejudice-Holiday/dp/1537422022/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1473685089&sr=8-5&keywords=mr.+darcy%27s+present

Kindle  https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcys-Present-Prejudice-Holiday-ebook/dp/B01LYSCC2U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1473780113&sr=1-1&keywords=mr.+Darcy%27s+present#nav-subnav

Kindle Unlimited     https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku?passThroughAsin=B07HHFYJ1X&_encoding=UTF8&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/mr-darcy-s-present-a-pride-and-prejudice-holiday-vagary-by-regina-jeffers

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Pemberley’s Christmas Governess: A Holiday Pride and Prejudice Vagary

Two hearts. One kiss.

Following his wife’s death in childbirth, Fitzwilliam Darcy hopes to ease his way back into society by hosting a house party during Christmastide. He is thrilled when his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam sends a message saying not only will he attend, but the colonel is bringing a young woman with him of whom he hopes both Darcy and the colonel’s mother, Lady Matlock, will approve. Unfortunately, upon first sight, Darcy falls for the woman: He suspects beneath Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s conservative veneer lies a soul which will match his in every way; yet, she is soon to be the colonel’s wife.

Elizabeth Bennet lost her position as a governess when Lady Newland accuses Elizabeth of leading her son on. It is Christmastide, and she has no place to go and little money to hold her over until after Twelfth Night; therefore, when Lieutenant Newland’s commanding officer offers her a place at his cousin’s household for the holy days, she accepts in hopes someone at the house party can provide her a lead on a new position. Having endured personal challenges which could easily have embittered a lesser woman, Elizabeth proves herself brave, intelligent, educated in the fine arts of society, and deeply honorable. Unfortunately, she is also vulnerable to the Master of Pemberley, who kindness renews her spirits and whose young daughter steals her heart. The problem is she must leave Pemberley after the holidays, and she does not know if a “memory” of Fitzwilliam Darcy will be enough to sustain her.

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Pemberleys-Christmas-Governess-Prejudice-Holiday-ebook/dp/B09KHK7FTG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=pemberley%27s+christmas+governess&qid=1635602893&s=digital-text&sr=1-3

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNCX1RF?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

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Posted in Austen Authors, book release, books, British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian Era, reading, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, world history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A “Christmas Eve” Tale from 1820

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

TheSketchbookTitlePage

Author: Washington Irving Original title: The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. No.1 Illustrator: F. O. C. Darley Country: United States/England Publisher: C. S. Van Winkle (USA) (serialized), then in book form by Burlington Arcade (self published, UK), and John Murray (UK) Wikipedia ~ Public Domain

Today, I share with you a “Christmas Eve” piece from the Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. The piece comes to us from Washington Irving. The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., commonly referred to as The Sketch Book, is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by the American author Washington Irving. It was published serially throughout 1819 and 1820. The collection includes two of Irving’s best-known stories, attributed to the fictional Dutch historian Diedrich Knickerbocker: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle.” It also marks Irving’s first use of the pseudonym Geoffrey Crayon, which he would continue to employ throughout his literary career. The piece is in public domain, and if you have never read it, now is the time. I love it and wanted to share it with you, especially if you are as nostalgic as I for a simpler Christmas without all the hype. Enjoy! 

Saint Francis and Saint Benedight

Blesse this house from wicked wight;

From the night-mare and the goblin,

That is hight good fellow Robin;

Keep it from all evil spirits,

Fairies, weezels, rats, and ferrets:

    From curfew time

    To the next prime.

CARTWRIGHT.

pg20656.cover.medium.jpg IT WAS a brilliant moonlight night, but extremely cold; our chaise whirled rapidly over the frozen ground; the postboy smacked his whip incessantly, and a part of the time his horses were on a gallop. “He knows where he is going,” said my companion, laughing, “and is eager to arrive in time for some of the merriment and good cheer of the servants’ hall. My father, you must know, is a bigoted devotee of the old school, and prides himself upon keeping up something of old English hospitality. He is a tolerable specimen of what you will rarely meet with nowadays in its purity, the old English country gentleman; for our men of fortune spend so much of their time in town, and fashion is carried so much into the country, that the strong rich peculiarities of ancient rural life are almost polished away. My father, however, from early years, took honest Peacham1 for his textbook, instead of Chesterfield; he determined in his own mind that there was no condition more truly honorable and enviable than that of a country gentleman on his paternal lands, and therefore passes the whole of his time on his estate. He is a strenuous advocate for the revival of the old rural games and holiday observances, and is deeply read in the writers, ancient and modern, who have treated on the subject. Indeed, his favorite range of reading is among the authors who flourished at least two centuries since, who, he insists, wrote and thought more like true Englishmen than any of their successors. He even regrets sometimes that he had not been born a few centuries earlier, when England was itself and had its peculiar manners and customs. As he lives at some distance from the main road, in rather a lonely part of the country, without any rival gentry near him, he has that most enviable of all blessings to an Englishman—an opportunity of indulging the bent of his own humor without molestation. Being representative of the oldest family in the neighborhood, and a great part of the peasantry being his tenants, he is much looked up to, and in general is known simply by the appellation of ‘The Squire’—a title which has been accorded to the head of the family since time immemorial. I think it best to give you these hints about my worthy old father, to prepare you for any eccentricities that might otherwise appear absurd.”

We had passed for some time along the wall of a park, and at length the chaise stopped at the gate. It was in a heavy, magnificent old style, of iron bars fancifully wrought at top into flourishes and flowers. The huge square columns that supported the gate were surmounted by the family crest. Close adjoining was the porter’s lodge, sheltered under dark fir trees and almost buried in shrubbery.

9781346491448-us-300.jpg The postboy rang a large porter’s bell, which resounded though the still frosty air, and was answered by the distant barking of dogs, with which the mansion-house seemed garrisoned. An old woman immediately appeared at the gate. As the moonlight fell strongly upon her, I had a full view of a little primitive dame, dressed very much in the antique taste, with a neat kerchief and stomacher, and her silver hair peeping from under a cap of snowy whiteness. She came curtseying forth, with many expressions of simple joy at seeing her young master. Her husband, it seemed, was up at the house keeping Christmas Eve in the servants’ hall; they could not do without him, as he was the best hand at a song and story in the household.

My friend proposed that we should alight and walk through the park to the hall, which was at no great distance, while the chaise should follow on. Our road wound through a noble avenue of trees, among the naked branches of which the moon glittered as she rolled through the deep vault of a cloudless sky. The lawn beyond was sheeted with a slight covering of snow, which here and there sparkled as the moonbeams caught a frosty crystal, and at a distance might be seen a thin transparent vapor stealing up from the low grounds and threatening gradually to shroud the landscape.

My companion looked around him with transport. “How often,” said he, “have I scampered up this avenue on returning home on school vacations! How often have I played under these trees when a boy! I feel a degree of filial reverence for them, as we look up to those who have cherished us in childhood. My father was always scrupulous in exacting our holidays and having us around him on family festivals. He used to direct and superintend our games with the strictness that some parents do the studies of their children. He was very particular that we should play the old English games according to their original form, and consulted old books for precedent and authority for every ‘merrie disport;’ yet I assure you there never was pedantry so delightful. It was the policy of the good old gentleman to make his children feel that home was the happiest place in the world; and I value this delicious home-feeling as one of the choicest gifts a parent could bestow.”

We were interrupted by the clamor of a troop of dogs of all sorts and sizes, “mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound, and curs of lower degree,” that disturbed by the ring of the porter’s bell and the rattling of the chaise, came bounding, open-mouthed, across the lawn.

“‘——The little dogs and all,

    Tray, Blanch, and Sweetheart, see, they bark at me!’”

cried Bracebridge, laughing. At the sound of his voice the bark was changed into a yelp of delight, and in a moment he was surrounded and almost overpowered by the caresses of the faithful animals.

9781276676533-us.jpg We had now come in full view of the old family mansion, partly thrown in deep shadow and partly lit up by the cold moonshine. It was an irregular building of some magnitude, and seemed to be of the architecture of different periods. One wing was evidently very ancient, with heavy stone-shafted bow windows jutting out and overrun with ivy, from among the foliage of which the small diamond-shaped panes of glass glittered with the moonbeams. The rest of the house was in the French taste of Charles the Second’s time, having been repaired and altered, as my friend told me, by one of his ancestors who returned with that monarch at the Restoration. The grounds about the house were laid out in the old formal manner of artificial flower-beds, clipped shrubberies, raised terraces, and heavy stone balustrades, ornamented with urns, a leaden statue or two, and a jet of water. The old gentleman, I was told, was extremely careful to preserve this obsolete finery in all its original state. He admired this fashion in gardening; it had an air of magnificence, was courtly and noble, and befitting good old family style. The boasted imitation of Nature in modern gardening had sprung up with modern republican notions, but did not suit a monarchical government; it smacked of the leveling system. I could not help smiling at this introduction of politics into gardening, though I expressed some apprehension that I should find the old gentleman rather intolerant in his creed. Frank assured me, however, that it was almost the only instance in which he had ever heard his father meddle with politics; and he believed that he had got this notion from a member of Parliament who once passed a few weeks with him. The squire was glad of any argument to defend his clipped yew trees and formal terraces, which had been occasionally attacked by modern landscape gardeners.

As we approached the house we heard the sound of music, and now and then a burst of laughter from one end of the building. This, Bracebridge said, must proceed from the servants’ hall, where a great deal of revelry was permitted, and even encouraged, by the squire throughout the twelve days of Christmas, provided everything was done conformably to ancient usage. Here were kept up the old games of hoodman blind, shoe the wild mare, hot cockles, steal the white loaf, bob apple, and snap dragon; the Yule-clog and Christmas candle were regularly burnt, and the mistletoe with its white berries hung up, to the imminent peril of all the pretty housemaids.2

So intent were the servants upon their sports that we had to ring repeatedly before we could make ourselves heard. On our arrival being announced the squire came out to receive us, accompanied by his two other sons—one a young officer in the army, home on a leave of absence; the other an Oxonian, just from the university. The squire was a fine healthy-looking old gentleman, with silver hair curling lightly round an open florid countenance, in which the physiognomist, with the advantage, like myself, of a previous hint or two, might discover a singular mixture of whim and benevolence.

The family meeting was warm and affectionate; as the evening was far advanced, the squire would not permit us to change our travelling dresses, but ushered us at once to the company, which was assembled in a large old-fashioned hall. It was composed of different branches of a numerous family connection, where there were the usual proportion of old uncles and aunts, comfortable married dames, superannuated spinsters, blooming country cousins, half-fledged striplings, and bright-eyed boarding-school hoydens. They were variously occupied—some at a round game of cards; others conversing around the fireplace; at one end of the hall was a group of the young folks, some nearly grown up, others of a more tender and budding age, fully engrossed by a merry game; and a profusion of wooden horses, penny trumpets, and tattered dolls about the floor showed traces of a troop of little fairy beings who, having frolicked through a happy day, had been carried off to slumber through a peaceful night.

While the mutual greetings were going on between young Bracebridge and his relatives I had time to scan the apartment. I have called it a hall, for so it had certainly been in old times, and the squire had evidently endeavored to restore it to something of its primitive state. Over the heavy projecting fireplace was suspended a picture of a warrior in armor, standing by a white horse, and on the opposite wall hung a helmet, buckler, and lance. At one end an enormous pair of antlers were inserted in the wall, the branches serving as hooks on which to suspend hats, whips, and spurs, and in the corners of the apartment were fowling-pieces, fishing-rods, and other sporting implements. The furniture was of the cumbrous workmanship of former days, though some articles of modern convenience had been added and the oaken floor had been carpeted, so that the whole presented an odd mixture of parlor and hall.

The grate had been removed from the wide overwhelming fireplace to make way for a fire of wood, in the midst of which was an enormous log glowing and blazing, and sending forth a vast volume of light and heat: this, I understood, was the Yule-clog, which the squire was particular in having brought in and illumined on a Christmas Eve, according to ancient custom.3

Herrick mentions it in one of his songs:

Come, bring with a noise,

    My metric, merrie boys,

The Christmas Log to the firing;

    While my good dame, she

    Bids ye all be free,

And drink to your hearts’ desiring.

The Yule-clog is still burnt in many farm-houses and kitchens in England, particularly in the north, and there are several superstitions connected with it among the peasantry. If a squinting person come to the house while it is burning, or a person barefooted, it is considered an ill omen. The brand remaining from the Yule-clog is carefully put away to light the next year’s Christmas fire.

It was really delightful to see the old squire seated in his hereditary elbow-chair by the hospitable fireside of his ancestors, and looking around him like the sun of a system, beaming warmth and gladness to every heart. Even the very dog that lay stretched at his feet, as he lazily shifted his position and yawned would look fondly up in his master’s face, wag his tail against the floor, and stretch himself again to sleep, confident of kindness and protection. There is an emanation from the heart in genuine hospitality which cannot be described, but is immediately felt and puts the stranger at once at his ease. I had not been seated many minutes by the comfortable hearth of the worthy old cavalier before I found myself as much at home as if I had been one of the family.

Supper was announced shortly after our arrival. It was served up in a spacious oaken chamber, the panels of which shone with wax, and around which were several family portraits decorated with holly and ivy. Besides the accustomed lights, two great wax tapers, called Christmas candles, wreathed with greens, were placed on a highly polished beaufet among the family plate. The table was abundantly spread with substantial fare; but the squire made his supper of frumenty, a dish made of wheat cakes boiled in milk with rich spices, being a standing dish in old times for Christmas Eve. I was happy to find my old friend, minced pie, in the retinue of the feast and, finding him to be perfectly orthodox, and that I need not be ashamed of my predilection, I greeted him with all the warmth wherewith we usually greet an old and very genteel acquaintance.

The mirth of the company was greatly promoted by the humors of an eccentric personage whom Mr. Bracebridge always addressed with the quaint appellation of Master Simon. He was a tight brisk little man, with the air of an arrant old bachelor. His nose was shaped like the bill of a parrot; his face slightly pitted with the small-pox, with a dry perpetual bloom on it, like a frostbitten leaf in autumn. He had an eye of great quickness and vivacity, with a drollery and lurking waggery of expression that was irresistible. He was evidently the wit of the family, dealing very much in sly jokes and innuendoes with the ladies, and making infinite merriment by harping upon old themes, which, unfortunately, my ignorance of the family chronicles did not permit me to enjoy. It seemed to be his great delight during supper to keep a young girl next to him in a continual agony of stifled laughter, in spite of her awe of the reproving looks of her mother, who sat opposite. Indeed, he was the idol of the younger part of the company, who laughed at everything he said or did and at every turn of his countenance. I could not wonder at it; for be must have been a miracle of accomplishments in their eyes. He could imitate Punch and Judy; make an old woman of his hand, with the assistance of a burnt cork and pocket-handkerchief; and cut an orange into such a ludicrous caricature that the young folks were ready to die with laughing.

I was let briefly into his history by Frank Bracebridge. He was an old bachelor, of a small independent income, which by careful management was sufficient for all his wants. He revolved through the family system like a vagrant comet in its orbit, sometimes visiting one branch, and sometimes another quite remote, as is often the case with gentlemen of extensive connections and small fortunes in England. He had a chirping, buoyant disposition, always enjoying the present moment; and his frequent change of scene and company prevented his acquiring those rusty, unaccommodating habits with which old bachelors are so uncharitably charged. He was a complete family chronicle, being versed in the genealogy, history, and intermarriages of the whole house of Bracebridge, which made him a great favorite with the old folks; he was a beau of all the elder ladies and superannuated spinsters, among whom he was habitually considered rather a young fellow; and he was master of the revels among the children, so that there was not a more popular being in the sphere in which he moved than Mr. Simon Bracebridge. Of late years he had resided almost entirely with the squire, to whom he had become a factotum, and whom he particularly delighted by jumping with his humor in respect to old times and by having a scrap of an old song to suit every occasion. We had presently a specimen of his last-mentioned talent, for no sooner was supper removed and spiced wines and other beverages peculiar to the season introduced, than Master Simon was called on for a good old Christmas song. He bethought himself for a moment, and then, with a sparkle of the eye and a voice that was by no means bad, excepting that it ran occasionally into a falsetto like the notes of a split reed, he quavered forth a quaint old ditty:

Now Christmas is come,

    Let us beat up the drum,

And call all our neighbors together;

    And when they appear,

    Let us make them such cheer,

As will keep out the wind and the weather, &c.

The supper had disposed every one to gayety, and an old harper was summoned from the servants’ hall, where he had been strumming all the evening, and to all appearance comforting himself with some of the squire’s home-brewed. He was a kind of hanger-on, I was told, of the establishment, and, though ostensibly a resident of the village, was oftener to be found in the squire’s kitchen than his own home, the old gentleman being fond of the sound of “harp in hall.”

maxresdefault.jpgThe dance, like most dances after supper, was a merry one: some of the older folks joined in it, and the squire himself figured down several couple with a partner with whom he affirmed he had danced at every Christmas for nearly half a century. Master Simon, who seemed to be a kind of connecting link between the old times and the new, and to be withal a little antiquated in the taste of his accomplishments, evidently piqued himself on his dancing, and was endeavoring to gain credit by the heel and toe, rigadoon, and other graces of the ancient school; but he had unluckily assorted himself with a little romping girl from boarding-school, who by her wild vivacity kept him continually on the stretch and defeated all his sober attempts at elegance: such are the ill-sorted matches to which antique gentlemen are unfortunately prone.

The young Oxonian, on the contrary, had led out one of his maiden aunts, on whom the rogue played a thousand little knaveries with impunity: he was full of practical jokes, and his delight was to tease his aunts and cousins, yet, like all madcap youngsters, he was a universal favorite among the women. The most interesting couple in the dance was the young officer and a ward of the squire’s, a beautiful blushing girl of seventeen. From several shy glances which I had noticed in the course of the evening I suspected there was a little kindness growing up between them; and indeed the young soldier was just the hero to captivate a romantic girl. He was tall, slender, and handsome, and, like most young British officers of late years, had picked up various small accomplishments on the Continent: he could talk French and Italian, draw landscapes, sing very tolerably, dance divinely, but, above all, he had been wounded at Waterloo. What girl of seventeen, well read in poetry and romance, could resist such a mirror of chivalry and perfection?

The moment the dance was over he caught up a guitar, and, lolling against the old marble fireplace in an attitude which I am half inclined to suspect was studied, began the little French air of the Troubadour. The squire, however, exclaimed against having anything on Christmas Eve but good old English; upon which the young minstrel, casting up his eye for a moment as if in an effort of memory, struck into another strain, and with a charming air of gallantry gave Herrick’s “Night-Piece to Julia:”

Her eyes the glow-worm lend thee,

The shooting stars attend thee,

        And the elves also,

        Whose little eyes glow

Like the sparks of fire, befriend thee.

No Will-o’-the-Wisp mislight thee;
Nor snake nor slow-worm bite thee;
But on thy way,
Not making a stay,
Since ghost there is none to affright thee,

Then let not the dark thee cumber;
What though the moon does slumber,
The stars of the night
Will lend thee their light,
Like tapers clear without number.

Then, Julia, let me woo thee,
Thus, thus to come unto me,
And when I shall meet
Thy silvery feet,
My soul I’ll pour into thee.

The song might or might not have been intended in compliment to the fair Julia, for so I found his partner was called; she, however, was certainly unconscious of any such application, for she never looked at the singer, but kept her eyes cast upon the floor. Her face was suffused, it is true, with a beautiful blush, and there was a gentle heaving of the bosom, but all that was doubtless caused by the exercise of the dance; indeed, so great was her indifference that she amused herself with plucking to pieces a choice bouquet of hot-house flowers, and by the time the song was concluded the nosegay lay in ruins on the floor.

The party now broke up for the night with the kind-hearted old custom of shaking hands. As I passed through the hall on my way to my chamber, the dying embers of the Yule-clog still sent forth a dusky glow, and had it not been the season when “no spirit dares stir abroad,” I should have been half tempted to steal from my room at midnight and peep whether the fairies might not be at their revels about the hearth.

My chamber was in the old part of the mansion, the ponderous furniture of which might have been fabricated in the days of the giants. The room was panelled, with cornices of heavy carved work, in which flowers and grotesque faces were strangely intermingled, and a row of black-looking portraits stared mournfully at me from the walls. The bed was of rich thought faded damask, with a lofty tester, and stood in a niche opposite a bow window. I had scarcely got into bed when a strain of music seemed to break forth in the air just below the window. I listened, and found it proceeded from a band which I concluded to be the Waits from some neighboring village. They went round the house, playing under the windows. I drew aside the curtains to hear them more distinctly. The moonbeams fell through the upper part of the casement; partially lighting up the antiquated apartment. The sounds, as they receded, became more soft and aerial, and seemed to accord with the quiet and moonlight. I listened and listened—they became more and more tender and remote, and, as they gradually died away, my head sunk upon the pillow and I fell asleep.

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Christmas Tales on Sale for Your Holiday Reading

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

These titles are on sale through Twelfth Night (5 January 2025). They are all set around Christmas or have a “holiday” theme. Grab them while you may. First, let us beigin with my Jane Austen Tales, which are set in and around Christmas.

The Pemberley Ball: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary Novella (with multiple endings)

Elizabeth Bennet’s acceptance of his hand in marriage presents FITZWILLIAM DARCY a hope of the world being different. Elizabeth offers warmth and naturalness and a bit of defiance; but there is vulnerability also. With characteristic daring, she boldly withstood Caroline Bingley’s barbs, while displaying undying devotion to her sister Jane. More unpredictably, she verbally fenced with the paragon of crudeness, his aunt, Lady Catherine, and walked away relatively unscathed. One often finds his betrothed self-mockingly entertaining her sisters and friends, and despite Darcy’s best efforts, the woman makes him laugh. She brings lightness to his spirit after so many years of grief.

Unfortunately for ELIZABETH BENNET, what begins gloriously turns to concern for their future. She recognizes her burgeoning fears as unreasonable; yet, she cannot displace them. She refuses to speculate on what Mr. Darcy will say when he learns she is not the brilliant choice he proclaims her to be. Moreover, she does not think she can submit to the gentleman’s staid lifestyle. Not even for love can Elizabeth accept capitulation.

Will Elizabeth set her qualms aside to claim ‘home’ in the form of the man she truly affects or will her courage fail her? Enjoy a bit of mayhem that we commonly call “Happily Ever After,” along with three alternate turning points to this tale of love and loss and love again from Austen-inspired author, Regina Jeffers.

Amazon    http://www.amazon.com/The-Pemberley-Ball-Prejudice-Novella/dp/1530668697?ie=UTF8&keywords=the%20pemberley%20ball&qid=1459702867&ref_=sr_1_2&s=books&sr=1-2

Kindle  http://www.amazon.com/The-Pemberley-Ball-Prejudice-Novella-ebook/dp/B01DR71OKC?ie=UTF8&keywords=the%20pemberley%20ball&qid=1459702898&ref_=sr_1_5_twi_kin_1&s=books&sr=1-5

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited 

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-pemberley-ball-a-pride-and-prejudice-vagary-novella-by-regina-jeffers-and-a-lady

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Christmas at Pemberley: A Pride and Prejudice Holiday Sequel

To bring a renewed sense joy to his wife’s countenance, Fitzwilliam Darcy secretly invites the Bennets and the Bingleys to spend the Christmastide festive days at Pemberley. But as he and Elizabeth journey to their estate to join the gathered families, a snowstorm blankets the English countryside. The Darcys find themselves stranded at a small out-of-the-way inn with another couple preparing for the immediate delivery of their first child, while Pemberley is inundated with friends and relations seeking shelter from the storm.

Without her brother’s strong presence, Georgiana Darcy desperately attempts to manage the chaos surrounding the arrival of six invited guests and eleven unscheduled visitors. But bitter feuds, old jealousies, and intimate secrets quickly rise to the surface. Has Lady Catherine returned to Pemberley for forgiveness or revenge? Will the manipulative Caroline Bingley find a soul mate? Shall Kitty Bennet and Georgiana Darcy know happiness?

Written in Regency style and including Austen’s romantic entanglements and sardonic humor, Christmas at Pemberley places Jane Austen’s most beloved characters in an exciting yuletide story that speaks to the love, the family spirit, and the generosity that remain as the heart of Christmas.

Amazon    https://www.amazon.com/dp/1790547946

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Audible     http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Pemberley-Pride-Prejudice-Sequel/dp/B00J55WFXG/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1448475874&sr=1-1

Kindle  https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Pemberley-Prejudice-Holiday-Through-ebook/dp/B07L9G7YTV/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1544626483&sr=8-7&keywords=christmas+at+Pemberley

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/christmas-at-pemberley-by-regina-jeffers

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Mr. Darcy’s Present: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

The Greatest Present He Would Ever Receive is the Gift of Her Love… 

What if Mr. Darcy purchased a gift for Elizabeth Bennet to acknowledge the festive days even though he knows he will never present it to her? What if the gift is posted to the lady by his servants and without his knowledge? What if the enclosed card was meant for another and is more suggestive than a gentleman should share with an unmarried lady? Join Darcy and Elizabeth, for a holiday romp, loaded with delightful twists and turns no one expects, but one in which our favorite couple take a very different path in thwarting George Wickham and Lydia Bennet’s elopement. Can a simple book of poetry be Darcy’s means to win Elizabeth’s love? When we care more for another than ourselves, the seeds of love have an opportunity to blossom.  

Words of Praise for Mr. Darcy’s Present… 

Jeffers takes a familiar story and reinvigorates it with humor, warmth, and wisdom. – Roses and Lilacs Reviews

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcys-Present-Prejudice-Holiday/dp/1537422022/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1473685089&sr=8-5&keywords=mr.+darcy%27s+present

Kindle  https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Darcys-Present-Prejudice-Holiday-ebook/dp/B01LYSCC2U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1473780113&sr=1-1&keywords=mr.+Darcy%27s+present#nav-subnav

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/mr-darcy-s-present-a-pride-and-prejudice-holiday-vagary-by-regina-jeffers

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A Dance with Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Vagary

The reason fairy tales end with a wedding is no one wishes to view what happens next. 

Five years earlier, Darcy had raced to Hertfordshire to soothe Elizabeth Bennet’s qualms after Lady Catherine’s venomous attack, but a devastating carriage accident left him near death for months and cost him his chance at happiness with the lady. Now, they meet again upon the Scottish side of the border, but can they forgive all that has transpired in those years? They are widow and widower; however, that does not mean they can take up where they left off. They are damaged people, and healing is not an easy path. To know happiness they must fall in love with the same person all over again. 

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSGZW5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490190603&sr=8-1&keywords=a+dance+with+mr.+Darcy

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon Print  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544676565/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490302135&sr=1-4&keywords=a+dance+with+mr.+darcy

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-dance-with-mr-darcy-a-pride-and-prejudice-vagary-by-regina-jeffers-and-a-lady

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Pemberley’s Christmas Governess: A Holiday Pride and Prejudice Vagary

Two hearts. One kiss. 

Following his wife’s death in childbirth, Fitzwilliam Darcy hopes to ease his way back into society by hosting a house party during Christmastide. He is thrilled when his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam sends a message saying not only will he attend, but the colonel is bringing a young woman with him of whom he hopes both Darcy and the colonel’s mother, Lady Matlock, will approve. Unfortunately, upon first sight, Darcy falls for the woman: He suspects beneath Miss Elizabeth Bennet’s conservative veneer lies a soul which will match his in every way; yet, she is soon to be the colonel’s wife. 

Elizabeth Bennet lost her position as a governess when Lady Newland accuses Elizabeth of leading her son on. It is Christmastide, and she has no place to go and little money to hold her over until after Twelfth Night; therefore, when Lieutenant Newland’s commanding officer offers her a place at his cousin’s household for the holy days, she accepts in hopes someone at the house party can provide her a lead on a new position. Having endured personal challenges which could easily have embittered a lesser woman, Elizabeth proves herself brave, intelligent, educated in the fine arts of society, and deeply honorable. Unfortunately, she is also vulnerable to the Master of Pemberley, who kindness renews her spirits and whose young daughter steals her heart. The problem is she must leave Pemberley after the holidays, and she does not know if a “memory” of Fitzwilliam Darcy will be enough to sustain her.

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Pemberleys-Christmas-Governess-Prejudice-Holiday-ebook/dp/B09KHK7FTG/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=pemberley%27s+christmas+governess&qid=1635602893&s=digital-text&sr=1-3

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KNCX1RF?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/pemberley-s-christmas-governess-a-pride-and-prejudice-holiday-vagary-by-regina-jeffers

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This one is a contemporary tale:

NOTE: As this title is one on Dr. Arnold’s account, I do not control the price of the book. Dr. Arnold was my journalism professor in college, and we have remained friends for some 45 years. It is well worth the read, though.

“One Minute Past Christmas”

One Minute Past Christmas is the story of a Greenbrier County, West Virginia, family in which a grandfather and his granddaughter share a special ability — they call it a gift — that enables them to briefly witness each year a miraculous gathering in the sky. What they see begins at precisely one minute past Christmas and fills them with as much relief as it does wonder. But they worry that the “gift” — which they cannot reveal to anyone else — will die with them because it has been passed to no other relative for forty-four years.

Amazon   http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1475224273?keywords=one%20minute%20past%20christmas&qid=1443971109&ref_=sr_1_2&sr=8-2

Kindle  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009YZKHZ0?keywords=one%20minute%20past%20christmas&qid=1443971133&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Kindle Unlimited   https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku?passThroughAsin=B009YZKHZ0&_encoding=UTF8&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/one-minute-past-christmas-an-appalachian-christmas-short-story-by-regina-jeffers-and-george-arnold

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These are Regency Era-based Christmas tales. Most can be purchased individually or with another of the tales in a duo for a slightly higher price.

Lady Joy and the Earl: A Regency Christmas Romance

They have loved each other since childhood, but life has not been kind to either of them. James Highcliffe’s arranged marriage had been everything but loving, and Lady Joy’s late husband believed a woman’s spirit was meant to be broken. Therefore, convincing Lady Jocelyn Lathrop to abandon her freedom and consider marriage to him after twenty plus years apart may be more than the Earl of Hough can manage. Only the spirit of Christmas can bring these two together when secrets mean to keep them apart.

Kindle   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HNMR9LY

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/lady-joy-and-the-earl-a-regency-christmas-novella-by-regina-jeffers

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Letters from Home: A Regency Romance

She is the woman whose letters to another man kept Simon alive during the war. He is the English officer her late Scottish husband praised as being incomparable. Even without the assistance of the spirit of Christmas attempting to bring them together, she stirs his soul; in her, his heart whispers of being “home.” In him, she discovers a man who truly stirs her soul. Unfortunately for both, the lady fears no longer being invisible to the world and assuming a place at his side. 

However, the lady wishes to remain invisible and in her place as her cousin’s companion. Can Major Lord Simon Lanford claim Mrs. Faith Lamont as his wife or will his rise to the earldom and his family’s expectations keep them apart?

“This was both a heart-breaking and heart-warming second chance love story, made all the more satisfying by the Christmas setting.”

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Letters-Home-Regina-Jeffers-ebook/dp/B07SJXDZK7/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2KAFCVZZ6VWUD&keywords=letters+from+home+by+regina+jeffers&qid=1564770214&s=gateway&sprefix=letters+from+home+by+r,aps,135&sr=8-2

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/letters-from-home-by-regina-jeffers

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If you wish, you may purchase all three of the above in the Beautiful by Love Bundle for less than you would pay for them separately.

“Letters from Home”

She is the woman whose letters to another man kept Simon alive during the war. He is the English officer her late Scottish husband praised as being “incomparable.” Can Major Lord Simon Lanford claim Mrs. Faith Lamont as his wife or will his rise to the earldom and his family’s expectations keep them apart?

“Lady Joy and the Earl”

They have loved each other since childhood, but life has not been kind to either of them. James Highcliffe’s arranged marriage had been everything but loving, and Lady Joy’s late husband believed a woman’s spirit was meant to be broken. Therefore, convincing Lady Jocelyn Lathrop to abandon her freedom and consider marriage to him after twenty plus years apart may be more than the Earl of Hough can manage.

Bonus Story: “One Minute Past Christmas” (from George T. Arnold and Regina Jeffers) An Appalachian grandfather and his granddaughter are blessed with a special ability—a gift that enables them briefly to witness a miraculous gathering in the sky each year at exactly one minute past Christmas. The experience fills them with wonder, but they worry their secret “gift” will end with them because, in forty-four years, no other relative has displayed an inclination to carry it on to a new generation.

Purchase Links:

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NZSBVZ7/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=beautified+by+love+by+regina+Jeffers&qid=1606076335&sr=8-1

Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku?passThroughAsin=B08NZSBVZ7&_encoding=UTF8&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/beautified-by-love-two-regency-christmas-novels-by-regina-jeffers

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1724004840

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The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst: A Regency Romance

What happens when a lady falls in love, not with her betrothed, but rather with his cousin?but rather with his cousin?

Miss Priscilla Keenan has been promised to the Marquess of Blackhurst since her birth. The problem is: She has never laid eyes upon the man. So, when Blackhurst sends his cousin to York to assist Priscilla in readying Blackhurst’s home estate for the marquess’s return from his service in India, it is only natural for Priscilla to ask Mr. Alden something of the marquess’s disposition. Yet, those conversations lead Cilla onto a different path, one where she presents her heart to the wrong gentleman. How can she and Alden find happiness together when the world means to keep them apart? Inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Courtship of Miles Standish,” this tale wants for nothing, especially not a happy ending, which it has, but that ending is not what the reader anticipates.

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09237K1ZY?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-courtship-of-lord-blackhurst-by-regina-jeffers

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Lord Radcliffe’s Best Friend: A Regency Friends to Lovers Romance 

Hendrake Barrymore, Lord Radcliffe, is a typical male, a bit daff when it comes to the ways of women, especially the ways of one particular woman, Miss Adelaide Shaw, his childhood companion, a girl who plays a part in every pleasant memory Drake holds. 

Yet, since he failed to deliver Addy’s first kiss on her fifteenth birthday, his former “friend” has struck him from her life just at a time when Radcliffe has come to the conclusion Adelaide is the one woman who best suits him. 

This tale is more than a familiar story of friends to lovers for it presents the old maxim an unusual twist.

Kindle   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D8YJ5NG?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Kindle Unlimited  https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku?_encoding=UTF8&passThroughAsin=B09D8YJ5NG

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/lord-radcliffe-s-best-friend-by-regina-jeffers

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If you wish, you may purchase the two novellas above in the An Escape to Love bundle.

An Escape to Love: Two Regency Romances 

The Courtship of Lord Blackhurst 

What happens when a lady falls in love, not with her betrothed, but rather with his cousin?

Miss Priscilla Keenan has been promised to the Marquess of Blackhurst since her birth. The problem is: She has never laid eyes upon the man. So, when Blackhurst sends his cousin to York to assist Priscilla in readying Blackhurst’s home estate for the marquess’s return from his service in India, it is only natural for Priscilla to ask Mr. Alden something of the marquess’s disposition. Yet, those conversations lead Cilla onto a different path, one where she presents her heart to the wrong gentleman. How can she and Alden find happiness together when the world means to keep them apart? Inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Courtship of Miles Standish,” this tale wants for nothing, especially not a happy ending, which it has, but that ending is not what the reader anticipates.

Lord Radcliffe’s Best Friend 

Hendrake Barrymore, Lord Radcliffe, is a typical male, a bit daff when it comes to the ways of women, especially the ways of one particular woman, Miss Adelaide Shaw, his childhood companion, a girl who plays a part in every pleasant memory Drake holds. 

Yet, since he failed to deliver Addy’s first kiss on her fifteenth birthday, his former “friend” has struck him from her life just at a time when Radcliffe has come to the conclusion Adelaide is the one woman who best suits him. 

This tale is more than a familiar story of friends to lovers for it presents the old maxim an unusual twist.

Purchase Links:

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Love-Regina-Jeffers-ebook/dp/B09Q4568PB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8EXH1AQPYUOB&keywords=an+escape+to+love+by+regina+Jeffers&qid=1641992893&sprefix=an+escape+to+love+by+regina+jeffers+%2Caps%2C59&sr=8-1

Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/hz/subscribe/ku?_encoding=UTF8&passThroughAsin=B09D8YJ5NG

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Love-Regina-Jeffers/dp/B09QFDJTM1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=248YL4EVA5DYH&keywords=an+escape+to+love+by+regina+jeffers&qid=1687890185&sprefix=an+escape+to+love+by+regina+jeffers%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/an-escape-to-love-by-regina-jeffers

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Courting Lord Whitmire: A May-December Regency Romance

At the bend of the path, an unexpected meeting.

She is all May. He is December.

But loves knows not time.

Colonel Lord Andrew Whitmire has returned to England after spending fifteen years in service to his country. In truth, he would prefer to be anywhere but home. Before he departed England, his late wife, from an arranged marriage, had cuckolded him in a scandal that had set Society’s tongues wagging. His daughter, Matilda, who was reared by his father, enjoys calling him “Father” in the most annoying ways. Unfortunately, his future is the viscountcy, and Andrew knows his duty to both the title and his child. He imagines himself the last of his line until he encounters Miss Verity Coopersmith, the niece of his dearest friend, the man who had saved Andrew’s life at Waterloo. Miss Coopersmith sets Whitmire’s world spinning out of control. She is truly everything he did not know he required in his life. However, she is twenty-two years his junior, young enough to be his daughter, but all he can think is she is absolute perfection.

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Courting-Lord-Whitmire-Regency-May-December-ebook/dp/B085QNYHRW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=courting+lord+whitmire&qid=1584536924&sr=8-1

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited


Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/courting-lord-whitmire-a-regency-may-december-romance-by-regina-jeffers

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Lord Radcliffe’s Best Friend: A Regency Christmas Novella 

Hendrake Barrymore, Lord Radcliffe, is a typical male, a bit daff when it comes to the ways of women, especially the ways of one particular woman, Miss Adelaide Shaw, his childhood companion, a girl who plays a part in every pleasant memory Drake holds. 

Yet, since he failed to deliver Addy’s first kiss on her fifteenth birthday, his former “friend” has struck him from her life just at a time when Radcliffe has come to the conclusion Adelaide is the one woman who best suits him. 

This tale is more than a familiar story of friends to lovers for it presents the old maxim an unusual twist.

Kindle   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09D8YJ5NG?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/lord-radcliffe-s-best-friend-by-regina-jeffers

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If you wish, you may purchase the two novellas above in this bundle.

Something in the Air: Two Sweet Regency Romances

Courting Lord Whitmire: A Regency May-December Romance

At the bend of the path, an unexpected meeting.

She is all May. He is December.

But loves knows not time.

Colonel Lord Andrew Whitmire has returned to England after spending fifteen years in service to his country. In truth, he would prefer to be anywhere but home. Before he departed England, his late wife, from an arranged marriage, had cuckolded him in a scandal that had set Society’s tongues wagging. His daughter, Matilda, who was reared by his father, enjoys calling him “Father” in the most annoying ways. Unfortunately, his future is the viscountcy, and Andrew knows his duty to both the title and his child. He imagines himself the last of his line until he encounters Miss Verity Coopersmith, the niece of his dearest friend, the man who had saved Andrew’s life at Waterloo. Miss Coopersmith sets Whitmire’s world spinning out of control. She is truly everything he did not know he required in his life. However, she is twenty-two years his junior, young enough to be his daughter, but all he can think is she is absolute perfection.

Last Woman Standing

JACKSON SHAW, the Marquess of Rivens, never considered the “gypsy blessing” presented to his family during the time of Henry VIII truly a blessing. He viewed it more as a curse. According to the “blessing,” in his thirtieth year, at the Christmas ball hosted by his family, he was to choose a wife among the women attending. The catch was he possessed no choice in the matter. His wife was to be the one who proved herself to be his perfect match, according to the gypsy’s provisions: a woman who would bring prosperity to his land by her love of nature and her generous heart. In his opinion, none of the women vying for his hand appeared to care for anything but themselves.

EVELYN HAWTHORNE comes to River’s End to serve as the companion to the Marchioness of Rivens, his lordship’s grandmother. However, Lady Rivens has more than companionship in mind when she employs the girl, whose late father was a renown horticulturalist. The marchioness means to gather Gerald Hawthorne’s rare specimens to prevent those with less scrupulous ideas from purchasing Hawthorne’s conservatory, and, thereby, stealing away what little choice her grandson has in naming a wife, for all the potential brides must present the Rivenses with a rare flower to demonstrate the lady’s love of nature. Little does the marchioness know Hawthorne’s daughter might not only know something of nature, but be the person to fulfill the gypsy’s blessing.

Purchase Links:

Kindle   https://www.amazon.com/Something-Air-Two-Regency-Romances-ebook/dp/B08B1T59BF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=something+in+the+air+by+regina+jeffers&qid=1591965043&sr=8-1

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B33M1NX/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1591965043&sr=8-1

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Book Bub https://www.bookbub.com/books/something-in-the-air-two-regency-romances-by-regina-jeffers

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The Jewel Thief and the Earl: A Regency Romance

Grandison Franklyn, 8th Earl Harlow, has earned the moniker “Grandison, the Great” for a variety of reasons: his well-honed attitude of superiority; his appearance; and a string of mistresses, most notably Lady Jenest, who created a “great” row when he cut her loose. 

Miss Colleen Everley is the daughter of England’s most notorious thief, a man called “Brook’s Crook.” Colleen has been taught many of her father’s skills, along with an eye for the value of each item in a room. Unfortunately, the lady does not possess Thomas Everley’s daring. 

Lord Harlow and Miss Everley must combine forces to return Queen Charlotte’s sapphire necklace before Her Majesty learns it is missing. Toss in a healthy sprinkling of quirky characters and missteps in the investigation, and the reader will find a delightful tale that goes beyond the “Cinderella” effect and opposites attract.

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y9DWVGV?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited 

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-jewel-thief-and-the-earl-by-regina-jeffers

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The Earl’s English Rose: A Regency Romance

The new Earl of Everwalt was not one to appreciate being bamboozled by an obstinate, headstrong girl, though pretty she may be. If he did not require her to repair his reputation, he would leave her to the schemes she had concocted to save her father’s estate. 

Just because he was now her guardian, the Earl of Everwalt had no right to decide who she might marry. Therefore, Miss Rose Vickers sets out for London to provide the new earl a piece of her mind, only to run into a highwayman. As if scripted, the new earl proves to be her savior, but it would be some time before the suspicious Rose and the extremely susceptible Everwalt learn the depth of their connection and the true meaning of love.  

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Regency-Summer-Garden-Romance-Anthology-ebook/dp/B0B4K23RKP/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Read for free on Kindle Unlimited 

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-earl-s-english-rose-a-regency-romance-novella-by-regina-jeffers

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If you wish, you may purchase the two novellas above in this bundle.

Two Earls to Love: Two Regency Romances 

The Jewel Thief and the Earl: A Regency Romance

Grandison Franklyn, 8th Earl Harlow, has earned the moniker “Grandison, the Great” for a variety of reasons: his well-honed attitude of superiority; his appearance; and a string of mistresses, most notably Lady Jenest, who created a “great” row when he cut her loose. 

Miss Colleen Everley is the daughter of England’s most notorious thief, a man called “Brook’s Crook.” Colleen has been taught many of her father’s skills, along with an eye for the value of each item in a room. Unfortunately, the lady does not possess Thomas Everley’s daring. 

Lord Harlow and Miss Everley must combine forces to return Queen Charlotte’s sapphire necklace before Her Majesty learns it is missing. Toss in a healthy sprinkling of quirky characters and missteps in the investigation, and the reader will find a delightful tale that goes beyond the “Cinderella” effect and opposites attract.

The Earl’s English Rose: A Regency Romance 

The new Earl of Everwalt was not one to appreciate being bamboozled by an obstinate, headstrong girl, though pretty she may be. If he did not require her to repair his reputation, he would leave her to the schemes she had concocted to save her father’s estate. 

Just because he was now her guardian, the Earl of Everwalt had no right to decide who she might marry. Therefore, Miss Rose Vickers sets out for London to provide the new earl a piece of her mind, only to run into a highwayman. As if scripted, the new earl proves to be her savior, but it would be some time before the suspicious Rose and the extremely susceptible Everwalt learn the depth of their connection and the true meaning of love.

Purchase Links: 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Two-Earls-Love-Regency-Romances/dp/B0C87SH7LG/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C8F7SDT7/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Audible (with Virtual Voice Narrator) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXGX8R94

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/two-earls-to-love-two-regency-romances-by-regina-jeffers

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Last, but not least . . .

His Christmas Violet: A Second Chance Regency Romance 

Sir Frederick Nolan stayed true to his late wife through all their years of marriage, but now he is widower and has waited the proper mourning period, he sees no reason he should not finally know the happiness of having Lady Violet Graham at his side. He meant to marry Violet when he was fresh from his university years and she was but a young lady; however, the realization she was perfect for him had come too late, and Violet had already accepted the proposal of Lord Graham. 

Lady Violet Graham never strayed from the love she held for Sir Frederick, but she had proven herself a good wife to her late husband, serving dutifully as Lord Giles Graham’s chatelaine and presenting him three sons. Now, her widow’s pension and the use of the dower house will provide her the only freedom she has ever known as a woman. She cannot think to become another man’s “property,” even when that man is the only one she has every loved. Enough is enough when it comes to having no voice in her  future. 

They have been in each others’ pockets, so to speak, since they were children, but how does Sir Frederick convince Lady Violet to marry him, when she is most determined never again to permit any man dominion over her person, even though they both know they would be great together?

Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNWB8RD2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C46IF1VGUURJ&keywords=his+christmas+violet+by+regina+jeffers&qid=1670030118&sprefix=%2Caps%2C75&sr=8-1

Available to Read in Kindle Unlimited 

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/books/his-christmas-violet-a-second-chance-regency-romance-by-regina-jeffers

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Friday, the 13th is Only Unlucky in Western Civilizations

Posted on December 13, 2024 by Regina Jeffers
Friday the 13th marked on a calendar – Wikipedia

Friday the 13th is a Western civilization superstition. The 13th falls on a Friday, at least, once every year on the Gregorian calendar, but it can happen up to three times in year. 2024 had two Friday the 13th. “For example, 2015 had a Friday the 13th in February, March, and November, which will happen again in 2026. Leap years that begin on Sunday (i.e. that follow Dominical Letter AG) such as 2012 and 2040, also have three Friday the 13ths in January, April, and July. 2017 through 2020 had two Friday the 13ths, as did 2023; 2016, 2021, and 2022 had just one Friday the 13th, as will 2025, 2027, and 2028; 2024 will have two Friday the 13ths.” [“Months and years having Friday the 13th”. Time and Date (timeanddate.com).

NOTE: A month has a Friday the 13th if and only if it begins on a Sunday.

History.com tells us, “While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labors of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13 has a long history as a sign of bad luck.

“The ancient Code of Hammurabi, for example, reportedly omitted a 13th law from its list of legal rules. Though this was probably a clerical error, superstitious people sometimes point to this as proof of 13’s longstanding negative associations.

“Fear of the number 13 has even earned a psychological term: triskaidekaphobia.

“13 Is Only Unlucky in the West

“It also seems as if unexplained fears surrounding the number 13 are a primarily Western construct. Some cultures, including the Ancient Egyptians, actually considered the number lucky, while others have simply swapped numbers as the base of their phobias—4 is avoided in much of Asia, for example. 

“According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, more than 80 percent of hi-rise buildings in the United States do not have a 13th floor, and the vast majority of hotels, hospitals and airports avoid using the number for rooms and gates as well. 

“But in much of East and Southeast Asia, where tetraphobia is the norm, you’d be hard-pressed to find much use of the number 4 in private or public life, thanks to similar sounds for the Chinese language (and Chinese-influenced linguistic sub-groups) words for ‘four’ and ‘death.'”

Many believe the number 13 as a sign of doom and gloom comes to us from a Norse myth about twelve gods having supper together in Valhalla, a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat enter Valhalla, while the other half are chosen by the goddess Freyja to reside in Fólkvangr. 

The trickster god Loki, who was not invited, arrived as the thirteenth guest, and arranged for Höðr, the god of darkness, to shoot Balder, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Balder died, triggering much suffering in the world, which caused the number 13 to be considered unlucky. [Yes, before you ask, this is the same Thor and Loki from the Marvel Universe.]

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci

Meanwhile, many Christians associate the “evil” of the number 13 with the story of Jesus and the Last Supper. There were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the thirteenth of Nisan (the first month of spring) Maundy Thursday 9or Holy Thursday, among other names, is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the Feet, the night before the Jesus’s death on Good Friday.

As to the evilness of “Friday,” while there is evidence of both Friday and the number 13 being considered unlucky, there is no record of the two items being referred to as especially unlucky in conjunction before the 19th century.

The Knights Templar

The arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307, by officers of King Philip IV of France has some roots to the Friday the 13th superstition, though that is questionable also.

19th century

Gioachino Rossini by Henri Grevedon ~ Wikipedia

“In France, Friday 13th might have been associated with misfortune as early as the first half of the 19th century. A character in the 1834 play Les Finesses des Gribouilles states, “I was born on a Friday, December 13th, 1813 from which come all of my misfortunes.” [“Who’s Afraid of Friday the Thirteenth? | Folklife Today”. 12 January 2017.]

“An early documented reference in English occurs in H. S. Edwards‘ biography of Gioachino Rossini, who died on Friday 13th of November 1868:”Rossini was surrounded to the last by admiring friends; and if it be true that, like so many Italians, he regarded Fridays as an unlucky day and thirteen as an unlucky number, it is remarkable that on Friday 13th of November he passed away.” [Edwards, H. S. (1869). The Life of Rossini. Blackett. p. 340.]

Frequency

  1. 1.There is always one Friday the 13th in each calendar year.

2. It can be as long as 14 months between two Friday the 13ths, either from July to September of the following year being a common year starting on Tuesday or from August to October the following year being a leap year starting on Saturday.

3. The shortest period that occurs with a Friday the 13th is just one month.

4. There can be no more than three Friday the 13ths in a single calendar year.

Posted in American History, British history, history, horology, legends, religion, research | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Friday, the 13th is Only Unlucky in Western Civilizations

Succession or Stipulation – Inheritance Questions from a Reader

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

QUESTION FROM A READER: I have read in some stories where a gentleman is made a peer through the death of the title holder. A will is then produced indicating that in order to keep the fortune and lands the new title holder must marry, produce offspring or meet and overcome some obstacle or goal. Is this just a tool of fiction, or were such stipulations actually placed on an inheritance? 

ANSWER: I wish there was a straight forward answer without all the layers of “What If,” but I shall attempt to explain as best I can. Like you, I have read those books as well. The first part of my answer is usually the conditions can only be attached to money or something portable like a casket of jewels. Land is treated differently and has different  requirements and any condition except the death of issue was frowned upon by the courts for land. Those stipulations were made, and still are. However, they could only apply to unentailed property. 

However, one can do what one wants with money and attach all sorts of conditions to it, as long as a recipient is named to receive the money, if the first beneficiary does not fulfill the condition. The usual conditions relate to marriage as conception of a child is considered left to God. A condition will be declared invalid if it appears to be hindering the beneficiary from marrying, but not if it just says the person cannot marry one specific person or a member of a family. Conditions set have been that the person marry with the approval of the trustee of the money or else the money goes to another. Or that the person marry within a year, or not marry a hussy, or not marry a member of some family. If the beneficiary violates the condition then the money goes to another. Quite often the one with the money wants the money to go to the remainder man but feels obligated to leave it to the first beneficiary so puts conditions on the money that the beneficiary will not or cannot meet.

This is one area of the law where judges have a great deal of discretion within the parameters of precedence.

However, peerages, entailed lands, settled lands and any property dealt with by a previous will, testimony, or deed usually cannot be handled in this way. No condition can ever be placed to keep the  next in line from inheriting a peerage title.

A person can place conditions on the disbursement of his estate, and that stipulation could be challenged in the courts and still be upheld. If, however, you are talking about assets and property that are entailed to a title, that is a different kettle of fish, for it is not the personal property of the deceased, but is entailed to a title granted by the Crown and as such, is not the deceased’s. The laws of inheritance take precedence over any personal dislikes or the like.

QUESTION #2: What if an elder son could not be found? Given that my hero’s family has good reason to believe he is dead, would his younger brother have already been confirmed to the title? If so, could that confirmation be undone now that the hero is back?

Any inheritance (land and other assets) would be put in trust to be run for the heir until he could be found. Any inheritance due to others via a will would be distributed as per the will. The title would not go to anyone until the government had absolute, irrefutable evidence of his death and proof that he had no legitimate issue. Once that evidence was received, the title would go to the younger brother. If, after all that, the elder son turned up alive, he would still be considered dead as far as the title was concerned. Once a title was given to someone, it was never taken away unless he was convicted of treason or murder. Then it goes to the government and nobody has it. The only way an absent elder son could receive the title is if it remains in limbo until he returns and he is properly identified. The younger brother cannot use it — and cannot even use a courtesy title that was not already his.

The standard of proof for death in peerage cases is higher than in just ordinary cases. When one Napier brother was thought killed in battle, his brother was given letters of administration to his estate. When the brother survived and returned, all was restored as it had been. 

However, once a peerage was given, it could not be taken back. If the next brother put in a petition to be named the peer, and if his brother’s death was assumed, and he received the peerage, and then the brother returned, The House of Lords could not take it from one man and give it to the other, unless the new peer had not yet taken his seat in the House of Lords. 

However, all real and personal property that was supposed to go to the allegedly deceased brother would be returned to him. So one would have the land, etc., and the other the title. 

If the House of Lords had approved the younger brother for the title, it might just suggest to the King that he create a title for the one thought dead. Big legal mess. Everyone wanted to avoid such confusion. 

Property and money can be returned, but a peerage could not so the House of Lords and the King usually took their time deciding such cases. It was easy enough to have a title go dormant, and it was the safest means to solve a difficult situation. 

Posted in aristocracy, British history, customs and tradiitons, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, historical fiction, history, laws of the land, reading, real life tales, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

THE HUSBAND’S LEGAL RIGHTS DURING THE GEORGIAN ERA: Is His Wife Property or Merely His Responsibility?

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

First, permit me to introduce you to Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780), who shaped much of what we know of law in the Georgian Era. Sir William Blackstone was an English jurist, justice and Tory politician most noted for his Commentaries on the Laws of England, which became the best-known description of the doctrines of the English common law.

Sir William Blackstone – Public Domain

While most of what Blackstone wrote about the law stayed the same for the next century, there were changes, elucidation, and further commentary. 

Please note, for example, technically, a wife was not the husband’s property because that was impossible when they were considered by law as the “same person.” 

Blackstone had written ~ Commentaries on the Laws of England, vol. 1 The Rights of Persons (1765): “By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law:  that is, the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband:  under whose wing, protection, and cover, she performs everything; is said to be . . . under the protection and influence of her husband, her baron, or lord; and her condition during her marriage is called her coverture.  Upon this principle, of an union of person in husband and wife, depend almost all the legal rights, duties, and disabilities, that either of them acquire by the marriage. . . .  For this reason, a man cannot grant any thing to his wife, or enter into [contract] with her: the grant would be to suppose her separate existence; and to [contract] with her, would be only to [contract] with himself . . . .The husband is bound to provide his wife with necessaries [items necessary for subsistence] by law, as much as himself; and if she contracts debts for them, he is obliged to pay them; but for any thing besides necessaries, he is not chargeable. . . . If the wife be injured in her person or her property she can bring no action for redress without her husband’s concurrence, and in his name, as well as her own: neither can she be sued, without making the husband a defendant. . . . In criminal prosecutions, it is true, the wife may be indicted and punished separately . . . but, in trials of any sort, they are not allowed to be evidence for, or against each other; partly because it is impossible their testimony should be indifferent; but principally because of the union of person.

            “By marriage . . . [the property] which belonged formerly to the wife, are by act of vested in the husband, with the same degree of property and the same powers, as the wife, when [unmarried], had over them.  This depends entirely on the notion of an unity of person between the husband and wife; it being held that they are one person in law . . . . And hence it follows, that whatever personal property belonged to the wife before marriage, is by marriage absolutely vested in the husband.  In real estate, he only gains title to the rents and profits during coverture. . . . But, in [other property], the sole and absolute property vests in the husband, to be disposed of at his pleasure, if he chuses [sic] to take possession of them . . . .

            “The husband also (by the old law) might give his wife moderate correction.  For as he is to answer for his misbehaviour, the law thought it reasonable to intrust him with this power of restraining her, by domestic chastisement, in the same moderation that a man is allowed to correct his servants or children; for whom the master or parent is also liable in some cases answer. . . . But, with us, in the politer reign of Charles the second, this power of correction began to be doubted. . . . Yet the lower rank of people, who were always fond of the old common law, still claim and exert their antient privilege: and the courts of law will still permit a husband to restrain a wife of her liberty, in case of any gross misbehavior.

            “These are the chief legal effects of marriage during the coverture; upon which we may observe, that even the disabilities, which the wife lied under, are for the most part intended for her protection and benefit.  So great a favourite is the female sex of the laws of England.“

By the time of the Regency, the areas in which a wife could act on her own and be considered as her own person had broadened somewhat, especially in the area of crime. No man wanted to be considered guilty of a crime his wife committed on her own or while associating with another. Though a husband and wife could not testify against each other on most cases, a man could defend himself by distancing himself from the crime of his wife. Also, such distancing would take place out of the court room before the trial began. Notice that a wife could be excused from committing some crimes if she did so because she was forced into it by her husband. The exceptions were murder and treason. In cases of treason and murder, the case was so serious that it justified the  wife from not acting under the compulsion of the husband. That said, one wonders how far a wife would get if she opposed a husband when he committed treason or murder? Most likely, her corpse would be alongside the victim.

A wife could use the excuse that she only acted as her husband directed if both were implicated in a crime. By the late 18th century, at least, a wife could be convicted of a crime on her own. A Duchess would be tried in the House of Lords. She could try to implicate her husband but he would not automatically be indicted as a co conspirator.

Women and the Law

By Jone Johnson Lewis, About.com Guide

In the 19th century, American and British women’s rights–or lack of thereof–depended heavily on the commentaries of William Blackstone which defined a married woman and man as one person under the law. Here’s what William Blackstone wrote in 1765:

Source: William Blackstone. Commentaries on the Laws of England. Vol, 1 (1765), pages 442-445.  The major elements of this coverture held true through the Regency.

By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law: that is, the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband; under whose wing, protection, and cover, she performs everything; and is therefore called in our law-French a feme-covert, foemina viro co-operta; is said to be covert-baron, or under the protection and influence of her husband, her baron, or lord; and her condition during her marriage is called her coverture. Upon this principle, of a union of person in husband and wife, depend almost all the legal rights, duties, and disabilities, that either of them acquire by the marriage. I speak not at present of the rights of property, but of such as are merely personal. For this reason, a man cannot grant anything to his wife, or enter into covenant with her: for the grant would be to suppose her separate existence; and to covenant with her, would be only to covenant with himself: and therefore it is also generally true, that all compacts made between husband and wife, when single, are voided by the intermarriage. A woman indeed may be attorney for her husband; for that implies no separation from, but is rather a representation of, her lord.

And a husband may also bequeath anything to his wife by will; for that cannot take effect till the coverture is determined by his death. The husband is bound to provide his wife with necessaries by law, as much as himself; and, if she contracts debts for them, he is obliged to pay them; but for anything besides necessaries he is not chargeable. Also if a wife elopes, and lives with another man, the husband is not chargeable even for necessaries; at least if the person who furnishes them is sufficiently apprized of her elopement. If the wife be indebted before marriage, the husband is bound afterwards to pay the debt; for he has adopted her and her circumstances together. If the wife be injured in her person or her property, she can bring no action for redress without her husband’s concurrence, and in his name, as well as her own: neither can she be sued without making the husband a defendant. There is indeed one case where the wife shall sue and be sued as a feme sole, viz. where the husband has abjured the realm, or is banished, for then he is dead in law; and the husband being thus disabled to sue for or defend the wife, it would be most unreasonable if she had no remedy, or could make no defence at all. In criminal prosecutions, it is true, the wife may be indicted and punished separately; for the union is only a civil union. But in trials of any sort they are not allowed to be evidence for, or against, each other: partly because it is impossible their testimony should be indifferent, but principally because of the union of person; and therefore, if they were admitted to be witness for each other, they would contradict one maxim of law, “nemo in propria causa testis esse debet”; and if against each other, they would contradict another maxim, “nemo tenetur seipsum accusare.” But, where the offence is directly against the person of the wife, this rule has been usually dispensed with; and therefore, by statute 3 Hen. VII, c. 2, in case a woman be forcibly taken away, and married, she may be a witness against such her husband, in order to convict him of felony. For in this case she can with no propriety be reckoned his wife; because a main ingredient, her consent, was wanting to the contract: and also there is another maxim of law, that no man shall take advantage of his own wrong; which the ravisher would do, if, by forcibly marrying a woman, he could prevent her from being a witness, who is perhaps the only witness to that very fact.

In the civil law the husband and the wife are considered as two distinct persons, and may have separate estates, contracts, debts, and injuries; and therefore in our ecclesiastical courts, a woman may sue and be sued without her husband.

But though our law in general considers man and wife as one person, yet there are some instances in which she is separately considered; as inferior to him, and acting by his compulsion. And therefore any deeds executed, and acts done, by her, during her coverture, are void; except it be a fine, or the like manner of record, in which case she must be solely and secretly examined, to learn if her act be voluntary. She cannot by will devise lands to her husband, unless under special circumstances; for at the time of making it she is supposed to be under his coercion. And in some felonies, and other inferior crimes, committed by her through constraint of her husband, the law excuses her: but this extends not to treason or murder.

