Tag: History

Research

One of the Poetical Sketches of Scarborough: Twenty-one engravings on humorous subjects, coloured from original designs, made upon the spot by J. Green and etched by T Rowlandson. Published by R. Ackermann, 1818.
The Circulating Library in Scarborough around 1818
This week my accountability group is blogging about how we go about doing research for our books. Last week’s post on developing characters is also part of our How I Write series.

Market Research: I read voraciously in my chosen genre of Regency set Historical Romances. I read other genres too, but these are my favorites.

Setting Research: I’d love to be able to travel to England and visit all the places I read and write about. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen for a while. So, instead I use my honed skills of google-fu and live vicariously through other people’s first hand experiences and pictures. Besides music videos and stranger stuff, YouTube has a wide variety of obscure topics you can explore. For example, the restoration of Attingham Park can be found there. Another great resource is the Royal Society’s Archives which have been made permanently free.

Society & Culture Research: You can’t rely on other people’s fiction as a research source. You can however begin building your vocabulary and feel for the society from it. ALWAYS double or triple check anything you want to use with a reliable non-fiction source or you may find yourself embarrassed by a visit from some frustrated readers who know and care infinitely more than you do. That being said, there’s a wide selection of resources available on the web and through GoogleBooks available. I do have a few reference books on my shelf, but even then not all are created equal, be sure to read some reviews before you buy and rely on them.

Character Research: I LOVE to people watch. I’m more likely to be the one sitting back at a gathering watching other people instead of being anywhere near the center of attention. Human nature hasn’t changed that much in 200 years just the outer trappings and modern ideas about subjects like psychology might not be spouted by my historical characters, but it can be useful to explore their character. I think this is part of what is really meant by “write what you know” — not necessarily specific skills or places, though that can sure make life easier, but feelings, reactions, situations and the like. It brings a whole other level of authenticity to your writing.

One thing I do is try to keep all my internet research bookmarks in one handy place. If you’re interested in the Regency Era, my Regency Primer Series and my Regency Resource page probably has a lot of articles you’d find interesting and may even have read before. I keep a lot

YOUR TURN: Where do you do your research for whatever interests you? Do you head to the library and check out the books, fire up your browser and go surfing, or do you go directly to the source?

And if you’d like to read about how the rest of my group approaches their research, you can find their blogs here:

* Alexia Reed * Danie Ford * Emma G. Delaney *
* Angeleque Ford * Kimberly Farris *

A Regency Era Carriage Primer

This week’s post examines how people traveled between all those places in London and also all those other destinations outside of London. That’s right, we’re looking at the wide variety of conveyances from the Regency Era carriage, to different types of coaches and other horse drawn carriage types. After all, just like in contemporaries, what the hero of that historical novel drives says a lot about him and the research that the author has done.

Regency Era Carriage Types

Buggy

Buggies– light, un-hooded, one-horsed vehicles with two wheels– carried a single passenger.

Carriage

A carriage usually refers to any private, four-wheeled passenger vehicle drawn by two or more horses.

Cart

Typically a two-wheeled wagon with no suspension, a cart was maneuverable and drawn by a single horse. It was a general-purpose trade or farm vehicle.

Chaise

A chaise was a pleasure or traveling carriage that was usually open and low with four wheels and drawn by one or two ponies. Often referred to as “a yellow bounder”, a hired Post Chaise were always painted bright yellow and a postillion riding one of the rented horses controlled the vehicle.

Coach

Regency Era Carriage: coachCoaches were stately carriages with four wheels and windows on all sides. The curved underbody and seating for four passengers were also characteristic. A Town Coach was massive and often drawn by up to six horses and usually sported a coat of arms painted on the doors.

Curricle

Regency Era Carriage: curricleCurricles were light, two-wheeled vehicles pulled by a pair of horses that were used for short trips. This was the only two-wheeled vehicle to be drawn by a pair of horses and a steel bar, attached with pads to the horses’ backs which supported the weight of the pole. The main difference between choosing curricle vs phaeton is the number of wheels. Curricles have two and phaetons have four, despite their more dangerous and reckless reputations.

Four-in-hand

This referred to a vehicle drawn by four horses and driven by one person on the box.

Gig

Regency Era Carriage: gigGigs were light, two-wheeled, one-horsed vehicles for two passengers. This was the most common vehicle on the road.

Specific Vehicles by Name

Barouche

Regency Era Carriage: baroucheThe barouche had a collapsible hood over the back and was considered a summer vehicle used for driving in the great parks. It was drawn by a pair of high quality horses to complement the expensive and fashionable vehicle.

Break (Brake)

The break was an open country vehicle with four wheels. The Shooting Break was large enough to carry six sportsmen, their dogs, their guns and game in the slatted side boot (trunk). This type of vehicle occasionally had a hood, but is generally characterized by a rear entry and the seats running the length of the vehicle with the passengers facing one another.

Dog-Cart

Derived from a gig and originally used to carry four sportsmen sitting back to back with their dogs beneath in a deep boot with Venetian slatted sides, the dog-cart was a light two-wheeled vehicle for driving in. This is often confused for the Pony Cart.

