Rachel Knowles's Blog, page 10

April 11, 2018

Policing Georgian London and the Bow Street Runners - guest post by Julie Tetel Andresen

I am delighted to welcome author Julie Tetel Andresen to the Regency History blog today with a guest post on policing Georgian London and the Bow Street Runners.
Bow Street from The Microcosm of London Vol 1 by R Ackermann and WH Pyne (1808) Bow Street from The Microcosm of London Vol 1 by R Ackermann and WH Pyne (1808)Number 4 Bow Street

In the early 1750s, magistrate and novelist Sir Henry Fielding persuaded the government to provide funds to hire men who would have the capacity to track down the highwaymen and footpads who were terrorizing the roads in and around London...
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Published on April 11, 2018 08:16

April 4, 2018

The Asylum for female orphans in Regency London

The Dining Room at the Asylum from Ackermann's The Microcosm of London (1808-10) The Dining Room at the Asylum
from Ackermann's The Microcosm of London (1808-10)What was the Asylum?

The Asylum was a refuge for female orphans established by Sir John Fielding, a philanthropic magistrate, in 1758, and incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1800. 
Its aim was to house and educate orphaned girls. Orphans were the responsibility of the parish where their parents had resided. If this parish or settlement could not be established, they theoretically became the responsibility of t...
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Published on April 04, 2018 07:51

March 14, 2018

The Real Persuasion by Peter James Bowman – a review

Front cover of The Real Persuasion by Peter James Bowman
Did Anne Elliot live happily ever after?

Are you a fan of Jane Austen’s Persuasion? Have you ever wondered what happened to Anne Elliot after she married Captain Wentworth? Judging by the huge popularity of Austen variations, it would seem that many people have. The Real Persuasion is not an Austen variation, but it does describe what Anne’s life might have looked like after her marriage by telling the true story of Katherine Bisshopp, a real-life Regency heroine whose life bore remarkable sim...
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Published on March 14, 2018 02:26

February 28, 2018

The Green Park in Regency London

Horse guards parading past the Canade Gate, The Green Park Horse guards parading past the Canade Gate, the Green ParkThe history of the Green Park

The Green Park was an area of meadowland enclosed by Charles II after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Lying between St James’s Park and Hyde Park, it was formed to link up the royal parks, and was known as Little or Upper St James’s Park until 1746. Charles II built icehouses in the middle of the park. 
Rocque's Map of London of 1741-5 showing the Green Park in London in the Eighteenth Century by Sir Walter Besant (1902) Rocque's Map of London of 1741-5 showing the Green Park
in London in the Eighteenth Century b...
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Published on February 28, 2018 03:28

February 14, 2018

St James's Park in Regency London

View across the water in St James's Park to Buckingham Palace (2014) View across the water in St James's Park to Buckingham PalaceThe history of St James’s Park
St James’s Park is the oldest royal park in London, with St James’s Palace to the north and Buckingham Palace to the west.

The Picture of London for 1810 said:
St James’s Palace and Park are situated near the western extremity of the town, on the side next the river, from which, at a small distance, it is separated by Parliament-street, and the site of Whitehall Palace.1
Rocque's Map of London of 1741-5 showing St James's Park in London in the Eighteenth Century by Sir Walter Besant (1902) Rocque's Map of London of 1741-5 sh...
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Published on February 14, 2018 06:29

January 24, 2018

Kensington Gardens in Regency London

View of Kensington Palace from Kensington Gardens View of Kensington Palace from Kensington GardensThe history of Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens were originally part of Hyde Park. They were created when, in 1689, William and Mary bought Nottingham House and made it their London residence, renaming it Kensington Palace. The palace gardens were formed out of the western edge of Hyde Park and consisted of a mere 26 acres which Mary planted with formal flower beds and ‘closely-cropped yews, and prim holly hedges’.1
Queen Anne enlarged the g...
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Published on January 24, 2018 05:19

January 9, 2018

Hyde Park in Regency London

The Entrance to Hyde Park on Sunday from Modern London by R Phillips (1804) Hyde Park on Sunday from Modern London by R Phillips (1804)The Park

Old and New London described Hyde Park as:
… that most famous of recreation-grounds, and chief of the ‘lungs of London’, which all the world, to this day, persists in calling ‘the Park’, as if we had no other park in our metropolis—no doubt because, in the Stuart times, and even later, it was the only park really open to the people at large.1
Hyde Park Corner in 1750 from Mr Crace's Collection from Old and New London by E Walford (1878) Hyde Park Corner in 1750 from Mr Crace's Collection
from Old and New London by E Walfo...
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Published on January 09, 2018 09:02

December 14, 2017

The Persian ambassador's visit to London in 1809-10

Mirza Abul Hassan Khan by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1810) in Fogg Art Museum Photo by Daderot CCO via Wikimedia Commons Mirza Abul Hassan Khan by Sir Thomas Lawrence (1810)
in Fogg Art Museum
Photo by Daderot CCO via Wikimedia CommonsProfile
Mirza Abul Hassan Khan (1776-1845) was an Iranian envoy who came to England on diplomatic missions in 1809-10 and again in 1818, and was known as the Persian ambassador.
The Persian ambassador in England (1809-10)
Mirza Abul Hassan came to England in 1809 to secure the ratification of the Anglo-Persian treaty made between Sir Harford Jones and Qajar Shah, Fath Ali. This was th...
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Published on December 14, 2017 09:48

November 28, 2017

A Regency History guide to the Jane Austen Centre in Bath

Portrait and waxwork of Jane Austen on display at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath Portrait and waxwork of Jane Austen
on display at the Jane Austen Centre in BathIf you want to learn about Jane Austen, my favourite author and one of Bath’s most famous residents, the Jane Austen Centre is an excellent place to start.
I recently visited the centre to talk to their social media manager, Jenni Waugh, about my book, What Regency Women Did For Us , which features Jane Austen. You can find my interview on the Jane Austen website here: An interview with author Rachel Knowles.
For thos...
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Published on November 28, 2017 07:40

November 8, 2017

A Regency History guide to the Monument, London

The Monument, London The Monument, LondonWhat is The Monument?
The Monument is … well … a monument. Specifically, it is a monument to the Great Fire of London of 1666 and the rebuilding of the city. It is a Doric-style stone pillar, 202 feet tall, situated 202 feet away from Pudding Lane where the Great Fire started.
 
The Monument, LondonThe Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London raged from 2-5 September 1666. The fire started at the house of the king’s baker in Pudding Lane and the wind caused it to sp...
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Published on November 08, 2017 07:29