Regency Love - the details

OK, so over the past 16 posts, I've shared the plethora of research I gathered whilst writing my book.
And yes, I've included sneaky links to said book at the bottom of the posts - you can't blame a girl for trying 😉

But I thought I'd do a quick post all about the book itself.

Why did I write it?
Well, you may know that I have an author mission; to explore the many kinds of love.
And, as a lifelong fan of Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë (Jane Eyre is my all time favourite book), I wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Thus I find myself stepping back some two hundred years to explore love in Regency England.

So many Regency books I read either stop at marriage or involve indulgent naughtiness pre-marriage. But I wanted to go further than this. I wanted to portray a realistic story, feeling their were plenty of tales yet to be told.
What did women truly feel at the time? Did they go along with marriage blindly?
Although love was being considered during marital selection, this was also limited by the constraints of class.
I didn't want a poor girl chasing a duke. Lady Anne IS the daughter of a duke. She must have had something to say, but had no voice at the time. This author decided it was high time she was given an outlet.

What's it about then?
Regency Love - Reflections of a Young Lady is Lady Anne's story.
We join her as she enters the marriage mart, having been "bred for purpose". She is full of trepidation and excitement. She has no idea who she will find herself married to.

During her journey, she discovers that not all of the Ton are honourable. And secrets come to light.

She is not alone. There are two main girl friends who are going through the same process, and they support one another as they make their entry into Society.

But, this book does not close the doors at the church. Come and explore married life for those "fortunate" enough to succeed.

Choice is but an illusion. This is Regency England, where fortunes are won and lost with alarming regularity. Who amongst the nobility has kept and who has squandered the family fortune? 

Gossip and intrigue are rife amongst The Ton. Not all are honourable. And not all marriages are equal. 

Is it any good? 
How very dare you! 😂
lol, I don't expect you to take my word for it. Of course I love Regency Love, it's my book baby!!
ARC readers have begun leaving their reviews on Goodreads if you want to take a look.
But, by the time you read this, reviews should be going up in all the usual places. 

Added bonus; if you're reading this on release day, as planned (27th August 2019), you can still grab this (ebook) for the bargain price of 99c/99p! I mean it; that really is a bargain, this is a long book! 

Yes, 'tis I! 

Can I see a sample? 
Well, yes. You can actually see and hear me reading in a very plummy English accent on my IGTV and YoutTube Honestly, it's funny and well worth a watch! 

But here's a text snippet on Book Funnel (chapter 1 in its entirety as a pdf). 

Where can I buy it? 
I like to make my books available to all. 
So, if you follow this link, you can select your favourite book store.

But, if you want the direct Amazon ones, they are...
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada 
Amazon India

The paperback is also now available at Waterstones (as well as Amazon )

Thank you for your interest and support.

Always in love and light,
TL

Regency England Research - post 16 - The Summer of Celebrations

And so we face the final curtain (*sings the Frank Sinatra song dolefully*).

Here we are, my final Regency England post (*mops away tears*). It’s been quite a journey! Hopefully, you’ve gained an insight into the heaps of research that went into my book Regency Love – Reflections of a Young Lady. Perhaps it helps explain why it took me a year to write.

And maybe you’ve discovered some useful information for your own Regency romance/historical novel. I do hope so.

I wanted to end on a good note, so am focussing on the Summer of Celebrations.

Prinny, who we by now have learned, was fond of a good ‘bash’ (party), and he went ‘all out’ in 1814.

It was the centenary of Hanoverian rule (i.e. his family had sat on the throne for 100 years). It was also the anniversary of the Battle of the Nile and he had just signed the Treaty of Paris, making the two countries friends again. Huzzah!

There were three months of festivities, dubbed “The Summer of Celebrations”. Many dignitaries (the Allied Sovereigns) attended; King Louis XVIII, Czar Alexander I, King William III of Prussia, the Prince of Liechtenstein, and many more. You can imagine the parties, balls and banquets they experienced.

There was a big ceremony held for the new Duke of Wellington at Buckingham House.

