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by David William Wilkin The Regency Royals and some little anecdotes These few little insights we have to them help to give color and background not only to our knowledge, but to our tales as well. George III & Charlotte (1760-1820) The longest lived monarch and the longest reigning king. (Though the last years he was mad and his son was Regent) He came to the throne at the age of 22. He was rather a play boy before settling down with Charlotte. First he was in love with Lady Sarah Lennox, and then Duchess Sophie Caroline Marie. Extremely well educated and rounded, he was very well prepared to become King. He started his reign on a roll, with victory in the Seven Years War. He is also responsible for losing the American Colonies.  Then before his madness took over completely, things were not going well in the wars against Napoleon. France had grown to a giant Empire under his last years of sanity, and only once he was mad did Britain turn the tide and emerge victorious. A close...

By Maria Grace Period dramas have left many of us with the notion that ladies of the landed gentry in the Regency era had little to do but dress in lovely gowns, embroider and gossip.  Reality could not be farther from this image. In general, both masters and mistresses of the house did a great deal of work around the estate, often working alongside the servants in the efforts to get everything done. Labors tended to be divided along gender lines. So much so that single men sought female relatives to manage their households. Bachelors looked to sister or nieces while widowers often called upon daughters or the dead wife’s kin.  So, even if a woman did not marry, there was a very strong possibility she might take on the responsibilities of a household sometime in her lifetime.  Gentlemen tended to respect the household mistress’ authority; her contributions to the home had worth equal to his. Responsibilities of the Mistress The role of an estate’s mistress was the equival...

by Maria Grace These days, most of our evening entertainment centers around electricity: television, video games, internet, even our lighting is almost entirely electric. If the power goes out, we grow agitated, wondering what we are supposed to do to keep ourselves entertained until the power comes back on. In the days before electricity, evenings, particularly winter evenings which kept families indoors with poor lighting, proved challenging for entertainment. Consequently, young ladies were often accomplished musicians and called upon to entertain their fellows in song. Cards were also popular, but often could only accommodate a small group at a time. To include larger groups at once, house parties turned to parlor games to while away the long evening hours. Rachel Revel, spinster, published a book in 1825, ‘ Winter Evening Pastimes or The Merry Maker’s Companion ’ that offers guidelines for various amusements suitable for genteel company in the drawing room.  Many...

This week marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It actually was on Monday, January the 28th. Today, though, is my day in our haphazard rotation, and as I have mostly presented pieces of history from the Regency era, this is one of them. Often we equate John Murray (1778-1843) as a preeminent publisher of the period. He was. His father, also John (1745-1793), had started the famous publishing business. John II brought forth such works as Scott's Marmion , Byron's Childe Harold ,   The Quarterly Review  with the help of future prime minister George Canning . Still, John Murray was not the first publisher of Austen's works, and not the publisher of Pride and Prejudice. This fell to Thomas Egerton. A man who did publish Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Jane Austen began the writing of her most famous novel in 1796 and finished this novel then called First Impressions in August of 1797. On November 1 Austen's father, Ge...

By Maria Grace I am captivated by language and how it relates to a culture. With three teen aged sons living at home I get to hear a lot of the slang they encounter.  I never cease to be fascinated by the terms that come up, and how often I haven't a clue what they are referr ing to . Since every era has its own unique slang, I thought it would be interesting to share some Regency era slang from time to time.  Today 's offering relates to soldiers. Francis Grose, author of Dictionary of he Vulgar Tongue Regency slang terms for soldiers: Bad bargain: a worthless soldier. Usage: One of his majesty's bad bargains Bloody Back : A jeering name for a soldier, for his scarlet coat. Brothers of the blade : A soldier Fogey or Old Fogey : A nickname for an invalid soldier. Galloot: a Soldier Foot wabbler: A contemptuous name for a foot soldier, commonly used by the cavalry. Light bob : A soldier of the light infantry company. Lobster : A nickname for a soldier, from the colo...

by Maria Grace In the Regency era, social status was closely related to career and wealth. An Army or Navy officer was considered a gentleman. Thus a man could gain an element of “respectability” by purchasing a commission that they might not hold by virtue of their birth or fortune. Moreover, an officer’s status was considered higher than that of other accepted gentlemanly professions: the church, the law and medicine. Why were commissions purchased? Though our modern sensibilities tend to be uncomfortable with the concept of buying a commission, in the Regency era, the belief was that paying for the rank meant that only men of fortune, character, and who had a real interest in the fate of the nation would be drawn to the military, thus reducing the number of unworthies serving in the officer’s ranks. Furthermore, since officers ‘owned’ their commission, they would be more responsible with their ‘property’ than someone with nothing to lose. P rivate ownership of rank also implied of...