Hackney

These were coaches or carriages for hire. The name comes from the French term haquenée meaning horse for hire. Often these coaches had been discarded by the nobility and were looked down upon because of their shabby, dirty interiors.

Landau

A landau was a four-wheeled carriage with a folding two-part hood. The front and rear halves could be raised and lowered independently.

Mail Coach

Regency Era Carriage: mailcoachThe official mail coaches, which followed fixed routes, carried mail and passengers to specific coaching inns and followed a strict schedule. Usually pulled by six horses changed out at regular post stops, these coaches could therefore run all the way.

Phaeton

Regency Era Carriage: phaetonA phaeton refers to a light and usually low-slung, four-wheeled open carriage drawn by a pair of horses. One variation, the sportier “high perch” phaeton often stars in novels because of its romantic, adventurous reputation. More aptly named after Phaetõn, the son of the Greek sun-god Helios, known for his poor driving of the sun chariot, the precariousness of this model lends an air of danger and excitement to the characters who drive them.

Pony Cart

Drawn by a pony, this small, light, two-wheeled vehicle held 2 passengers. This type of vehicle is almost always what is meant by “dog-cart” when used improperly.

Sleigh

A winter vehicle, the sleigh possessed high dash boards to help protect passengers from clods of snow thrown up by the horses. Although driven from the front seat, a groom often sat in the rear rumble seat as the weight helped to lift up the front of the runners.

Stage Coach

Stage coaches were large, four-wheeled carriages with enclosed seats inside and on the roof. Typically drawn by four horses, these coaches carried passengers at fixed rates and times with stops for meals and to change the horses as they completed each segment or “stage” of their route. After mail coaches replaced post riders, stage coaches continued their less regulated business while offering alternate routes and varying departure times.

Later Vehicles – Victorian Era

Brougham

An enclosed carriage drawn by a single horse, the brougham had fewer windows than a coach. Designed by Lord Brougham in 1839, it became popular in the Victorian age with both the middle and upper classes.

Cabriolet

Drawn by a single horse, the cabriolet was a light, two-wheeled, hooded chaise. This vehicle eventually replaced the curricle for men in society early in Queen Victoria’s reign.

Hansom Cab

Patented in 1834, the hansom cab was a two-wheeled cabriolet. The driver sat behind the two passengers with the reins going over the roof. Although typically public vehicles for hire, many Hansom Cabs were privately owned. Because of their rather dashing and fast reputation, no true lady would consider venturing out in one alone.

Omnibus

An omnibus, a large, wheeled public vehicle, followed a fixed route. In 1829, Shillibeer’s first omnibus had bench seats for 18 passengers.

You may want to check out my posts on Transportation in the Regency Era and Regency Era Horse Sense as well. Visit my Regency Resource page for more information regarding a variety of other Regency-themed topics. If you’d like more information on a specific place or topic, please let me know in the comments section below.


A Primer on Regency Divorce and Annulments

Last week’s post on Regency Marriages & Elopements, outlined the different ways one could get married during the Regency Era. So this week, we’re going to take a closer look at what happens when there wasn’t a Happily Ever After (HEA). The topic of Regency Divorce and Annulments is a much romanticized one in Regency Romances.

The Lower Classes

The satirical engraving on the right depicts the quaint English custom of “wife-selling”, which wasn’t quite what it sounds like, but was more a ritual among the non-genteel classes (who couldn’t possibly obtain a full parliamentary divorce, allowing remarriage, according to the pre-1857 laws), to publicly proclaim a dissolution of marriage (though not generally recognized by the Church and State authorities). Notice how artist arranged the horns of the cattle horns behind the cuckholded husband’s head.

An 1815 newspaper carried this notice:

Regency Divorce: A cariacture of a wife being "sold" in a public, lower-class "divorce" that was not recognized by church or state.
A satirical engraving of the quaint English custom of “wife-selling”. 1820 English caricature, despite French on the sign.

On Friday last [September 15th 1815] the common bell-man gave notice in Staines Market that the wife of —- Issey was then at the King’s Head Inn to be sold, with the consent of her husband, to any person inclined to buy her. There was a very numerous attendance to witness this singular sale, notwithstanding which only three shillings and fourpence were offered for the lot, no one choosing to contend with the bidder, for the fair object, whose merits could only be appreciated by those who knew them. This the purchaser could boast, from a long and intimate acquaintance. This degrading custom seems to be generally received by the lower classes, as of equal obligation with the most serious legal forms.

High Society

So, let’s examine what was involved to dissolve a marriage in a way that would be recognized by the authorities of Church and State.

There are generally two ways to go about dissolving a marriage: annulment (to make it as it if never existed at all) and divorce (a legal separation in every sense of the word: all obligations of the husband toward the wife are removed and vice versa. Divorce was a long, expensive process—and rarely used outside the aristocracy. Only a handful of cases came before Parliament each year as few could afford the cost. Additionally, the woman became a social outcast and so did the man, though not to the same extent.

Annulments

In many Regency Historical novels, someone frequently threatens to get an annulment. Despite their handiness as a plot device, annulments were difficult to obtain in reality. Marriages must be dissolve through an annulment suit in an ecclesiastical court which is tried by the bishop of the see in which the couple’s parish is located.

Annulments could only be granted in three circumstances, any of which could leave either the man, the woman, or both as social pariahs. Also, any children of an annulled marriage become bastards (who cannot inherit or be declared legitimate at the whim of the peer) and likewise outcasts of society.

Fraud

The first form of fraud related to identity. Marriages could be annulled for use of fictitious names. This could be blatant or subtle by forgetting to list out the entire name or title. In the interest of preserving the marriage, bishops could decide an inadvertent mistake occurred, correct the registration and refuse the annulment. This was especially true if the name on the register was how the person was commonly known.

Fraud also involved promises in the marriage contract that were unable to be kept. More common in fiction than real life, these cases might included vanishing doweries or promises of housing that’s already been sold. One has to assume that due to the rarity of such breach of contract cases, the scandal involved with those that were brought was immense. In even rarer cases, fraud could also be charged if the officiating clergyman allowed irregularities (such as an non-consenting bride).

Incompetence

One is incompetent under law and cannot be held to a contract if the person is underage or insane.

Contracts were null and void if either party had not reached their 21st birthday and did not have their father or guardian’s consent. Many fathers were forced to accept the marriage of underage brides who eloped because otherwise her reputation would prevent anyone else from marrying her and taking her off his hands.

Once proven legally insane, the person is locked away for life and loses control of all possessions. Titles could not be stripped and given away, but guardian were appointed to handle their affairs. Women declared insane became nonentities, locked away and forgotten. Few families brought an annulment suit claiming insanity, as it would taint the entire family. A charge of insanity against a husband was social suicide for a woman as her reputation would be ruined when the marriage ended. The few cases tried on these grounds were brought by men wanting to discard unwanted wives or by family members seeking to control the man’s assets.

Impotence

Non-consummation was NOT grounds for annulment as is conveniently if erroneously used in many novels. The proof is burdensome and difficult to acquire at best and leaves the man an outcast. To prove impotence, the man must share his wife’s bed exclusively for three years, then prove she remains virgin. He must also be proven to be unable to reach an erection with anyone, such as the two accomplished courtesans employed by the court. Only then, would impotence be ruled.

Divorce

Divorce and legal separation were rare occurrences and a divorce was not granted to a wife until after the Regency Era. Only 276 divorces occurred between 1765 and 1857. Between the passage of the first British divorce bill in 1697 and 1857, only four divorces were granted to women, the first in 1801.

Canon law allowed for separation, called the divortium a mensa et thoro (separation from bed and board), in cases of lethal cruelty and adultery on the part of the husband, or adultery committed by the wife. A divortium a mensa et thoro allowed the husband and wife to reside apart, marked the end of the husband’s financial responsibility for his wife and prevented both parties from remarrying.

3 Steps of the Divorce Procedure

First, the husband brought a suit against his wife’s lover in a civil trial, called a criminal conversation or a CrimCon trial. The offense of criminal conversation was a euphemism for adultery and since a wife was considered the property of her husband, it was tried as a form of trespass or property damage. Successful CrimCon suits found the wife’s lover guilty and carried a hefty fine for alienation of affection. The wife could neither attend nor testify as she was not considered a principal in these cases, despite her reputation being the central issue, because a wife had no legal identity separate from her husband.

After obtaining the CrimCon conviction, the husband then charged his wife with adultery and requested a legal separation (divortium a mensa et thoro) to sever all responsibility for his former wife. The bishop of the see in which the couple had been married, presided over this second ecclesiastical trial, the divorce trial itself.

Unless Parliament passed a Private Act (or Bill) of Divorcement granting permission, a divorced man could not remarry. The third hearing on this bill was as extensive as the other trials and concerned the reversion of the settlements made at the time of the marriage. Passage of such bills resulted in a divorce a vinculo matrimonii, which allowed both parties to remarry unlike the ecclesiastical divortium a mensa et thoro.

This article would have been impossible without Allison Lane’s invaluable collection of Common Regency Errors and The Regency Wrangles Blog’s wealth of information and details of specific cases in its Divorce category of posts.

The Regency Collection has a Calendar of Milestones in women’s rights that starts in 1832 and is fascinating reading when you realize how far we’ve come in 200 years.

Visit my post on Regency Marriages & Elopements or my Regency Resource page for more information regarding a variety of other Regency-themed topics. If you’d like more information on a specific place or topic, please let me know in the comments section below.


A Regency Marriage Primer

Last week’s post about Regency Landmarks Beyond London, glossed over the question of “Why are they always running off to Gretna Green?” So this week, I decided we’d take a closer look at some of the customs and circumstances that might surround a Regency marriage or elopement.

Regency Marriage: St George's Church in Hanover Square, London
St George’s Church in Hanover Square, London

The Marriage Act of 1753

Once Hardwicke‘s Marriage Act of 1753 was passed in England and Wales, parental consent was required for anyone to marry under the age of 21. The Act also put a stop to Fleet Marriages, legally binding marriages (under both Common and Ecclesiastical Law), that took advantage of a Common Law loophole which allowed couples to marry by a simple exchange of vows. Fleet Prison, a debtor’s prison in London, was the best known place where these marriages could be performed, hence the name. Jewish and Quaker ceremonies were exempt. Clergymen conducting clandestine marriages risked transportation.

After 1753, in order to get married, a couple needed to have a license or the reading of the Banns to be legally married in England or Wales.

The Reading of the Banns

“I publish the Banns of marriage between [Groom’s Name] of [his local parish] and [Bride’s Name] of [her local parish]. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first [second, third] time of asking.”

The Marriage Banns, as worded above, were read on 3 consecutive Sundays or Holy Days during Divine Service, immediately before the Offertory. Any minor was required to provide proof of parental or a guardian’s consent. At least one of the marrying couple had to be resident in the parish in which they wished to be married in. If the persons marrying came from separate parishes, the Banns were read in both and the curate of one parish could not solemnize Matrimony without a certificate from the curate of the other stating the Banns had been “thrice asked”. Banns were good for 3 months or would be required to be read again. Also weddings had to take place in the church between 8 in the morning and noon before witnesses.

Common/Ordinary License

A Common or Ordinary Marriage License could be obtained from any bishop or archbishop. This meant the Banns need not be read – thus reduced the two to three week delay to a seven day waiting period. These types of licenses were also called Bishop’s Licenses. Proof of parental or a guardian’s consent must be provided for minors under 21 years of age as well as a sworn statement was given that there was no impediment. This meant that the parties were not related to one another in the prohibited degrees, or that proof of a deceased spouse was given. The marriage was required to take place before witnesses in the parish church named on the license where one party had already lived for 4 weeks. It was also good for 3 months from date of issue. The cost of a common or ordinary license was 10 shillings to one pound.

Special License

Obtained from Doctors Commons in London, from the Archbishop of Canterbury or his representative. The difference between this and an Ordinary license was that it granted the right of the couple to be married by a member of the clergy before witnesses at any convenient time or place. All other requirements were the same (something that is frequently left out of the details in Romance Novels) and the names of both parties were given at the time of the application, you couldn’t fill them in later. You also couldn’t transfer them and there was no provision for marriage by proxy in England at the time. They were only available to peers and their children, baronets, knights, members of Parliament, Privy Councillors and Westminster Court Judges. Special licenses cost at least 20 guineas. In 1808, a Stamp Duty was imposed on the actual paper, vellum or parchment the license was printed upon, of £4 which increased to £5 in 1815.

Gretna Green & Other Elopements

Regency Marriage: Gretna GreenThe Marriage Act of 1753, made it much more difficult to marry without parental consent or if the couple was in a hurry to marry. It also did not apply in Scotland (or the American Colonies). Some couples evaded the Act by traveling to various Scottish “Border Villages” such as Coldstream Bridge, Lamberton, Mordington and Paxton Toll. In the 1770s, the construction of a toll road passing through the unremarkable village of Graitney led to Gretna Green which became synonymous with romantic elopements.
Many couples eloped without parental consent and were married “over the anvil” at the popular blacksmith’s shop in Gretna Green. After 1856, Scottish law changed to require 21 days’ residence for marriage, yet Gretna Green remained a center for romantic and irregular weddings until 1940. In 1977, the residency requirement was replaced by a two week notice of intention.

Other Customs

Engagement Rings

Engagement rings in the Regency Era were not diamond solitaires. Sometimes a ring might be given as a token of affection in a long engagement, but it wasn’t expected. Edward in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility wears such a ring made from his fiancee’s hair (a common token in the 19th century).

Wedding Invitations

Invitations were handwritten personal letters inviting friends and relatives to attend the ceremony or letters to announcing the marriage to those who could not be expected to attend.

St. George’s in Hanover Square

In the heart of Mayfair, St George’s Parish Church was the home parish of the majority of the ton. St George’s has been considered a fashionable church almost from its beginning in 1725 and it’s popularity kept rising until about 1,000 weddings a year were performed there in the Regency Era. In 1816, St Georges was the location of 1,063 weddings, or about three a day, making it the Regency equivalent to a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel, with a much higher social appeal. Often you’ll see the difficulty in securing a reasonable date for a wedding to be held there as an excuse for the couple to acquire a license.

Regency Wedding Gowns

The notion of a white wedding gown wasn’t widespread during the Regency but gained popularity during Queen Victoria’s reign. Most women during the early 19th century were married in their Sunday best. Brides were much more practical in those days, especially if they did not rank high on the social scale. They might have a new gown made for the occasion, but often that became their new “best” gown.

Wedding Rings

The following appeared in Appleton’s Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Artin 1869:

Although a ring is absolutely necessary in a Church-of-England marriage, it may be of any metal, and of any size. Some years since, a ring of brass was used at Worcester at a wedding before the registrar, who was threatened with proceedings for not compelling a gold one to be employed…. The church-key was used in lieu of a wedding-ring at a church near Colchester, early in the present century; and that was not a solitary instance within the past one hundred years in England. The Duke of Hamilton was married at May Fair with a bed-curtain ring.

Wedding Breakfast

Today we just call the party after a wedding ceremony “the reception” and are done with it. During the Regency, members of the ton would be expected to fast and then take communion after the ceremony, so the meal served after the ceremony would have broken their fasting. Add to that, the majority of weddings were held between 8 am and noon, and there’s our modern interpretation creeping in. Remember at the time, Venetian Breakfasts were very popular and were essentially afternoon parties that could last into the evening.

If you’re looking for information on how to have a Regency wedding ceremony, check out Vanessa Riley’s post which includes the full text as well as some commentary. Vanessa’s Christian Regency Blog even has a whole category of posts about vows.

Visit my post on Regency Divorce & Annulments or my Regency Resource page for more information regarding a variety of other Regency-themed topics. If you’d like more information on a specific place or topic, please let me know in the comments below.


A Primer on Regency Landmarks Beyond London

After last week’s post about Regency London Landmarks, I realized there are a ton of places beyond Town that also get mentioned or visited all the time in historical romances.

So, let’s look at a few of the top spots to see and be seen around the British Isles during the Regency Era.
 

  • Richmond – The hero is often seen offering to drive the heroine down to Richmond for a picnic or they travel to some ball being held there. Richmond is now part of London, proper, but it used to be a posh destination several miles southeast of Town.
  • Bath – Located in Somerset, this spa destination was established by the Romans in A.D. 43 by the name of Aquae Sulis. Early 19th century references to Bath include taking the waters at The Pump Room or visiting the mineral baths next door. Other places to see and be seen were The Royal Crescent, The Circus, and Pulteney Bridge (across which Jane Austen would have looked from her lodgings on the other side of the river). And of course, the hub of fashionable Bath, the assembly rooms would have been a required visit. For a full list of landmarks there, see Wikipedia’s full list of places of interest in Bath. Of course, Sally Lunn Buns were a treat to be had there.
    Bath seen in the distance, circa 1802
    Bath seen in the distance, circa 1802
  • Brighton – This quaint seaside town is located in East Sussex on the southern coast. The Royal Pavilion is a former royal palace expanded and renovated as a home for the Prince Regent during the early 19th century, under the direction of the architect John Nash. The Pavillion is notable for its exotic Oriental exterior and interior and at the time, a source of tension between the Prince Regent and Parliament as it was an enormous drain on funds.
  • Cornwall – The rugged and fierce Cornish coast is the perfect spot to find pirates and smugglers.
  • Dover – The white cliffs, check. Close enough to minimize crossing time and danger when the hero or heroine must cross the English Channel into France, check! The packets (smaller, quicker ships generally used to transport mail) sailed between Dover on the English side of the Channel and Calais on the French.
  • Portsmouth – Another busy port on the southern shores of England. This was much more of a merchant’s port with a deeper harbor. If your hero or the heroine’s family is involved in shipping, you can bet they have offices in Portsmouth.
  • Educational Centers, or where aristocratic sons were shipped off to school — women were not educated at public schools and the bluestockings who were educated had private tutors and extraordinary situations
    • Eton – Young boys of the ton began their education here, across the river from Windsor, home of Windsor Castle.
    • Cambridge – Applied mathematics was the name of the game at Cambridge from the late 17th century and well into the 19th century. Mathematics was required for graduation and sending your hero here, means he’s quite intelligent and versed in mathematics.
    • Oxford – A bastion of classical studies which saw a growth in science during the 19th century. The academic year is divided into three terms. Michaelmas Term lasts from October to December; Hilary Term from January to March; and Trinity Term from April to June. Young men were “sent down” which was akin to suspension or expulsion depending on the nature of their transgressions. Student were expected to dress in full academic regalia until the 1960s.
  • Scotland – North of Hadrian’s Wall, home of sheep, Reavers and manly men in kilts. Only not so much by the Regency Era.
    • Gretna Green – Once the Marriage Act of 1753 was passed and required parental consent for anyone under the age of 21 to marry. The Act did not apply in Scotland. Gretna Green lies just over the line in Scotland. Many couples eloped without parental consent and were married “over the anvil” at the popular blacksmith’s shop in Gretna Green. After 1856, Scottish law changed to require 21 days’ residence for marriage.
    • Edinburgh – The capital city of Scotland with its own booming university and social scene. All those Scottish earls would be flocking there.
  • Wales – If there’s mining, quarrying or iron manufacturing involved, it likely occurred in Wales. Cardiff and Swansea were important industrial ports during the Regency.

To explore further, the Wikipedia entry covers a number of places of interest and importance during the British Regency.

If you’re lucky enough to travel to the UK, you might want to visit some of these historic places:

More information regarding a variety of other Regency-themed topics can be found on my Regency Resource page. If you’d like more information on a specific place or topic, please let me know in the comments section below.

A Regency London Landmark Primer

Alexia Reed has been on a major reading jag lately. She’s also been reading a lot of historicals. Since she knows this is what I write and mostly read, she asked,

“Something I’ve noticed lately, a lot of historicals have the same ‘places’. Like White’s club. Hyde Park. Why is that?”

I’d also noticed this over the years of reading historical romances and can only say that they were social hot spots during the Regency Period (1811-1820) and similar to how an author of a contemporary novel set in a particular city names famous landmarks to establish the setting and provide local color. Basically, regardless of genre, these well-known landmarks are a type of shorthand between the author and reader.

Regency London Landmark: Hyde Park
Those who’ve read a few novels set in Regency London will be familiar with the ton‘s visits to Almack’s, White’s, Tattersalls, Vauxhall Gardens with their fireworks, the Drury Lane Theatre and, of course, shopping on Bond Street calls to mind modern day excursions to Rodeo Drive in L.A. or 5th Avenue in N.Y.C. Although, I like it much better when the landmarks serve the plot as more than just cardboard cut-outs propped up in the background scenery. What was so special about these places that the cream of society, the haute ton, couldn’t find elsewhere? What does it say about the characters that frequent these landmarks?

So, let’s look at a few of the top spots to see and be seen around Regency London.

Regency London Landmarks

  • Hyde Park, Rotten Row, The Serpentine, The Fashionable Hour — Giant expanse of parkland with a bridle path to show off equestrian skills. A lake to take the kiddies, or fall into should need arise to embarrass a hero or heroine, and a set time for everyone to gather and gawk at each other.
  • Almack’s Assembly Rooms – a very private social club where vouchers for entry were carefully guarded by the Patronesses. No alcohol was served and you had to get permission to waltz from the Patronesses as well. Nouveau riche need not apply.
  • White’s, Boodle’s & Brooks’s Gentlemen’s Clubs — You can tell a lot about a hero’s politics just by the club(s) he belongs to — White’s (Tory) and Brooks’s (Whig).
  • Astley’s Amphitheatre — Think of it like a trip to the circus.
  • Vauxhall Gardens – Pleasure gardens, but seems more like an amusement park with their frequent fireworks displays. Also lots of dark paths for heroines to be compromised or at least tested.
  • Covent Garden, Royal Opera House Theatre and Drury Lane Theatre – Historically known as “the garden of the Abbot and Convent of Westminster”, during the 18th and early 19th centuries, Convent Garden area was considered something of a red-light district attracting many notable prostitutes. The area also has a long history of retail and entertainment. Many a famous actor of the day tread the boards of these two theaters. Also many a famous actress caught the eye of her rich protector.
  • Tattersall’s — The premier place to bid upon horseflesh.
  • Bond Street and The Western Exchange — where any well-dressed hero or heroine will shop. If they have the money or just want to keep up the appearance of having money.

To explore further, the Wikipedia entry covers a number of places of interest and importance during the British Regency.

Regency Landmarks to Visit in Modern London

If you’re lucky enough to travel to London, you might want to visit some of these historic places. However, keep in mind while many places still exist, others have been replaced by more modern buildings. Some of the ones still standing include:

  • St. George’s in Hanover Square: The Anglican Church still holds services where all the best high-society weddings were once held.
  • Rotten Row in Hyde Park: Along with neighboring Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park remains one of London’s largest parks where visitors may still ride horses along what was once London’s most fashionable bridle path.
  • Hatchards: Established in 1797, the bookstore on Piccadilly hosts signings by high-profile writers.
  • Theatre Royal on Drury Lane: This four-tiered theater has seen numerous renovations but remains mostly unchanged since 1812, its last major rebuild.
  • Bond Street: Since the 18th century, Bond Street has remained London’s fashionable shopping district. From Piccadilly to Oxford Street, one can find many high-end shops such as Tiffany & Company, Cartier, and Gucci.
  • Seven Dials: During the Regency era, this West End neighborhood near Covent Garden was rough and impoverished. It surrounds a junction of seven streets, where a pillar featuring six sundials stands in the center.
  • White’s and Brook’s: The famous gentlemen’s clubs continue to operate as private fraternities on James Street. And women still aren’t permitted as members.

More information regarding a variety of other Regency-themed topics can be found on my Regency Resource page. If you’d like more information on a specific place or topic, please let me know in the comments section below. Next week’s post will cover frequently seen locations outside of London, like Bath, Brighton, and the like.

Regency Resource Page Updated

I spent some time this morning updating and fixing bad links on my Regency Resource page. I pruned out some duplicate links as well.

I tried to find new hosts for dead links, but turned to the Wayback Machine for many others.

As I add Regency topics to the blog, I want to consolidate the links on this page to make finding things easier for everyone. If you’ve got any good resources, I’d love to see ’em. Also, if you’ve got any burning questions about how things were done during the Regency, feel free to ask and I’ll see what I can find out there.

I hope you find this page useful and interesting!

Regency Era Horse Sense

Regency Resource Icon

Writing and Horses

In a previous Regency Resource post, I briefly introduced different modes of transportation in the Regency Era. One mode that crossed class boundaries was the horse. From pleasure and sport riding among the nobility to the working horses pulling carts and wagons for the working class, it’s easy for modern authors to ascribe unrealistic feats and abilities to these background ‘characters’.

So what’s an author to do if she wasn’t raised around horses? Research, just like anything else we haven’t experienced firsthand. As an author, you want to make sure your details are believable. Beyond the different ways in which Regency Era horses were used, you also need to know what you should expect in terms of speed and endurance from the animals doing these different tasks. Luckily, there are numerous sites sharing details that can keep your story authentic and keep the equine police off your back.