James Sadler was invited by Queen Charlotte to perform a hot air balloon ascent in August– it was still a huge draw for the crowds.

The Grand Jubilee was held in honour of all these things. The main event was held on 1^st August across three parks (Hyde, St James’ and Green). All of London basically turned out to celebrate. There were model ships made for a re-enactment on the Serpentine. Pagodas, temples, all manner of things were constructed in aid of the celebration, many of which had fireworks launched from them. See more details in that link.

And so it is, under a burst of virtual fireworks that I end my Regency notes.

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me.

(*whispers*) don’t forget to buy my book 😉

Always in love and light,

TL

~ Please feel free to browse my blog. I jot down whatever writing tips come my way and review books I’d genuinely recommend to a friend. Don’t be a stranger now!

Regency England Research - post 15 - WAR; Peninsular Wars and Canadian

War! What is it good for? (*sings the Edwin Star song*)

Jane Austen wrote during the time of the Peninsular Wars yet they are not directly mentioned in her books. She does, however, refer to the officers and militia. I think she was trying to distract with pleasing tales of amusement with her ready wit.

However, they do get mentioned in mine, as a character dies over in one of the campaigns. Bonaparte and Wellington get mentioned. But I didn’t want to make too big a thing on it. Regency Love is not akin to War and Peace.

There’s no getting away from the fact that war was happening. Major events leading up to and including the Regency period:

v  1745- Jacobite Rising

v  1756-1763 – Seven Years’ War

v  1775 – 1783 – American War of Independence

v  1792 – 1802 – French Revolutionary Wars

v  1803 – 1815 – Napoleonic Wars

v  1854 – Crimean War

These all had an impact on the world. For instance, the French Revolution brought 40,000 refugees to England. Many escaped with nothing but their lives. Most lady’s maids during the Regency era were French, and it must be supposed some of these were formerly aristocracy. My Lady Anne’s own Clément was high born.

If we look at France we see the turmoil:

v  1789 – Revolution broke out

v  1792 – Revolutionary Wars began – this saw the execution of Louis XVI and the Reign of Terror by Jacobins

v  1795 – Rise of Napoleon (who actually brought in some pretty sound policies tbh)

v  1799 – Napoleon was defeated

v  1804 – Napoleon became emperor

v  1813 – Napoleon lost the Battle of Nations

v  1815 – Battle of Waterloo – The Restoration of Bourbon kings, Louis XVIII & Charles X

v  1830 – Revolution – Louis Phillipe becomes king

v  1848 – Revolution – Louis Napoleon as president

Phew!

Poor Boney! So undervalued in history!

Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the Island of Elba when he abdicated. But in February 1815 he escaped and regained control of France (enter the 100 Days War).

However, in June 1815 the Battle of Waterloo saw an end to that, and Napoleon was exiled to St Helena.

This is, of course, another British hero, Stephen Fry playing Wellington in the hilarious Blackadder TV show

In the British corner, we had Arthur Wellesley (*enters like a champion boxer*), better known as the Duke of Wellington. He’s a fun character to inspect. He wasn’t exactly impoverished. His father was the 1^st Earl of Mornington over in Ireland. He was actually born in Dublin but attended Eton. However, he was the third surviving of five sons. So, he was one of those unfortunates who had to make his own way in the world as he had no entitlement and his family didn’t have much money.

Thus he entered a career in the army. He rose quickly through the ranks in successive battles across the globe, becoming field marshal in 1813 following the Battle of Vittoria. By the end of his military career he had actively taken part in 60 battles. Crikey!

He was awarded many titles and honours, including:

v  1805 – Knight of The Order of Bath

v  1807 – Privy Councilor

v  1809 – Baron Duoro

v  1812 – Earl & Marquess of Wellington

v  1814 – Marquess Duoro & Duke of Wellington

v  Wellington boots got named after him...!

He became prime minister in 1828 until 1830.

When he died in 1852 his body was laid to rest next to Nelson in St Paul’s Cathedral.

