Ann Lethbridge's Blog, page 30

Regency Timelines

What was happening in the Regency?
One major thing going on was the war with Napoleon, but there were lots of additional items in the newspapers two.  Here is a selection.

Mar.1 A stone weighing fifteen pounds fell from the clouds in Russia.Oops.  I bet that was a surprise.Mar.5: The battle of Barossa gained by Gen. Graham, against the French under Marshal Victor. Sergeant Patrick Masterson captured the first French eagle to be taken in battle by th British from the French, in this case from the 8th of the LineMar.11: Badajos surrendered to the French.
Mar.11: The House of Commons voted a loan of six millions for the relief of merchants and manufacturers. You  will see why, later.Mar.12: Riots at Nottingham, in consequence of distress among workmen. Mar.20: Birth of Bonaparte's son. The king of Rome. Pictured on the left as the Duke of Reichstadt, he became the Emperor of France for fifteen days, when his father abdicated in 1815, though it is doubtful he was aware of it, as he and his mother had fled to Austria.  Mar.23:A riot in Bristol caused by a rise in the price of butter,Mar.26: Sequestrated English merchandise to the amount of £100,000 sterling, burned at Swinemunde.Mar.31: Confiscated English manufacturer to the amount of £50,000 burned at Rugenwalde.Apr. 1: Confiscated English manufactures to the amount of £60,000 burned at Memel.What a lot of waste and loss. This was part of the blockade. Apr.3: At the late Duke Queensberry's sale, his Tokay wine sold at eighty four pounds per dozen. So to put that in perspective when you go to the liquor store, or wherever you buy your wine, that is about £2,852.64 for 12. Tokay is really Tokaji wine. It comes from Hungary and is a sweet wine and was  the subject of the world's first appellation control, established several decades before Port wine and over 120 years before the classification of Bordeaux. Vineyard classification began in 1730 with vineyards being classified into 3 categories depending on the soil, sun exposure and potential to develop noble rot, botrytis cinerea, first class. A royal decree in 1757 established a closed production district in Tokaj. The classification system was completed by the national censuses of 1765 and 1772. Introduced to the French court, it  was also a very popular wine during the regency in England, as indicated by the price.Apr.4: A proclamation to the Berlin Court Gazette, forbidding any English man, or any other foreigner, to enter the Prussian territory  without a passport.Apr.8: several persons killed by the fall of two houses in Ironmonger Row, Old Street.Apr.10: a riot at Brighton between a party of the South Gloucester militia, and a party of the inhabitants,Apr.10: William Gibbs reprieved at the moment when about to be hanged for a robbery committed by his sweetheart of which he had taken upon  himself the guilt in order to save her life. Talk about true love. And the save sounds a bit last minute too.Apr,14: The French Garrison of Olivenza surrendered at discretion to the allied army.Apr.20: Eight persons perished in the conflagration of a house in Half Moon Alley, Bishopsgate.Apr.21: A Young nobleman lost £24,000 at one of the fashionable gambling houses. In today's money, according to the British National Archives this would be worth in the order of £814,0000 or in US $1,337,238.10. Now I don't know how you feel about that but my little flutters at the casino amount to $30 in a night. Apr.24:Mackerel sold at Billingsgate, at eight shillings a piece by the hundred. Not so expensive, then.Apr.24: A subscription set on foot at the London Tavern for the relief of the Portuguese.Apr.25: Thirty five men killed, and eighteen wounded, by an explosion of inflammable air in a coal mine near Liege. Interesting how they call it air rather than gas.
Apr.29: The commissioners of Hyde Park turnpike let their tolls for £17,000 per annum.  A profit of £580,000 in today's money. One can only imagine how much the person taking the tolls actually made.That is all from me, until next time, Happy Rambles.

A Toast to the Royal Newlyweds

It was a great day, wasn't it? Did you like me, get up at four in the morning to watch on tv here in North America? I think I have only just recovered from that early morning.  Or were you one of the lucky ones in London standing on the Mall to watch the couple pass by? From what I heard you too rose at four, if you ever went to bed.

Perhaps you were in Britain and attended one of the many street parties that day?



The_happy couple_on_the_balcony.jpg: Magnus D

Something that was very clear to me was the happiness of this couple.  And I wish them all the very best for their futures.  I am sure it is not easy being in their position, but let us hope they are as happy as me and my husband are.

 If you want to know more about Royal Weddings down the ages, might I suggest you check out the Harlequin Digital Royal Wedding Series? You can find my story at Amazon Princess Charlotte's Choice or at  eHarlequin.com
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Or go to my website at http://www.annlethbridge.com to find out more.

The next two months will be busy ones, since I have two books out, in addition to this digital short story, and there is another Undone due for release any day now, but I will try to get us back on track with our regular postings of all things Regency.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Where I am

Royal Wedding fever is catching. Join me at the Harlequin blog where I am talking about Princess Charlotte's wedding dress. Leave a comment to win a prize.

Royal Wedding Celebration

Yes, this is the week we celebrate the upcoming nuptials of the Royal couple.

If you want to meet the authors and hear about the stories for this unique one of a kind series from Harlequin, you can find us at the e-Harlequin blog all this week, starting with Henry and Eleanor of Aquitane's stormy relationship today.

I suppose I should mention that there are prizes to be won?  Not that it is a bribe or anything, but you can win a prize if you follow the link and make a comment on the Harlequin Blog. The more you comment, the more chance you have of winning.

I will be getting up before the crack of dawn to join in the celebrations and I plan to have a little champagne on hand to drink their health and wish them well.

How will you be celebrating or marking this auspicious occasion? Or will you?

Regency Fashion 1811

Portrait of the Mlles. Mollien by Rouget, 1811




Ah yes, it is fashion day.   






A Ball Gown ~ April 1811
A white sarsenet or satin petticoat, with short sleeves, over which is worn a body and drapery of light-blue gauze, formed in three points, or vandykes over the petticoat, reaching nearly to the bottom, the ends finished with white silk tassels. It is crossed over the figure in fronts towards the left side, and fastened in tufts of bows of the same colour. A short sash tied in a bow on the left side. Sleeves looped up in front of the arm. The bottom of the petticoat is trimmed in vandykes to correspond. White silk stockings and blue kid shoes.The hair twisted up behind and redressed in full curls, ornamented with a bandeau of light blue twisted crape and roses. White kid gloves. 



And in Paris they were wearing Cashmere Shawls


This one in pink has an amazingly low neck line and the lady carries another shawl in white.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Hay-on-Wye

Also known as Y Gelli Gandryl in Welsh, since the town is indeed in Wales, was listed as a must see for me, by my family. It has over thirty bookshops and every year is the venue for a literary festival.


It is also a very old place with lots of interesting nooks and crannies and a couple of castles dating back to 1070.  It was a pleasure to wander the streets of this old market town.

Needless to say I bought several books and found some fashion prints from La Belle Assemblee that I gleefully brought home with me and shared here.






Here are some views as we walked around




This is St John's Chapel originating in the 13th century
And the Butter Market in the centre of town dating from 1830. It replaced an old open air market. Market day is Thursday

And this is a rare picture of me, about to go for lunch in the pub. This is a 17th century inn call The Black Lion, Old has now been added to its name, and it stood near the Lion Gate when Hay was a walled town.

Some parts of the building are said to date back to the 1300's.

I finish up with a picture of the back of the castle, obviously turned into a mansion and a view back into the Brecon Beacons.                                  

And that is all from me. For some reason Blogger was like molasses tonight, slow to move. But until next time, happy rambles.

Pre Party - Royal Weddings

[image error] Join us at The Good the Bad and the Unread for a pre-royal wedding celebration just to get you in the mood.

The authors of the Harlequin Mills and Boon Royal Wedding stories would love to see you there.

You will find the stories behind the stories and some excerpts.

Wales

During our visit last summer, we spent some time in Wales, you may even recall the snippet of video I recorded when walking in the woods.  The next pictures are from the Brecon Beacons.

The Brecon Beacons are named after the ancient practice of lighting signal fires on mountains to warn of attacks by the English, or more recently to commemorate public and national events such as coronations or the Millennium.

The Brecon Beacons range
consists of the mountains to the south of Brecon. The highest of these is Pen y Fan (886 m). These summits form a long horseshoe ridge around the head of the Taf Fechan  river to the south-east, with long parallel spurs extending to the north-east. 

The mountains are known for swift changes in weather conditions, even in summer, although as you can see from my photos we had a perfect Spring day.  In winter they can be dangerous.
 

These are some typical inhabitants of the Brecons.  And if you are lucky you might even see a Welsh pony.











I took my photos on my way to Hay on Wye, a place where the book rules supreme and one of the most interesting bookstores I have ever visited is a Castle.

So let us visit Hay-on-Wye next time, and until then, Happy Rambles.

