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During the Regency Period, fencing became the formalized sport that we know today instead of simply a means to defend oneself in a duel. Standard rules and forms began to be applied and gentlemen fenced, not just to stay in shape for combat but for sport and enjoyment. The Weapons (right to left) Medieval Longsword; Rapier; two Smallswords; Classical Epee, Foil, and Radellian Sabre; modern Epee, Foil, and Sabre From http://www.sallegreen.com/regency.html According to Salle Greene LLC, Domenico Angelo founded the Angelo School of Arms in 1763. His grandson, Henry Angelo, was the third generation of that family to teach fencing to the haute ton of England’s elite, training gentleman fencers during the Regency.    In my novel, HOW TO TAME A WILLFUL WIFE, I take the liberty of allowing my leading lady to fence. This is relatively unlikely in the state of the world at the time, but my heroine is the daughter of a military man, a girl raised as much by her father’s veterans a...

 By Lauren Gilbert  From The Book of Hallowe'en 1919   At this time of year, around the world, people celebrate in remembrance for the dead: specifically deceased saints and deceased loved ones. Tonight, we will be celebrating Halloween. In the United States, and many other western nations, this has become a secular holiday, full of games, sweet treats, costumes and fun. However, it is still celebrated as a religious tradition and has deep historical roots. In the CONCISE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY, “Hallow” is defined as follows: verb-to make holy or consecrate; noun-archaic word for a saint or holy person. Pope Gregory IV extended a holiday to the whole Catholic Church in 835 AD to honor all of the saints, known and unknown, which was called All Saints Day, on November 1. This was and is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic church, and attendance at mass was required. This day was also known as All Hallows Day. As with many Christian holidays, it absorbed an earlier, non-...

‘Tis now the very witching time of night - Hamlet Tudor superstitions were an expression of total belief. And when you consider how the Tudors experienced the hours of darkness, that is hardly surprising. Despite the growth of London, the streets would remain unlit until 1684. Just like their country cousins, Londoners would wake in the middle of the night, in the pitch-dark. Imagine a mini-Halloween every night, in a city made of creaking timber, where criminals and outlawed religions conducted their secret meetings. Add into that a medieval psychology that absolutely believed the ghosts of the dead walked the earth. The night was a time when witches flew and communed with their familiars. Decent folk stayed abed until dawn, and said their prayers to ward off spirits from their curtained beds. Witchcraft was a fact of life, not something only a few believed in. If your milk soured, a witch's curse was to blame. If your pregnancy miscarried, your elderly female ...

  By Frances Brody (aka Frances McNeil)   This year marks the four hundredth anniversary of the trial, at Lancaster Assizes, and the execution by hanging of the Pendle witches. Like many writers, I was inspired by this story and it formed the subject of my first BBC radio play.  Pendle Hill, Lancashire My fascination with the story began when I was a student at Ruskin College, Oxford, studying the seventeenth century. One impressive author had charted years of good and bad harvests across Europe. He found a connection between the economic effects of bad harvests and accusations of witchcraft. In times of hardship, this historian argued, better-off people were disinclined to bestow charity on the poor and outcast. At such times, accusations of witchcraft against marginalised individuals increased. I do not remember the author's name or the title of the book, but it sent me scurrying to learn more.    In the domed reading room at the British Mu...

By Mike Rendell My ancestor Richard  Hall, living in the second part of the Eighteenth Century, had access to four different forms of candle – beeswax, tallow, spermaceti and rush-light. At a time when the world was either dark or it was light, choosing the correct candle would have been very important. Candles formed a significant part of Richard’s budget since his accounts show that in 1797 he was spending £4.8.04 p.a. on candles (roughly equivalent to £250) as against more than double that amount for coal. (£10.17.00). By far the best and most expensive candles were made from beeswax – they would burn with an even, sweet-smelling light but they were a luxury. As an aside, the prestigious  store of  Fortnum & Mason has its origins in the sale of beeswax candles. The Royal Family insisted on new candles being used every night, which meant that there was a constant supply of half-used candles which were left to the footman (one William Fortnum) to dispose of. Wi...

The Lesser Key of Solomon (or) Lemegeton (This would have made a good Halloween post.) In researching my next cozy mystery, I have sought out several sources that speak of The Lesser Key of Solomon. Although there is not much print space assigned to it in my new novel, the Lemegeton plays a central role in The Mysterious Death of Mr. Darcy . Therefore, I thought it prudent to bring to light some of the beliefs and inaccuracies associated with this text. What do we know of this manuscript and what is its significance?  The Lesser Key of Solomon or Clavicula Salomonis Regis is an anonymous 17 th Century grimoire (textbook of magic). It is widely known as the Lemegeton . The Lesser Key took much of its text from several 16 th century manuscripts, including Johann Wierus’s Pseudomonarchia Daemounum (a hierarchy of demons) and late-century grimoires. Some of the first section dates to the 14 th Century. Claims that the book was originally written by King Solomon have easily been ...

What defeated the Spanish Armada? Well, the English navy, of course, and Lord Howard, Francis Drake, John Hawkins. They sailed out of Plymouth in their gallant little ships and harried the Spanish galleons all along the Channel from the Lizard to Calais until the Spaniards had had enough. It was a great naval victory. Well, yes, up to a point. The English ships – many of which were as big or even bigger than the Spanish – did all of that. It was a continuous naval battle lasting – with intervals – over a week. There was lots of cannon fire – particularly from the English, who probably fired about three times as many cannon balls as the Spanish. It was a major naval battle – 150 ships in the Spanish fleet, about the same in the English. But – here’s a strange thing. Despite all those guns, and all those cannon balls, not a single ship was sunk by enemy fire on either side. Not one. Because naval gunnery simply wasn’t good enough.   And anyway, wooden ships were notoriously difficult...

by Sandra Byrd Lady Mary Seymour was the only child of Queen Kateryn Parr and her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour. Parr died of child bed fever shortly after giving birth to Mary, and the baby’s father, Thomas Seymour, was executed for treason just a few short years thereafter. But what happened to their child, who seems to have vanished without trace into history? This is an enduring mystery and one which has intrigued Tudor readers for years. Catherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk Among the last known facts about the child include that her father, Thomas Seymour, did ask as a dying wish that Mary be entrusted to Katherine Willoughby, Duchess of Suffolk and that desire was granted. Willoughby, although a great friend of Mary Seymour’s mother, Queen Kateryn Parr, viewed this wardship as a burden, as evidenced by her own letters which pleaded for relief. According to Parr’s biographer Linda Porter, “In January, 1550, less than a year after her father’s death, application was made in th...

by Arthur Russell Sir Roger Mortimer, 3 rd Baron Mortimer – His Rise to Power and Influence. Mortimer Shield Roger Mortimer was the son of Edmund Mortimer, 2 nd Baron Mortimer, a marcher lord whose stronghold at Wigmore castle was an important point in the defence against the Welsh princes in medieval times. It was his grandfather, Roger Mortimer, 1 st Baron Mortimer who defeated and killed the Welsh Prince Llwelyn the Last in 1282. Edmund’s brother, Roger Mortimer of Chirk, carried Llwelyn’s severed head to King Edward I (nicknamed “Longshanks”). Sir Roger’s father, Edmund Mortimer, was actually a second son who was destined for minor clerical orders in Oxford University before the sudden death of his older brother Ralph, heir to the title; caused his family to set his feet on quite another path. Subsequently, Edmund married Margaret deFiennes who on April 25 th 1287, bore their first son Roger, who was destined to become one of the most powerful and controversial figures...