Tag Archives: research

Use of Dog Carts in Regency England

In my first post of August, a reader asked about a means for a female to go about the estate to paint scenery, etc. In my response, among my suggestions, I mentioned the use of dog carts as a possibility … Continue reading

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

Reader Question: What Were the Choices of Carriages for a Lady in the Regency to Simply Travel About Her Husband’s Estate to Sketch and Paint?

CARRIAGE CHOICES: New Question from a Familiar Follower: I have a character in the book I am writing who prefers to keep her distance from horses, but she enjoys painting and walking quite long distances to sketch outdoors. Her husband … Continue reading

Posted in British history, Georgian England, Georgian Era, heroines, historical fiction, history, Jane Austen, Living in the Regency, Pride and Prejudice, reading, Regency era, research, tradtions, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Common Law of Dower or What Does the Wife Inherit During the Regency?

Originally there were varieties of dower (not to be confused with dowry) such as dower ad ostium ecclesiae (“at the church door”) and dower ex assensu patris (by the heir with his father’s consent), in which before the couple was married, the wife was endowed of particular pieces of the property – specific lands. In Medieval times more so than modern ones, sometimes land held in knight service was exonerated from dower by the widow’s taking dower de la pluis beale (“of the most fair”) of her husband’s socage land. Continue reading

Posted in British history, estates, family, finance, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Inheritance, Living in the Regency, marriage customs, primogenture, real life tales, Regency era, research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Celebrating the Release of “Regency Summer Scandals” Anthology + a Giveaway

In my latest tale, Loving Lord Lindmore, my heroine has some hoydenish tendencies, for the stories in the A Regency Summer Scandal Anthology, are all about scandals and who commits them. Lady Cora has been taught to use a knife … Continue reading

Posted in anthology, book release, British history, Dreamstone Publishing, Georgian England, Georgian Era, giveaway, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, medieval, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Architectural Genius: Robert Adam vs. Sir William Chambers

Adelphi is a district in the City of Westminster. The Adelphi Buildings, a block of 24 unified neoclassical terrace houses, between The Strand and the River Thames in the parish of St Martin in the Fields, was named “Adelphi,” for it the Greek word meaning “brothers.” The Adam brothers (John, Robert, James, and William Adam) were the masterminds of this development in the late 1700s. They were built between 1768 and 1772. The ruins of Durham House on the site were demolished for the construction.

The Adelphi forms one of the most notable works of the brothers Adam. The design of the buildings was, for the most part, the work of Robert Adam, though his brothers, James and William, were also concerned with the scheme. Continue reading

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The London Building Act of 1774

The Building Act of 1774 changed the look of London and set off rapid estate development. Many of the aristocracy decided to build large, expansive houses in London. The Duke of Manchester was one of those who took advantage of the situation and had a house built on Portman land in what is now called Manchester Square. Stratford Place was built on a triangular piece of land purchased from the City by the Honourable Edward Stratford. Nowadays, it is sometimes referred to as “London’s grandest cul-de-sac.” Continue reading

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Practicing Medicine in Jane Austen’s Regency England

In Regency England, the medical field consisted of apothecaries, surgeons, and physicians. Only physicians could call themselves “Doctor.” Continue reading

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How Did a By-Election Work During the Georgian Era?

First, I suppose I should explain a “by-election” for those of us in the U.S. The UK Parliament page does a wonderful job of summarizing the key tenets of the situation. Here are some of the other things I know … Continue reading

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‘Kinder- un Hausmärchen’ + the Release of “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of their collected fairy tales in 1812 under the title Kinder- und Hausmärchen. By 1822, the brothers had published three volumes containing 170 tales total with subsequent editions bringing that number to over 200. Continue reading

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Cecil Sharp’s Influence on “Amending the Shades of Pemberley” + a Giveaway

As with many folk songs, the author and date of origin of “Hush, Little Baby” remain an unknown. The English folklorist Cecil Sharp collected and notated a version of this song found in Endicott, Franklin County, Virginia in 1918, but such simply means the song had been around much longer, passed down from generation to generation, with little changes in it depending on whether one’s ancestors were from Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, or Northwest Europe. Sharp, himself, found a different version with complete lyrics in Micaville, North Carolina. A version recorded by James Madison Carpenter on a wax cylinder in the early 1930s in Durham, North Carolina, can be heard online at the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library website. Naturally, that date is well past the time of my story, but Cecil Sharp discovered such songs over and over again. If you have never heard of Sharp, you will be surprised by all he accomplished. Continue reading

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