Regency Era Horses as Transportation

A Regency lady, riding side-saddle or aside.As noted, horses were put to a variety of uses. For work, they’re well-suited to pulling carriages, wagons and carts. A great resource that links Regency period conveyances and their economic status can be found at the Jane Austen Society. Generally, the larger the vehicle to be pulled, the larger the number of horses would be required to pull it. This lead to terms like “two-in-hand” and “four-in-hand” which refer to the number of horses controlled by the ribbons or reins. Larger coaches might require a team of six or more.

On the side of pleasure, horseback riding was popular with the nobility as a form of exercise as well as transportation. From very young ages, affluent boys were taught to ride astride, while girls were taught to ride aside or sidesaddle. Thoroughbred racing was also a popular sport during this era, as was fox hunting, which emphasized jumping and endurance over short bursts of speed.

Realistic Speed

So what is a realistic speed for a horse? Without getting into a pedantic dissertation on what a “gait” means in expert horse talk, the layman best understands the term as the equivalent of “gears” or different speeds one can expect from their mount. The four basic speeds for horses are: walk, trot, canter and gallop.

  • Walk: You can safely estimate this as roughly 3 to 4 miles per hour.
  • Trot: Depending on the horse’s stride and weight carried or pulled, you can estimate this as 8-10 miles per hour. A horse pulling a cart typically moves at this speed.
  • Canter: A decent speed, but not pushed as hard as possible, this speed averages 10-17 miles per hour.
  • Gallop: This horse is going flat out top speed. The depends on the horse’s condition and athletic ability. Some horses are not built to run fast and may only do a fast canter at their best; however, the gallop is about 30 mph. Thoroughbreds, which are bred for running distance but not speed, have been clocked at over 40 MPH.

Great, we know have an idea of how fast a horse can go. So your hero’s ready to hop on his trusty steed and gallop off after the heroine who’s being whisked off to Gretna Green in a coach by the villain.

Realistic Endurance

Woah, there! It’s possible for him to catch up with them, but he probably won’t ride the same horse the whole way. Likewise, the villain will also have to stop to change horses along the way.

An average riding horse in good condition can travel 20 to 30 miles in a day. The actual distance covered will also depend on road and weather conditions as well as availability of food and water. Horses properly trained and conditioned for long distances can be expected to go 50 or 60 miles in one day. By the Regency Era, only serious working horses in the Army or in service to the post might fall into this category and even then it would be more likely that the horses would be changed out on a regular basis instead. The common event of stopping to change horses was a reality of the times. Unlike an automobile, horses can’t be pushed hard for 20 miles and then simply stashed in the stable for the night. A horse, overheated by exertion, must be walked until it cools down and rubbed dry before it can rest.

In light of these general parameters, you might better appreciate this feat in 1808, when the Marquis of Huntley rode from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Inverness (a distance of 105 miles) in 7 hours with only 8 changes of horses. This works out to each horse averaging 15 mph for about 13 miles.

Unless you’re writing fantasy and the horses have magical abilities, travel involving horses should work with your story, serving it and perhaps defining it, never straining the plausibility of it for readers who are in the know.

For more information regarding Regency Era Horses, Carriages and Transportation and a variety of other Regency-themed topics can be found on my Regency Resource page.

Transportation in the Regency Era

Regency Resource IconOn Monday, I spoke of a need for structure in writing a story or novel. Today, I’m going to talk a bit about worldbuilding and transporation. When writing about another time period or indeed even in fantasy and science fiction settings, the author needs to consider the infrastructure of their setting and the effects that will have on their characters and stories from the time travel takes, to sensible clothing choices to relevant status symbols. Today, we’ll be taking a look at transportation in the Regency Era.

Travel and transportation have only increased in speed, comfort and horsepower since the Regency Era. We take for granted the speed at which we dash from place to place in hours instead of days. Likewise, different sorts of conflicts and obstacles crop up with different modes of travel. Instead of a flat tire, the heroine’s carriage might break an axle or one of the horses might go lame near the hero’s manor house. She can’t just call for a taxi or even a rideshare and be off again. An invitation creates forced proximity and increases tensions between them.

Types of Transportation in the Regency Era

Moving Raw Materials, Good and the Mail

Transportation in the Regency Era: Regent's Canal, Limehouse 1823Before the 1830s, trains had not yet spread widely across the English country side and many factories still relied on canals to transport of raw materials and goods to market. The postal system needed to carry mail and people along particular routes. And by the late Regency, the aging infrastructure required improvement. The work of Scottish engineers Thomas Telford and John McAdam (of the Tar-McAdam or tarmac fame despite his not using tar in his construction, but possibly because of family business in the 18th century involving tar and shipbuilding) led to widespread renovations and improvements (in terms of the roads taking people where they wanted to go) on the Roman roads, including the Great North Road, the corridor between London and Edinburgh that is now called the A1.

Moving People

One’s economic prosperity usually determined one’s mode of transportation. However, walking was universal. The poorest people walked because they had no other alternative. The more affluent walked for exercise and, one suspects, freedom from the bumps and jolts of traveling over rough roads. Riding in a carriage was more fashionable than riding horseback, but some gentlemen surely preferred the maneuverability and freedom.

Carriages & Coaches

Transportation in the Regency Era: a coach and fourThe designs of the various carriages during the Regency Era reveal the inadequacies of the roads for which they were meant to compensate. Climbing the rungs of the economic ladder, vehicles move from heavy and ponderous to lighter and more lavish. Lighter, well-sprung carriages were the sports cars of their day.

The Royals and many wealthy peers custom ordered their carriages and coaches. However, one could also visit a carriage builder’s show room and purchase new vehicles similar to modern car dealerships. Without the hard-sell, one would hope. Few Regency Era carriages survive today. Rapid advances in design meant owners either scrapped or renovated older vehicles.

I go into more detail on the different types of Regency carriages as well as more information about horses in other posts.

Velocipedes: Entertainment or Transportation?

Transportation in the Regency Era: a picture of early bicycleIn January 1818, the first ‘running machine’ was patented by a German named Karl Drais. This contraption was wooden and one straddled it, propelling it using a running motion. This prototype was of little practical use as it was only suitable on well-maintained paths in parks or gardens. Others promptly copied it and they became popular in England and France. This ‘running machine’, ‘swiftwalker’ or ‘dandy horse‘, as it was often called in Britain being favored by the dandies, gained in popularity and the term ‘velocipede’ was first used in the 1860s when Pierre Michaux, Pierre Lallement and the Olivier brothers built the first bicycle equipped with pedals, the ancestor of the modern bicycle.

Which travel nightmares do you think you would hate to have encountered the most in the Regency Era? Or which would you gladly avoid by trading the speed and comfort of now to travel back in time?

For more information regarding Regency Transportation, Carriages and Horses and a variety of other Regency-themed topics can be found on my Regency Resource page.

Twelfth Night & Epiphany

Regency Resource IconOne of my pet peeves involves the Twelve Days of Christmas and the use of the term to refer to the 12 days prior to December 25th. That would fall under the season of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, if anything. I’m not a deeply religious person, but it saddens me to see the meaning co-opted and lost in this manner.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Conventionally on the Western Christian calendar, the twelve days begin the day after Christmas, on Boxing Day. When the tradition began, days were counted from sundown to sundown. So Christmas evening is First Night.

This means that last night, January 5th, is what has been known as Twelfth Night since the Middle Ages. The Twelfth Day of Christmas falls on January 6th and is celebrated as the Feast of the Epiphany to commemorate the arrival of the three wise men in Bethlehem.

The wise men, who came to be known as the Three Kings – Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar – who brought the Christ child gifts of frankincense, gold and myrhh. These gifts were traditional Epiphany gifts for centuries. Kings and queens became traditional representatives of Twelfth Night. And to this day, in predominantly Catholic cultures, Christmas presents are not given out until January 6th — something that would not have happened in England during the Regency.

Christmastide in the Regency

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Twelfth Night parties, or revels, were popular and featured games, charades, drinking punch or wassail and eating. A special Twelfth Cake, the forerunner of today’s Christmas cake, was the centerpiece of the party, and a slice distributed to all members of the household. By tradition, both a dried bean and a dried pea were baked into the cake.

The man receiving the slice with the bean was named King for the night; the pea’s presence identified the Queen. For the rest of the evening, they ruled supreme. Even if they were normally servants, their temporarily exalted position was recognized by all, including their masters.

By the early 19th century, the cakes had become very elaborate creations with sugar frosting, gilded paper trimmings, and sometimes decorated with delicate plaster of Paris or sugar paste figures, but no longer contained the dried beans and peas.

During the Regency period, the guests at the revels were expected to pick a slip of paper and maintain the role of the character written upon it for the evening. Besides the King and Queen, a variety of characters, often pulled from popular literature and plays, were put into the hat. Enterprising stationers even sold sets of characters for Twelfth Night celebrations.

One superstitious tradition that signaled the end of Christmastide was that by the End of Epiphany, all the decorations would be taken down and the greenery burned lest the household invite bad luck for the coming year.

Some now familiar traditions that were not observed during the Regency include, Santa Claus, elaborate kissing balls (although simple mistletoe boughs were popular), and stockings. Queen Charlotte, introduced the German idea of an evergreen being brought indoors and decorated to celebrate the season. Also, during the Regency, many household hearths, especially in the city, would not have had the capacity to hold traditional Yule logs that could burn the entire twelve days, although the custom of a Christmas fire remained popular.

 

Do the winter holidays hold special traditions for you and your family? Have you ever participated in traditions with friends or extended family from another religion or country that you’ve come to incorporate into your own celebrations?

For more information regarding Regency Celebrations and Christmastide:
BBC’s Ten Ages of Christmas
Jane Austen and Christmas: Celebrating Twelfth Night including a traditional recipe for Twelfth Night Cake
Jo Beverly’s Article on Christmas in the Regency

More Christmas-specific links and more information on a variety of Regency-themed topics can be found on my Regency Resource page.