Moving further away from my homeland, trouble was still brewing ‘across the pond’.

The War of1812 in Canada saw the British trying to fight of the Yanks who were trying to take over Canada. I shan’t go into too many details. There’s lots of info around should you wish to explore.

Incidentally, travelling over to Canada was a trifle rough. The steam ships were just about to come in, but hadn’t quite yet. So, travel was largely via sailing packets. Most ships left Liverpool and took around 35 days to reach their destination. Eurgh!

OK, enough violence. I don’t like it! I’ll leave you to find more information if you need to. I may have to go and watch Sean Bean playing Sharpe to console myself!

Always in love and light,

TL
Far pleasanter things than war are to be found in the pages of Regency Love

Regency England Research - post 14 – TRANSPORTATION; carriages, roads and post

Do you know your phaeton from your landau? 😉 No, I’m not being rude, these were carriages and coaches. And there was a variety of these to be had during the Regency. In the time before cars, these were the mode of transport, but like cars, had their fashions and variance.

I’ll leave a link to a detailed post on types of carriages here (with handy pictures), and even then there were differences in phaetons and curricles.

In rough order of size, in summary, there was:

v  Dog Cart – single driver (room for dogs); variations of

v  Governess / Jaunting Cart – ladies or children would use these (horse or donkey pulled)

v  Gig – really made for one

v  Curricle – sportster of its day; two wheeled, fast, dangerous, pulled by two

v  Phaeton – two-seater with four wheels (quite showy-offy)

v  Hackney – London cab, really

v  Post-chaise – two to four passengers, but intended for post

v  Landau – similar to a barouche – could be pulled by a pair or a team

v  Barouche – four-passenger, pulled by four horses – convertible (very grand) – could be pulled by up to 6 horses

v  Family Coach – enclosed four passenger – more suiting to long journeys

v  Brake / Brake – Could carry up to six sportsmen and their dogs to their hunting ground

v  Stagecoach / Mailcoach – Combined post with passengers and set up in relays/stages. Up to seven passengers (some outside)

Note - The Hansom and the Brougham were not actually in use yet. The Hansom Cab was developed in 1834 by a Yorkshireman of that name. And the Brougham, pronounced broom, was built in 1838 (recall Regency technically ended in 1820). Thanking you very much, please (sorry; watched too much Miranda of late!).

Carriage horses also formed part of the flashiness. One had to pair teams correctly. They were stockier than riding horses as they had to have the power to pull hefty weights.

Some of the very rich had their own relays of horses stabled along their frequented routes. Of course, this was extremely expensive. Most would hire the post horses which were en-route.

Right, so that’s the horses and carriages. They travelled upon something which I hesitate to call roads. Tarmacadam wouldn’t arrive until 1902! Turnpikes and tollroads had been introduced, so they weren’t quite the rough dirt tracks they once were. Improvements had been made, but inclement weather would still render roads impassable and hazardous. Many a carriage was overturned on its journey.

Road improvements were partly responsible for the sharp decline in highwaymen (*sings the Adam and the Ants song*).  They had improved even since Jane Austen’s time.

Journey Times

One can roughly guesstimate journey times.

Ensure you check maps of the time to see which roads existed. The M1 wasn’t even imagined yet.

If one assumes carriages travelled at around 8-12mph you can use the speed-distance calculator.

This article helpfully notes that King George III travelled from Windsor to Weymouth in 11-13 hours.

Another way of looking at it, and I remind you to be wary of distance on new roads – carriages would travel very roughly at cycling speed. Things such as Google maps will calculate the journey time for you (“avoid motorways”), nudge nudge, wink wink 😉

 The carriages mention post-chaise and mailcoaches. So I ought to quickly discuss the postal service. There was an appalling lack of email or even telephones, so one relied on letters to carry information. With all these lovely new roads, one had a speedier method of reaching our correspondents.

Enter the Penny Post – hoorah! That linked post contains all sorts of wonderful information on postal rates and franking, yes franking. Boo; in London, during the war, it was raised to threepence post! In around 1840 envelopes and stamps were invented; such exciting times.

Thank you and come again.

Always in love and light,

TL

Lady Anne in Regency Love has use of a barouche, of course 😉

Regency England Research - post 13 - FAITH; hatches, matches and dispatches

Hatches, matches and dispatches; a note-so charming phrase, really. It of course, refers to marriages, births and deaths; all part of the rich tapestry of life.

I was curious as to what part religion played in the lives of the Regency elite. They were so debauched I rather wondered if they practised Christianity at all. But, naturally, they did. They just weren’t terribly devout.

Going into the clergy was considered a respectable profession for rich young men, albeit a third class occupation. Perhaps suitable for the second son whose father had no additional estate to bestow upon him. Indeed, it was the lot in life for these poor chaps to make their own way in the world. Their options were; clergy, officer, lawyer or doctor. There were a few ways to make your living in the church.

But I digress. In Great Britain we have what is called the Anglican Church, or the Church of England (CoE). Gone were the fiery tempests of the Tudor times. Although, some religious movements were murmuring, such as the Methodists. The social elite would’ve generally stuck to the CoE though, as they wanted to ensure an Oxbridge (Oxford or Cambridge University) entry for their cherubs.

Church would be attended each Sunday, generally speaking. Although, I suspect once in town for the Season this was less adhered to. I couldn’t find much on this specifically. Pews could be rented, and the wealthy would reserve box pews.

Weddings were clearly an important aspect of Regency life. Do please note the types of marriage license. A special license was very rare, despite what you may have read in novels. A common license though, now that would be more plausible. It avoided the lengthy banns process (see link for full details).

You may find an outline of wedding procedures here or here.

Funerals could be rather dangerous affairs in England during the Regency, as that link shows. Funeral processions may be attacked. Even the verbal abuse shouted may terrify the gently bred young ladies. Also, showing too much emotion in public was unseemly. So, many upper class ladies did not attend such events.

And then there were births. New mothers would end their period of confinement with a churching service. “Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth” was a special ceremony. Quite frankly, after such an ordeal, I think I’d fall on my knees and thank God for my survival too. That link takes you nicely through the whole process of bringing children into the world, including a section on christening.

The 1662 Book of Common Prayer was still in use. There’s a useful link there to wording of all church ceremonies.

So there you have it, a brief explanation on hatches, matches and dispatches the Regency way.

Go in peace.

Always in love and light,

TL

For a little flavour of all of the above do consider reading this author's book Regency Love

Regency England Research - post 12 - HEALTH; disease, death, doctors and childbirth

Disease and Ailments

There’s no escaping it; times were tough. Average life expectancy was low; around just 35 years old. But do bear in mind that infant mortality was exceedingly high. And some did live to their 70s or 80s.

Medicine was still very basic. In fact, the medicine itself may kill you if the disease didn’t! Opium, mercury and laudanum were common ingredients. However, recall how botany was an important part of a young lady’s education; plant remedies were still much in demand. A humble vinaigrette was most convenient, particularly during a faint.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, perhaps it is prudent to consider the diseases and ailments which were rampant at the time. Consumption (TB/tuberculosis) was rife; perhaps you have seen the elegant coughs into handkerchiefs which then become spotted with blood in films? This was Britain’s biggest killer. But do look up that link to diseases for a comprehensive list with explanations. The link to ailments supplies further information. Apoplexy, now known as a stroke was also common.

Death was a frequent visitor to Regency homes. There were rituals to be completed as part of mourning. I’ll look at funerals in my next post, covering faith.

And doctors were as yet to find their full use. Blood-letting and purging were standard treatments. There were different levels of doctor:

v  Physicians – considered the most desirable as they had further education and apprenticeship. Being so learned, they were considered gentlemen. They charged high fees.

v  Surgeons – sort of like our modern GP and would treat lesser mortals. Would perform crude forms of surgery

v  Apothecaries – think of these as dispensing chemists or pharmacists. They would grind ingredients into powders and tinctures.

v  Midwives / Accoucheurs – The male midwife was introduced (the accoucheur). Viewed as educated and trusted by the nobility

v  Barbers / Dentists – I say dentist, but they pulled teeth and that was about it

More details can be found here and here.

The seeds of modern medicine were being planted. Cleanliness was being gradually recognised as helping to avoid killing one’s patients. Theories on germs were being discussed. And medical instruments were being developed. Times were a-changing!

Birthing

Even pregnancy, childbirth and confinement were being cared for differently, as my own Lady Anne discovers. The birthing chair was being substituted for a bed, caudle was out for mothers, and in came fresh air instead of the stale, enclosed, darkened rooms for confinement. Forceps were being introduced too. Sadly, gas & air and epidurals still hadn’t arrived, so it was a full-on pain experience!! :-O

Fashions were mercifully forgiving, given the high empire line of dresses. Maternity wear started to get its own fashions though.

The death rate for mothers was sadly still high and peurperal / childbed fever was regrettably common.

Presuming one has a strong enough constitution to survive all of that, congratulations were certainly in order. Once confinement was over, there was a churching ceremony (see confinement link above) as well as the christening. There was no shame to breast feeding. Although, once one had full social engagements, a wet-nurse would be required. Baby clothes and nappies were somewhat different to modern day. Blue trim wasn’t sexist per sey. It was used more on boys clothing, but that’s because they wanted to protect the precious moppets from evil spirits; the heir was everything!

To round off this section, there’s also some details on early childhood and clothing.

Of course, there were forms of contraception around, but as it was one’s duty to breed like rabbits, this was really only used by the ladies of the night.

What a charming note to end this blog post on!? Join me next time for a discussion on faith.

Always in love and light,

TL

 My book Regency Love contains glimpses into all of this, of course.

Regency England Research - post 11 - The British Seaside, Bath and baths

“Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside. Oh, I do like to be beside the seeeaaa…” – everybody sing along now.

Ah, one of the great British pasttimes – going to the beach. It doesn’t matter if it’s not sunny. Skegness famously ran a successful advertising campaign for its bracing air (read flippin’ freezing and windy)!

Now, do proceed with caution, as it wasn’t until the railway network that seaside holidays truly became popular. However, the super rich, as ever, were the trendsetters.

There’s a list of historical seaside towns here by the way. Great Yarmouth is featured in my novel.

Sea bathing was promoted as beneficial to one’s health. Indeed, Mrs Bennet in Pride and Prejudice declared a desire for a little sea bathing.

My apologies; Bennet should only have one 't'!

However, one was required to wear a rather cumbersome bathing dress which included pantaloons for such an activity. And it was rather cold – our waters are not known for their warmth.

So, a very clever person decided that a bath house might be a good idea. There were only a couple in the UK, but one was happily situated in Lady Anne’s path. Seawater was pumped in and then heated in bathtubs. Herbs and oils could be added too. And one was served a glass of sea water to drink too – knowing what gets pumped into our seas, I think I’ll pass, thanks.

This was at a time when baths at home were still rare. It was too much faff even for the rich. They’d sometimes make their staff carry hot water and a big tub to them upstairs, and enjoy a good hot soak. But more often than not, they’d make do with a good bowl of water and some soap. Oh, talking of soap, I was delighted to discover that Pears soap came into existence in 1789 – I use it today as it smells so lovely. There were a few showers knocking around at this time, incidentally.

Of course, one could always “take the waters” in Bath. Thank you, Romans for the spa. Again, this was for their healing properties. One could dip in the naturally heated spa waters, or sip the water from a glass. Note; you can still do this, but don’t, it’s rather disgusting to drink! But do visit the town, for it is still marvellous and even has a lovely modern spa. The town had had fallen out of fashion during the Regency really, except for the invalids.

Jane Austen spent time in Bath herself, as has been well-documented.

I shall discuss matters of health next time.

Always in love and light,

TL

If you would like to visit the seaside with Lady Anne, please consider buying her book Regency Love