Regency Fashion 1811

I didn't do a fashion post this month and we are celebrating 200 years since the Regency. Well, we can't have that can we.  Here are some more 1811 Regency Fashions.

This is a Morning Carriage dress from La Belle Assemblee for March 1811

The descrition is as follows:

A bias corded muslin dress, a walking length, with long sleeves, made high in the neck, with collar; buttoned down the front of the waist with narrow lilac satin ribband. Sash tied in a bow in front; a border of plain muslin, or lace, round the bottom. A square of lilac satin, with richly embroidered border in white silk, and tassels to correspond, is thrown over the shoulders in the form of a shawl, and is cut down the back to give it a more easy and graceful appearance about the figure. A simple white chip hat, tied round the crown in a bow in front of lilac satin ribband. The hair in full curls over the forehead. Pearl earrings. Gloves and shoes of pale lemon, or lilac coloured kid.

It is interesting isn't it, that they not only describe the dress but that they specify the accessories right down to the hairstyles. The earrings look to be quite large.

Some General Observations:

For these you will have to use your imagination, but they offer a clue as to what was deemed in style by La Bell Assemblee for this particular month.

Pelisses and mantles have undergone no variation since our last communications. A mantle of very pale fawn colour Merino cloth, with large hood, lined with pink silk, worn with a Highland cap of the same material, ornamented with two small flat ostrich feathers of the same colour, is a most becoming dress to a fair complexion. We have observed several in very dark green, lined with pink or orange, with straw cottage bonnets trimmed with velvet flowers or shaded ostrich feathers. Pelisses are made to fit tight to the shape without a band, with a broad trimming of sable or of the Nootka Sound otter. They are mostly made in velvet of the colour of rubies, garnet, royal purple or puce; some are ornamented round the bottom with a very broad embossed figured ribband.

    Morning dresses are still made in plain cambric, with oblong spots or sprigs of lace let in on the bosom and sleeves. Small lace caps tied down with coloured silk or gause handkerchiefs, ornamented in front with a demi-tiara of fancy flowers, or a knot of pinks or ranunculus. Gloves and shoes of corresponding colours.

    Dinner, or home dresses, are mostly composed of stuff, cloth or velvet, embroidered or trimmed with gold, with long sleeves and moderate trains; either high in the neck with a falling collar of worked muslin, or full twill of lace, or just above the rise of the bosom with a white crape habit-shirt or standing frill of lace plain round the neck. Velvet Turkish caps, gold bands, and spangled nets, are much worn on the head.

    Bands in every species of jewelry are now the prevailing ornaments for the head; they are worn low over the face, with a diamond or other open work, clasp or loop in the center of the forehead. The hair curled on each side in ringlets, the hind hair brought forward, and disposed so as to fall over the left side of the face.

    No variety has taken place in shoes; they are still embroidered in gold or silver, in the device of a star.

    In respect to the jewelry, the greatest novelty is the band for the head; they are formed of two rows of coloured stones or pearls fastened to an ornament in the center. Girdles in coloured gems distinguish the women of fashion. Earrings are made in the top and drop fashion. Brooches in the form of sprigs or flowers, with gems of appropriate hues.

    The prevailing colours for the season are ruby, garnet, puce, purple, orange, grass-green, and coquelicot.

Nice range of colours there and some interesting headgear.

Until next time Happy Rambles through the Regency

News - Upcoming books

Now is that cover provocative, or what?  And.... it is a scene out of the book.  Is he taking that garter off or putting it on - did you ask?  Well.... I suppose you will need to read the story.  Oh, that is teasing, but honestly, I hate spoilers.

It was quite a thrill to see that  More than a Mistress is already up on Amazon for pre-order and we haven't yet got The Gamekeeper's Lady on shelves. It is due out at the end of April and they are calling it a May book.  I must say it was a bit of a thrill. It was worth all the long hours trying to meet the deadlines.

If you are looking for more information and exclusive excerpts, by the way, or even links to the various places where these books can be purchased on line (so not a hint), you will find them at my website (which is newly revamped).

And while we are on the subject, it is not the only new offering from me for April.  We also have the digital short story in the Royal Wedding series, Princess Charlotte's Choice is my offering there, but I will have more about that for you next month as the series authors are banding together to offer you some prizes to celebrate the upcoming marriage of William and Kate.

Will you be glued to your TV to watch the Royal couple tie the knot?  I know I will even if it means getting up as some ridiculously early hour.  Perhaps we should set up a twitter circle and chat about it in real time. Hmm might be fun.

Anyway, until next time, Happy Rambles.