The husband also, by the old law, might give his wife moderate correction. For, as he is to answer for her misbehaviour, the law thought it reasonable to intrust him with this power of restraining her, by domestic chastisement, in the same moderation that a man is allowed to correct his apprentices or children; for whom the master or parent is also liable in some cases to answer. But this power of correction was confined within reasonable bounds, and the husband was prohibited from using any violence to his wife, aliter quam ad virum, ex causa regiminis et castigationis uxoris suae, licite et rationabiliter pertinet. The civil law gave the husband the same, or a larger, authority over his wife: allowing him, for some misdemeanors, flagellis et fustibus acriter verberare uxorem; for others, only modicam castigationem adhibere. But with us, in the politer reign of Charles the second, this power of correction began to be doubted; and a wife may now have security of the peace against her husband; or, in return, a husband against his wife. Yet the lower rank of people, who were always fond of the old common law, still claim and exert their ancient privilege: and the courts of law will still permit a husband to restrain a wife of her liberty, in the case of any gross misbehaviour.

These are the chief legal effects of marriage during the coverture; upon which we may observe, that even the disabilities which the wife lies under are for the most part intended for her protection and benefit: so great a favourite is the female sex of the laws of England.

Source: William Blackstone. Commentaries on the Laws of England. Vol, 1 (1765), pages 442-445.

I love the last line: “…so great a favourite is the female sex of the laws of England.” 

I just wanted to say again: a wife might be her husband’s responsibility, but she was not actually his property. 

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Celebrating Holidays During the Regency Era

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Often, I am asked what might people of the Regency Era celebrate during the year. Now, these are some of the ones I know, though I cannot speak to the types of celebrations for all. Many were related to the Church of England, so “celebrations” as some of you might think were more subdued and a simple acknowledgement of the day.

For example, many who first read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice do not understand the quote: “”Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he agreed with Mr. Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week,” meaning, Mr. Bingley came to Netherfield Park before Michaelmas, which would be September 29. Have a look at the Timeline for Pride and Prejudice for more insights to that particular tale.

“There were four holidays of importance in the Regency Era: Lady Day, which celebrated the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary (March 25), St. John’s Day, which coincided with Midsummer (June 24), Michaelmas (September 29), and Christmas (December 25). The four days were known as quarter days and were important celebrations on the English calendar. Of these, only Michaelmas and Christmas are named in Jane’s writings, with Michaelmas mentioned twelve times in five out of six novels, Northanger Abbey excepted, and Christmas referenced at least once or more per novel. But although named, Jane never describes Michaelmas or its traditions, and Christmas, for the most part, is only briefly referenced.” [Jane Austen Literacy Foundation]

1 January – New Year’s Day is observed on 1 January. The festivities begin a day before on 31 December when parties are held to bring in the new year. Public events are also organised where firework displays are arranged.

According to Whistler (2015), during the 18th century, first footing was not known in the South of England. Instead, “glasses were raised at quarter to twelve to “the Old Friend-Farewell!Farewell!Farewell!” and then at midnight to “the New Infant” with three ‘ Hip, hip horrahs!'”. Other customs included dancing in the New Year. In the North of England, first footing has been traditionally observed involving opening the door to a stranger at midnight. The guest is seen as a bringer of good fortune for the coming year.

6 January (or thereabouts) – Plough Monday is the traditional start of the English agricultural year. Plough Monday is the first Monday after Epiphany, 6 January. References to Plough Monday date back to the late 15th century. The day before Plough Monday is referred to as Plough Sunday, in which a ploughshare is brought into the local Christian church (such as the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions) with prayers for the blessing of human labour, tools, as well as the land. In the fifteenth century, churches lit candles called “plough lights” to bless farmworkers. Some parishes kept a plough in the church for those who did not own one, and in some parishes, the plough was paraded around the village to raise money for the church. This practice seems to have died out after the Reformation.

13 January – The feast of St Hilary began the Hilary term at schools and law courts–at least, it was called Hilary term, though sometimes it started a week or so later than the actual day on the calendar.

30 January – martyrdom of King Charles I – King Charles the Martyr, or Charles, King and Martyr, is a title of Charles I, who was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 until his execution on 30 January 1649. The title is used by high church Anglicans who regard Charles’s execution as a martyrdom. His feast day in the Anglican calendar of saints is 30 January, the anniversary of his execution in 1649. The cult of Charles the Martyr was historically popular with Tories. The observance was one of several “state services” removed in 1859 from the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England and the Church of Ireland. [“Worship > Common Worship > The Calendar > Holy Days”. Prayer & Worship. Church of England.]

2 February – Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Joseph and Mary.

Falling Between 3 February and 9 March – Shrove Tuesday or “Moveable Feast” (also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day) is the final day of Shrovetide, marking the end of pre-Lent. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession; the ritual burning of the previous year’s Holy Week palms; finalizing one’s Lenten sacrifice; as well as eating pancakes and other sweets. Many Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Roman Catholics, make a special point of self-examination, of considering what wrongs they need to repent, and what amendments of life or areas of spiritual growth they especially need to ask for God’s help.

14 February – Saint Valentine’s Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine,[9] is celebrated annually on 14 February. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honouring one or two early saints named Valentinus, Saint Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love, although it is not a public holiday.

25 March – Lady’s Day – In the Western liturgical year, Lady Day is the common name in some English-speaking and Scandinavian countries of the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrated on 25 March to commemorate the annunciation of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would bear Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Late March – The Church also had some days like Mothering Sunday. (Mothering Sunday is a day honouring mother churches, the church where one is baptised and becomes “a child of the church”, celebrated since the Middle Ages in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries on the fourth Sunday in Lent.] The date varies but it is, generally, in the latter part of March.

April 23 – St George Day – In the calendar of the Lutheran Churches, those of the Anglican Communion, and the General Calendar of the Roman Rite, the feast of Saint George is normally celebrated on 23 April. Common Worship (meaning the Church of England) says “When St George’s Day … falls between Palm Sunday and the Second Sunday of Easter inclusive, it is transferred to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter,” but it does not say what to do if that day is 25 April – normally St Mark’s Day. This will next occur in 2033.

Hocktide is a very old term used to denote the Monday and Tuesday in the second week after Easter. It was an English mediaeval festival; both the Tuesday and the preceding Monday were the Hock-days. Together with Whitsuntide and the twelve days of Christmastide, the week following Easter marked the only vacations of the husbandman’s year, during slack times in the cycle of the year when the villein ceased work on his lord’s demesne, and most likely on his own land as well. Although the Hocktide celebrations take place over several days, the main festivities occur on the Tuesday, which is also known as Tutti Day. The Hocktide Council, which is elected on the previous Friday, appoints two Tutti Men whose job it is to visit the properties attracting Commoner’s Rights. Formerly they collected rents, and they accompanied the Bellman (or Town crier) to summon commoners to attend the Hocktide Court in the Town Hall, and to fine those who were unable to attend one penny, in lieu of the loss of their rights. 

These dates vary within a few days each calendar year:

Ash Wednesday

Easter and Easter Monday and Tuesday

Whitsunday and Monday ( Pentecost)

Mid May – Rush Sunday – Before churches had paved floors, rushes were strewn to keep the earth floors sweet ,and it was common to make a special occasion from their annual renewal. The festival was widespread in Britain from the Middle Ages and well established by the time of Shakespeare, but had fallen into decline by the beginning of the 19th century, as church floors were flagged with stone. The custom was revived later in the 19th century, and is kept alive today as an annual event in a number of towns and villages in the north of England. Nowadays, Rushcart is a tradition of rushbearing that originated in north-west England, whereby decorated carts were loaded with rushes and taken to the local church, accompanied by Morris dancers and other entertainment.

Historically, on May Day Eve, fires were lit and sacrifices offered to obtain a blessing on the newly-sown fields. According to Hutton (2001), England did not observe May Day Eve or May Day fires on a wide scale. There are however isolated instances of such fires in Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. However, the exceptions are Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall where May Day Eve or May Day fires were lit.[35] May-Day Eve night was also called ” Mischief night”. According to Roud (2006), people in Lancashire, Yorkshire and surrounding counties played tricks on May Day Eve. Roud also states that there are isolated examples of an English folk belief that May Day Eve was connected to fairies. At the turn of the twentieth century, people in Herefordshire at Kingstone and Thruxton left “trays of moss outside their doors for the fairies to dance upon”.

Maypole dancing 2009 on the Village Green in Tewin, near Welwyn Garden City, with the Rose and Crown Public House in background ~ Wikipedia ~ CC BY-SA 2.0

Start of Summer on the first day of May, the traditional English May Day rites and celebrations include crowning a May Queen and celebrations involving a maypole. Historically, Morris dancing has been linked to May Day celebrations. Much of this tradition derives from the pagan Anglo-Saxon customs held during “Þrimilci-mōnaþ”(the Old English name for the month of May meaning Month of Three Milkings) along with many Celtic traditions. May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries, most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility (of the soil, livestock, and people) and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. Seeding has been completed by this date and it was convenient to give farm labourers a day off. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons. The spring bank holiday on the first Monday in May was created in 1978; May 1 itself is not a public holiday in England (unless it falls on a Monday).

Jack in the Green, also known as Jack o’ the Green, is an English folk custom associated with the celebration of May Day. It involves a pyramidal or conical wicker or wooden framework that is decorated with foliage being worn by a person as part of a procession, often accompanied by musicians. Jack in the Green emerged within the context of English May Day processions, with the folklorist Roy Judge noting that these celebrations were not “a set, immutable pattern, but rather a fluid, moving process, which combined different elements at various times”. Judge thought it unlikely that the Jack in the Green itself existed much before 1770, due to an absence of either the name or the structure itself in any of the written accounts of visual depictions of English May Day processions from before that year.

The Jack in the Green developed out of a tradition that was first recorded in the seventeenth century, which involved milkmaids decorating themselves for May Day. In his diary, Samuel Pepys recorded observing a London May Day parade in 1667 in which milk-maids had “garlands upon their pails” and were dancing behind a fiddler. A 1698 account described milk-maids carrying not a decorated milk-pail, but a silver plate on which they had formed a pyramid-shape of objects, decorated with ribbons and flowers, and carried atop their head. The milk-maids were accompanied by musicians playing either fiddle or bag-pipe, and went door to door, dancing for the residents, who gave them payment of some form. In 1719, an account in The Tatler described a milk-maid “dancing before my door with the plate of half her customers on her head”, while a 1712 account in The Spectator referred to “the ruddy Milk-Maid exerting herself in a most sprightly style under a Pyramid of Silver Tankards”. These and other sources indicate that this tradition was well-established by the eighteenth century.

Revivals of the custom have occurred in various parts of England; Jacks in the Green have been seen in Bristol, Oxford and Knutsford, among other places. Jacks also appear at May Fairs in North America. In Deptford the Fowler’s Troop and Blackheath Morris have been parading the tallest and heaviest modern Jack for many decades, either in Greenwich, Bermondsey and the Borough or at Deptford itself.

May Day Hastings East Sussex. Jack in the Green Festival when Hastings is host to Morris Dancers from far and wide. Picture shows Green Jack together with the Mad Jack Morris behind, named after Mad Jack Fuller from Brightling. Jack represents an ancient symbol of nature and fertility. Customs of this nature go back to the 16-17 century. ~ Wikipedia ~ CC BY-SA 2.0

19 May (or thereabouts) – Queen Charlotte’s Ball was conducted in celebration of the Queen’s birthday on May 19. The Queen Charlotte’s Ball is an annual British debutante ball. The ball was founded in 1780 by George III as a birthday celebration in honour of his wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, for whom the ball is named. The Queen Charlotte’s Ball originally served as a fundraiser for the Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital. The annual ball continued after Queen Charlotte’s death in 1818, but was criticised by the British royal family in the 1950s and 1960s and folded in 1976.

1860 Debutantes – Public Domain

29 May – Also known as Restoration Day, Oak Apple Day or Royal Oak Day, was an English public holiday, observed annually on 29 May, to commemorate the restoration of the English monarchy in May 1660.[48] In some parts of the country the day is still celebrated. In 1660, Parliament passed into law “An Act for a Perpetual Anniversary Thanksgiving on the Nine and Twentieth Day of May”, declaring 29 May a public holiday “for keeping of a perpetual Anniversary, for a Day of Thanksgiving to God, for the great Blessing and Mercy he hath been graciously pleased to vouchsafe to the People of these Kingdoms, after their manifold and grievous Sufferings, in the Restoration of his Majesty…” The public holiday was formally abolished in the Anniversary Days Observance Act 1859, however, events still take place at Upton-upon-Severn in Worcestershire, Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire, Great Wishford in Wiltshire (when villagers gather wood in Grovely Wood), and Membury in Devon. The day is generally marked by re-enactment activities at Moseley Old Hall, West Midlands, one of the houses where Charles II hid in 1651. Celebrations include marching at Fownhope in Herefordshire holding flower and oak leaf decorated sticks. At All Saints’ Church, Northampton, a statue of Charles II is garlanded with oak leaves at noon every Oak Apple Day, followed by a celebration of the Holy Communion according to the Book of Common Prayer.

4 June – King George III’s birthday

23/24 June – Midsummer Eve/Saint John’s Eve – The name ‘midsummer’ is attested in Old English as midsumor, and refers to the time around the summer solstice. Astronomically, the solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June, but traditionally, in northern Europe, the solstice and midsummer was reckoned as the night of 23–24 June, with summer beginning on May Day. In England, the earliest reference to this custom occurs in the 13th century AD, in the Liber Memorandum of the parish church at Barnwell in the Nene Valley, which stated that parish youth would gather on the day to light fires, sing songs and play games. A Christian monk of Lilleshall Abbey, in the same century, wrote: In the worship of St John, men waken at even, and maken three manner of fires: one is clean bones and no wood, and is called a bonfire; another is of clean wood and no bones, and is called a wakefire, for men sitteth and wake by it; the third is made of bones and wood, and is called St John’s Fire.

June – Each June, Appleton Thorn hosts the ceremony of “Bawming the Thorn”. The current form of the ceremony dates from the 19th century, when it was part of the village’s “walking day”. It involved children from Appleton Thorn Primary School walking through the village and holding sports and games at the school. Bawming means “decorating” – during the ceremony the thorn tree is decorated with ribbons and garlands. According to legend, the hawthorn at Appleton Thorn grew from a cutting of the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury, which was itself said to have sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea, the man who arranged for Jesus’s burial after the crucifixion.

The hawthorn at Appleton is supposedly a descendant of the Holy Thorn at Glastonbury, which was itself said to have sprung from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea. Local children celebrate with a festival each June (a modern invention). ~ Wikipedia ~ CC BY-SA 2.0

12 August – The Prince of Wales’ birthday (later known as King George IV)

Mid August – Lammas, also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian festival in the liturgical calendar to mark the blessing of the First Fruits of harvest, with a loaf of bread being brought to the church for this purpose. Lammas is celebrated on 1 August, annually.] The name originates from the word “loaf” in reference to bread and “Mass” in reference to the Christian liturgy in which Holy Communion is celebrated. It marks the annual wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year. On this day it is customary to bring to church a loaf made from the new crop. The loaf is blessed, and in Anglo-Saxon England, lammas bread was broken into four bits, which were to be placed at the four corners of the barn, to protect the garnered grain. Christians also have church processions to bakeries, where those working therein are blessed by Christian clergy. The term Lammas “is a contraction of the ninth-century Anglo-Saxon expression Hláf mæsse, “from the hallowed bread [hláf—hence “loaf”] which is hallowed on Lammas Day”] According to Wilson (2011), “at Lammas, the fruits of the first cereal harvest were baked and used as an offering to make the grain storage barn safe”.

22/23 September – Harvest Festival ~ Thanks have been given for successful harvests since pagan times. Harvest festival is traditionally held on the Sunday near or of the Harvest Moon. This is the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox (22 or 23 September). The celebrations on this day usually include singing hymns, praying, and decorating churches with baskets of fruit and food in the festival known as Harvest Festival.

29 September – Michaelmas was the beginning of school and law court terms.

October 31 – Allhallowtide is celebrated. The festival begins on 31 October. The term Halloween is derived from the phrase All Hallows Even which refers to the eve of the Christian festival of All Saint’s held on 1 November. It begins the season of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

October 31 – The practice of Souling originates in the medieval era of Christian Europe, in which soul cakes are given out to soulers (mainly consisting of children and the poor) who go from door to door during the days of Allhallowtide singing and saying prayers “for the souls of the givers and their friends”. The customs associated with Souling during Allhallowtide include or included consuming and/or distributing soul cakes, singing, carrying lanterns, dressing in disguise, bonfires, playing divination games, carrying a horse’s head and performing plays. Souling is still practised in Cheshire and Sheffield. In England, historically Halloween was associated with Souling which is a Christian practice carried out during Allhallowtide and Christmastide. 

Soul Cakes – Wikipedia ~ CC BY-SA 4.0

5 November – Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night – Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in the United Kingdom. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London; and months later, the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure. 

23 November – St Clement’s Day – St Clement’s Day is celebrated on 23 November. Modern observances include a gathering of blacksmiths at the National Trust’s Finch Foundry in Sticklepath “where they practise their art and celebrate their patron saint, St Clement.” Historically, the festival was celebrated in many parts of England and involved the playing of divination games with apples. The festival was known as Bite-Apple night in places such as Wednesbury (Sandwell) and Bilston (Wolverhampton) when people went “Clementing” in a similar manner to Souling. 

25 December to 5 January – the Twelve Days of Christmas or Christmastide

25 December – Christmas – Christmas is an annual commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed on 25 December. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in England lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night.

December 31 – New Year’s Eve or First Footing – According to Whistler (Whistler, Laurence (5 October 2015). The English Festivals. Dean Street Press. ISBN 9781910570494 – via Google Books), during the 18th century, first footing was not known in the South of England. Instead, “glasses were raised at quarter to twelve to “the Old Friend-Farewell!Farewell!Farewell!” and then at midnight to “the New Infant” with three ‘ Hip, hip horrahs!'”. Other customs included dancing in the New Year. In the North of England, first footing has been traditionally observed involving opening the door to a stranger at midnight. The guest is seen as a bringer of good fortune for the coming year.

Also, during the years of the war, especially, the government would announce certain days as fast or thanksgiving days when people were to go to church to either mourn or rejoice.

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HOLIDAYS kept at the Exchequer, Bank, East India and South Sea House. (1817)

January 1, 6, 18, 25, 30. July 25. February 2, 18, 19, 24. August 1, 12, 24.

March 1, 25. Sept. 2, 21, 22, 29.

April 4, 8, 23, 25. October 18, 25, 26, 28.

May 1,15, 17, 26, 27, 29. Nov. 1, 4, 5, 9, 30.

June 3, 4, 11, 24, 29. December 21, 25, 26, 27, 28.

‘Note. Besides the above, Feb. 14, March 1, July 15, Sept. 14, and Nov. 2, are kept at the Exchequer. 

At the Custom House, Excise Office, and Stamp Office, Jan. 18, Good Friday, May 29, June 4, August 13, Sept. 22, Dec. 25, are the only Holidays kept.

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These were the dates for the 1817 Moveable feasts:

Septuagesima Sun. Feb. 2

Sexagesima Sunday, Feb. 9

Shrove Sunday……Feb.16

Lent begins ………Feb. 19 Ash Wednesday

Good Friday …….April 4

Easter Day ……. April 6

Rogation Sunday, May 11

Ascension Day…. May 15

Whit Sunday…… May 25

Trinity Sunday … June 1

Advent Sunday… Nov. 30

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Another writer some of you might know is Shannon Donnelly. She has in the past recommend getting a copy of a Book of Days for your research shelf—it’s a very useful source, It is also quite expensive coming in at $135 for a copy, but I thought I would mention it here. I can attest that it does give far more details than raw dates. But one must know which raw dates to look up for religious days, Quarter Days and Lady Day, etc. More than fifty dates are listed in different places as days where various offices were closed. It is not always easy to tell which date is celebrated as a royal birthday, for instance. I guess what I am saying is the book is useful, but one must have a “working knowledge” of the typical dates/celebrations/tax days, etc., common to the period.

The Book of Days does not explain all the dates named as holidays in 1819.

That being said, please check out Ms. Donnelly’s post on Regency Holiday Traditions. It gives more than a list of dates, including some insights into the celebrations themselves, food served, etc. Well worth the read.

NOTE: Many of the descriptions for the holidays were served via Wikipedia.

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, England, family, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, holidays, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Pride and Prejudice, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments