Celebrating a Coronation in the Regency

Or at least, the coronation that ended the Regency.  I found this little gem in Totnes in Devon, England.  If you have never heard of Totnes, it is a town with a long history, more of which we will be hearing about later.  This however was an unexpected glimpse into Regency life.

Bear with me. This is not a great photo but circumstances were difficult.  These are the regulations to celebrate George IV's coronation and to summarize,

The Committee and the local folk were to assemble at 10 am and preceded by a band process to Mayoralty House were they would pick up the Corporation (town corporation or Council)  and from thence attend a religious service.

After which they would process back to the Bowling-green, where the Stewards would take their stations at tables set out where "Oh the Roast Beef of Old England" would be heard and I assume served and be said stewards would "joined by their neighbours in the attack on the solid fair provided for the occasion."

It advises that "Every person must provide himself with a Plate, Knife and Fork and Cup and take his station with his family specified in is ticket".

At five O'clock tables will be cleared and tea provided for females and children under the supervision of LADIES.  So the Ladies are the gentry one assumes are laying this on for the general populace.

After this the Festivities are to conclude with Music and Dancing on the Bowling-green.

So in the Regency, that is how a Coronation was celebrated in a very small town in Devon.

Until next time…..

Regency Bath - Part I

I promised you some blogs on my visit to Jane Austen's Bath last month. In reality Jane Austen's Bath is a little earlier than the Regency. Both her visit to Bath as a young woman, after which she wrote Northanger Abbey, and the period during which she lived in Bath 1804 - 1806 were in advance of the time during which Prinny was Prince Regent in 1811.

Given that at this time of year, mornings and early evenings are gloomy in England, we set off about nine-thirty so as to have good light, and less traffic. We decided to take the A36 since it joins the A303 from Andover in Hampshire which is a nice quiet road out of that runs past Stonehenge. We are now in Wiltshire on the magnificent expanse of Salisbury Plain. Nothing quiet like Stonehenge in the pale light of a winter's day to set the imagination wheeling back in time, I can tell you.

Mother and I reminisced about bygone family picnics, the stones as our backrest, on our annual trips to the coast. There was a real sense of human history to those moments. We were saddened to think that these days, because people cannot be trusted to respect such ancient monuments, there is a fence between the henge and the visitor. However, as a side note, if you want to have that tactile connection to the past I highly recommend the Avebury henge, but only if you promise to be kind to these stone warriors of time. But more about that on another occasion.

Our journey took about an hour and a half and we enjoyed some magnificent countryside, the open vistas of Salisbury Plains, and the rolling hills of Somerset, the county in which Bath is located. Bath sits on the River Avon. As we drove down the hill via what would have been the approach to Bath from London in the old days, the wonderful bath-stone terraced houses clung to the hillside opposite. Mother, who had not been to Bath before was impressed. A major achievement, if I may so so. lol. This image gives you a sense of it, but is from Wiki, since driving and photographing do not make a good combination.

Our route took us past the Jane Austen Center, through Queens Square and to our final destination, alack not a Regency house, but a Victorian B & B.

Once we settled into our digs, which would make a story in itself, including me pinching my finger in mother's wheelchair, we began our rambles. And I look forward to telling you all about them and sharing my photos next time. I believe long blogs tend to lose the interest of readers, so I prefer to give you smaller chunks. But I am happy to taken any feedback on this format.

And don't forget, if you enjoy a quick read with characters set in Regency times, my short story, Christmas Masquerade is now in e-book format for the low price of $1.60 and for those who like to settle beside the fire with a long story, No Regrets is in a store near you. Ok so shameless self-promotion, but if I don't do it, who will.

Until Monday and Regency Bath- Part II, Happy rambles.