Tag Archives: Act of Parliament

What the Heck Is “Abeyance” When Speaking of the English Aristocracy?

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

I am back again to ramble on about another issue of inheritance, this one has to do with “abeyance.” Abeyance (from the Old French abeance meaning “gaping”) is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, aristocracy, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Inheritance, laws of the land, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Did Heirs to a Title Ever Enter the Commons Before Succeeding? Answering a Reader’s Questions…

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

I am again attempting to answer a variety of questions from a reader on peerages. So, here goes… Question: I have a question about politics circa 1812. I am constructing my character development fir a story line, and my hero … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, aristocracy, British history, estates, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Inheritance, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Napoleonic Wars, Regency era, research, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Did Heirs to a Title Ever Enter the Commons Before Succeeding? Answering a Reader’s Questions…

Mensa et Thoro? How it Differs from Divorce… + the Release of “Leave Her Wild” + a Giveaway

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you should be aware that in the Regency Period, divorce was a VERY messy affair – VERY public – VERY expensive – and almost impossible to achieve. It, literally, took an act … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs, Regency era, Scotland, terminology, tradtions, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A Voidable Marriage in History: Marrying the Sister of One’s Late Wife or the Brother of One’s Late Husband + the Release of “Leave Her Wild” + a Giveaway

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

A plot we readers often encounter in historical romance set in the Regency Period is when the hero takes up with his late wife’s sister. In “Leave Her Wild,” Darcy momentarily wonders if Jane Bennet died in childbirth, could he … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, marriage, real life tales, Regency era, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

A Hodgepodge of Thoughts on What It Meant to Be the “Heir” in Regency England

Posted on January 13, 2025 by Regina Jeffers

Regularly, I have a number of people who ask me questions regarding points in the story he/she is writing. Heck, I have a handful of those of whom I ask my questions also. On Facebook, I belong to a group … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, American History, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, peerage, primogenture, Regency era, research, Victorian era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 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 … Continue reading →

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

Gretna Green: The “Las Vegas” Marriage Destination of the Regency Period

Posted on July 15, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Scottish Elopements and the Marriage Act of 1753 “An Act for Better Preventing of Clandestine Marriage,” popularly known as Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act (1753), was the first statutory legislation in England and Wales to require a formal ceremony of marriage. … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Gretna Green, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, reading, real life tales, Regency romance, terminology, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Marriage by Proxy, Possible or Myth?

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

When the Hardwick Act for the Prevention of Clandestine Marriages went into effect in March of 1754, the rules for marrying in England changed dramatically. Prior to that time, all the couple had to do was to pronounce their vows before a clergyman of the Church of England. Heck, it did not even have to be one’s local clergyman or even one’s local church. In fact, the Fleet Street prison saw quite a few marriages in those days Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, book excerpts, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, reading, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

“Nothing is Certain but Death and Taxes” . . . Death Fits the Bill, Yet What of Taxes? Happy Lady Day to All!

Posted on March 25, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

There were hundreds of taxes and so a variety of dates on which they would be due. Some were pay as you go, so to speak. For others, the tax man came along and counted the number of windows in the person’s residence and looked at the number of footmen employed and counted the crested carriages owned and other four-wheeled vehicles, etc., and made his demand. A person then had “x” number of days to pay the tax. Some taxes were due in quarter days and some on cross quarter days. Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, British history, buildings and structures, business, estates, finance, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on “Nothing is Certain but Death and Taxes” . . . Death Fits the Bill, Yet What of Taxes? Happy Lady Day to All!

Popular Regency Era Parks + the Release of “Loving Lord Lindmore”

Posted on February 19, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

London held a variety of popular parks during the Regency era. Let us explore a few of them.  St James’s Park is a Royal Park, named after a once isolated medieval hospital dedicated to St James the Less, now the … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, book excerpts, book release, eBooks, England, estates, Georgian England, Georgian Era, historical fiction, publishing, real life tales, Regency era, Regency personalities, research, romance, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments