Tag Archives: marriage laws

Eloping During the Regency and What the Code Napoleon Said About It

Posted on July 8, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Almost every Regency era romance writer has written at least one scene where the hero and heroine elope, racing to Scotland and a place such as Gretna Green. Yet, when one sets the elopement could change the pair’s destination. What … Continue reading →

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June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Handfasting as a Means to Marriage

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Although Sir Alexander Chandler and Miss Alana Pottinger do not come to their Happily Ever After in Lady Chandler’s Sister through handfasting, it is a subject of discussion. They met in Scotland, and handfasting was a more common practice there. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Black Opal Books, book release, British history, eBooks, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, romance, Scotland, suspense | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Handfasting as a Means to Marriage

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

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Scottish Marriages and Elopements in the Regency Era

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Those of us who read and write Regency novels have all heard of elopements to Gretna Green. Harking back to 1754 and the introduction of a new controversial Marriage Act in England, Gretna Green flourished as a haven for runaway … Continue reading →

Posted in Austen Authors, book excerpts, book release, British history, Church of England, eBooks, excerpt, Gretna Green, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, publishing, Regency era, romance, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

June ~ the Month of Love and Marriage: Fleet Prison Marriages of the 1700s

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

Marriage ceremonies associated with the Fleet Prison is London were many in the mid to late 1700s. It is estimated that in the 1740s over half of London’s marriage ceremonies took place in “marriage shops” surrounding the Fleet Prison. By … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, buildings and structures, Church of England, customs and tradiitons, Georgian England, Georgian Era, marriage, marriage customs, marriage licenses, real life tales, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Annulments, Divorces, Criminal Conversation in the Regency

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Regina Jeffers

First, permit me to say that in the Regency period, divorces were few. They were expensive. The Church of England opposed divorce as vehemently as did the Roman Catholic church. The Church of England only permitted a “legal separation,” which … Continue reading →

Posted in Act of Parliament, American History, British history, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, real life tales, Regency era, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Negotiating Marriage Settlements During the Regency Era

Posted on July 5, 2023 by Regina Jeffers

We have all likely read the part in a Regency romance where marriage settlements were discussed, but how did those come about?  “A marriage settlement in England was a historic arrangement whereby, most commonly and in its simplest form, a trust of land … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, customs and tradiitons, Georgian, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage customs, primogenture | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Negotiating Marriage Settlements During the Regency Era

Promissory Estoppel as a Means to Marry in the Regency or Otherwise

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

Marriage by Estoppel One of the possibilities I explored in researching my book, MR. DARCY’S BRIDEs was marriage by estoppel as a plot point. According to Investopedia, “Promissory estoppel is a legal principle that a promise is enforceable by law, … Continue reading →

Posted in American History, Austen Authors, British history, Church of England, eBooks, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, marriage, marriage licenses, Pride and Prejudice, Scotland, Vagary, writing | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

“Rule of Thumb”: The Wife as Property in the Regency Era, Part I

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

I have written several scenes in my 55+ books in which the wife is abused by her husband, sometimes mentally and sometimes physically. During the Regency there was no laws against such abuse. The wife held no rights. In fact, … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, family, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, marriage, real life tales, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Broken Engagements in the Regency Period

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Regina Jeffers

 A popular plot in Regency era romances is the broken engagement, but what was the truth of the situation? Unless he suddenly uncovered a flaw in the morals of he lady, once a man proposed to a woman, he was … Continue reading →

Posted in British history, Church of England, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, marriage, marriage customs, romance | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments