Rachel Knowles's Blog, page 13

The unconventional Lady Anne Barnard (1750-1825)

Lady Anne Barnard from South Africa a Century Ago (1910)Profile
Lady Anne Barnard (née Lindsay) (8 December 1750 – 6 May 1825) was a Scottish travel writer, diarist, poet and amateur artist. Her most famous work is the ballad Auld Robin Grey. 1
Early life
Lady Anne Lindsay was born on the family estate of Balcarres in a remote part of Fife in Scotland on 8 December 1750. She was the eldest of the 11 children of James Lindsay, the impoverished 5th Earl of Balcarres, and his wife, Anne Dalrymple,...

The Regency History blog is five years old!

I can’t believe that it is five years since I started this blog! I wrote my first post – What is the Regency? – back in October 2011 and there are now 274 posts on the Regency History blog. My husband, Andrew, has been contributing posts since 2014 and this blog is now very much a joint venture.

According to Google analytics, there have been over 800,000 page views with around 80% of visitors coming to the site through organic search - that is, people have searched for a subject and clicked th...

Defiance – The Life and Choices of Lady Anne Barnard by Stephen Taylor - a review

A well-written biography of an unconventional Georgian lady

Defiance is the biography of Lady Anne Barnard (1750-1825), best-known as the author of the popular ballad Auld Robin Grey. Anne was the daughter of an impoverished Scottish earl who became close friends with the young George IV and his secret wife, Mrs Fitzherbert. Anne was a prolific letter writer and kept detailed journals of her life, most notably of her time living in the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

Defiance is a well-writ...

A Regency History guide to the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London

The history of the Royal Menagerie

It is believed that lions were first kept at the Tower during the reign of King John in about 1210, though it is his son, Henry III, who is generally credited with establishing the menagerie, which included a polar bear and an elephant.

Exotic animals were often given to the royal family as presents. Unfortunately, the keepers at the Tower did not know how to look after these unusual animal...

Almost a sailing tragedy off Weymouth in 1800: a first-hand account

Overcoming adversity always makes for a good story, particularly when it involves a life-threatening situation. Charles Sturt, Member of Parliament for Bridport, Dorset, had such a tale to tell after sailing off Weymouth in 1800. Within a few days of his adventure, he wrote an account that was later published.

The story begins with King George III, a frequent visitor to the seaside town, who often went aboard Royal Navy ships moored in the bay. On 20 September, the King, w...

A Regency History guide to Athelhampton House in Dorset

Where is Athelhampton?

Athelhampton is a Tudor manor house situated near Dorchester in Dorset. 

A history of Athelhampton

The story of Athelhampton starts in 1485 when Sir William Martyn was granted the right to enclose his estate and deer park and build a stone manor with towers and crenellations—the battlements that give a castle its characteristic shape. The result was the Great Hall with a solar on one side, providing living accommodation, and a buttery on the...

Jane Austen Festival 2016 Regency Promenade in Bath

Last Saturday, I donned my Regency outfit and took part in the Jane Austen Festival 2016 Regency Promenade in Bath. It was the third time that I had taken part – and the first time that it had rained sufficiently for me to require the services of an umbrella! Fortunately, like Captain Wentworth, I had “equipped myself properly for Bath”(1) and was armed with a large black umbrella which shielded me (and various of my walking companions) from...

Georgian watchmen - security on the night-time streets

The street watchman was a familiar character to the inhabitants of Georgian cities and towns. Their job was to literally keep an eye on their designated section of roadway, as a defence against the common perils of crime and fire. In addition, they had the job of calling out the time and describing the weather...

Royal assassins?

I am delighted to welcome Catherine Curzon to the Regency History blog today. Catherine is a royal historian and blogs on all matters 18th century at A Covent Garden Gilflurt's Guide to Life.
She has just released her book, Life in the Georgian Court , published by Pen & Sword Books.

There are few royals as divisive as King George IV, a chap who I spent a lot of time getting to know whilst writing Life in the Georgian Court.
A spendthrift, womaniser and seemingly spoiled brat, the Prince Reg...

The almost forgotten War of 1812

Did you know that Britain was at war with the United States of America during the Regency period? A war involving thousands of British soldiers in North America, with hundreds killed in a host of battles? A war that included the British burning what is now one of the most prestigious buildings in the world - the White House in Washington DC?...