Flora and Fauna of Regency Britain - July

Our naturist tells us this about July:

The scarlet lychnis is in bloom, and, with its rich coronet of flowers growing on a tall slender stem, adds greatly to the beauty of the garden.





Among the flowers of summer, we must not forget to mention the evening primrose (Aenothera biennis). This plant bears its primrose-coloured flowers on branches of three or four feet in height, and hence it is called the tree-primrose, or evening star, because the flowers regularly burst open and expand in the evening, between six and seven o’clock.

The yellow hammer (Emberiza citronella) forms its nest and lays its eggs very late in the year, it being quite the end of June, or the beginning of July, before any number of them are found: the eggs are to be distinguished from those of every other bird by their being figured with irregular hair-like scratches, as if marked with a pen; so much so, that, in the midland countries, this bird is called the ‘scribbling or writing lark.’

One last flower and I must emerge from my basement into the sunshine of summer.

The beautiful but evanescent flowers of the convolvulus are now open; they live but for a day, opening their cups in the morning, and at sunset closing them forever.

It is of course, morning glory, sometimes known as bind weed.

Until next time, Happy Rambles

Regency Fashion For July - A Royal Birthday

It is 1807 and Princess Charlotte's birthday (Princess of Wales).

ho would not have wanted to be there, even in one of those huge ball gowns?

Here are some descriptions of gowns you would have had to compete with as described in La Belle Assemblee.

Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales.—The drapery and body of rich silver and lilac tissue most magnificently embroidered with emeralds, topaz and amethyst stones, to form vine leaves and grapes, entwined with wreaths of diamonds in stars and shells; at the bottom of the drapery a very rich silver fringe of quite a new pattern; the train and petticoat of silver tissue, with a border all round to correspond with that on the drapery; also a rich silver fringe all round the train and petticoat, with rich silver laurel to loop up the drapery and pocket-holes: the head-dress of diamonds and ostrich feathers.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte of Wales.—A pink and sliver slip, with a beautiful Brussels lace frock to wear over it, and a pink and silver girdle.

Her Royal Highness the Princess Augusta.—Yellow crape petticoat richly embroidered with silver; a sash across with a border of honey-suckles, and rich pointed embroidered draperies. Body and train to correspond.

There were many many more described. These ladies came at the bottom of the list.

Three Hon. Misses Irby.—Dresses of prim-rose crape, embroidered with steel bugles, and ornamented with beads and bows of ribbon; robes of primrose crape, trimmed to correspond with the dress.

Hon. Miss Drummond.—A superb rich silver gauze petticoat, ornamented with wreaths of grapes and rich lace; train lavender blue crape.

Miss Garth—Yellow crape dress, tastefully ornamented with silver.

Mrs. Every.—A white crape petticoat, richly embroidered with wreaths of silver grapes and vine-leaves; an elegant drapery covered with bunches of grapes, in dead and bright foil, the effect of which was beautiful and novel; round the bottom a wreath of silver grapes; this drapery terminated with a sash embroidered to correspond, and fastened with superb cord and tassels; train elegantly trimmed with silver and pearls. The head-dress, plume of ostrich feathers, magnificent pearls, and lace point.

Mrs. Macleod.—A dress of white crape, trimmed with satin ribbon.

Do we think Miss Garth or Mrs. Macleod were outshone, or might their simplicity of dress, or did it make them stand out? I wonder who they were? Something else to research.

Next time we will have our usual Flora and Fauna Article for July. Until then, Happy Rambles.

Regency Fashion for July

First sneaking in with some news. I will be blogging on Petticoats and Pistols this coming weekend. I know its not Regency, but it is historical. I'm giving away a couple of books, so drop in and comment, or ask a question.

All right, Fashion.

I thought I would pick out something from the beginning and something toward the end of the true Regency.



Opera Gown 1811. From La Belle Assemblee fashions for July

A blue satin robe, worn over a slip of white satin, let in at the bosom and sleeves (which are short) with silver Moravian net work.

A tunic of Egyptian brown sarsnet or crape, confined on the shoulders with diamond studs, and trimmed round the bottom with silver net, separated in small divisions by spangled open work balls.

A chaplet wreath of green foil, placed twice round the hair, which is disposed in long irregular ringlets. Earrings of silver open work, studded with brilliants, resembling in form the bell of a child’s coral.

Shoes of brown satin, bound and sandalled with silver braiding. Long gloves of white kid.

I love this gown, partly because of the way the description rolls off the tongue. If there is anything Egyptian about that tunic I'll eat my flail. But the design is gorgeous. Diamond studs on the shoulders. I should be so lucky. And Moravian net work--some of the netting we talked about a while ago. I like the way the slippers are described as sandaled. My guess is that they have criss-crossed braid which also went up the ankles. I drooled over this one.



Walking Dress 1818

Look how different this one is, much fuller, not so classic, all those rouleaus around the hem making it look bulky.

It is of course a walking dress, and she is at the beach. Summer holidays away from the city. The hat is certainly going to keep the sun off that pale English complexion. Also note the trusty sunshade/umberella.

There is no detailed description for this plate from Ackermans, but the general observations for walking dresses for July are as follows:

Muslin robes still continue in very great estimation in morning dress; but close round dresses begin also to be a good deal worn. The bodies of these dresses are made in a style very similar to the robes. The skirts are generally trimmed high, either with flounces of worked muslin, or rouleaus of clear muslin placed between rows of embroidery; some ladies, however, give a preference to ruches of soft muslin, placed at a considerable distance from each other; there are three or four of these ruches and they are always very full. Waists continue as short as usual, and long sleeves are worn fuller than last month.

Personally I'd sooner have my flip-flops and tee shirt and shorts. But this now and that was then.

Talking about then, I have some nice bits on the Princess of Wales birthday, which was July 1807. So I think we will look at that on Monday.

Until then Happy Rambles.

Laundry in the Regency

I'm not sure why I picked this topic, except that one of the paintings of Deepdene at the Victoria and Albert exhibition of Thomas Hope was of the drying grounds. The place where the laundress dried the linens. It showed clothes laid out on a lawn, spread over bushes and blowing in the wind on a clothes line.

People took pride in having enough linen to manage without washing frequently. The process was a huge disruption to other domestic routines, taking up to four days even in good drying weather, that there were advantages in spacing it further apart. A visiting washerwoman might come for a couple of days every few weeks to undertake some or all of the work.(See Glasse's The Servant’s Directory, or House-keeper’s Companion.)

Bleaching by the sun or using lye and drying were outdoor activities. The stretch of grass set aside for these jobs was called a bleaching-green or drying-ground. Off-white linen was spread on the ground to bleach in the sun as well as laid out to dry. This picture is of an earlier era, but it was pretty much the same.

Household and personal linen was spread on the grass, soaked with buckets of lye at intervals, and eventually rinsed and dried. There were variations, like using plain water and no lye, and the process might last as much as three days.

Lye can mean various different alkaline concoctions. Some people favoured burning particular kinds of plants for the best lye: seaweed ash produced fine Spanish soap. Areas with plentiful bracken burnt that for lye, and potato plants produced "weed ash" in Ireland. The dictionary (OED) says lye can be "any detergent material used in washing" and may even be “urine used as a detergent”.

Clothes pins were quite simple pieces of wood: split twigs bound with wire or twine like these made by English Romanies.


The mangle (or wringer) was developed in the 18th century — two long rollers in a frame and a crank to revolve them. A laundry-worker took sopping wet clothing and cranked it through the mangle, compressing the cloth and expelling the excess water. The mangle was much quicker than hand twisting. It was a variation on the box mangle used primarily for pressing and smoothing cloth.

18th century inventors also mechanized the laundry process with various hand-operated washing machines. Most involved turning a handle to move paddles inside a tub.

I must say I am very happy with my washing machine.

Next time we will have our usual beginning of the month Flora and Fauna to be followed by fashion. Who knows where our ramble will take us after that.
Until next time, Happy rambles.

Writing about Real Life

Today you will find me over at Casablanca Authors with a post on the above topic. Drop by and say hello. I would love to see you there.

Until Next week, Happy Rambles.

Science in the Regency

The Regency was at the very start of the Industrial Revolution. The great manufacturies of the north of England were slowly coming into their own, wiping out the cottage industries which had continued for centuries and gentlemen dabbled in Science. But so did others.

In 1799 Count Rumford had proposed the establishment in London of an ‘Institution for Diffusing Knowledge,’ Finally called the Royal Institution house in Albemarle Street.
The picture is a satirical cartoon by James Gillray showing a Royal Institution lecture on pneumatics with Humphrey Davy holding the bellows and Count Rumford looking on at extreme right. Dr Garnett is the lecturer holding the victim's nose.

Sir Humphry Davy was a chemist famous for inventing the Davy lamp, in 1815 which gave a measure of protection to minors working underground in detecting dangerous gases. It replaced the canary -- who died -- so the miners knew it was time to leave. He became addicted to laughing gas, which he actually administered to interested patrons at some of his lectures.

In October 1813, he and his wife, accompanied by Michael Faraday, his scientific assistant and valet, traveled to France to collect a medal Napoleon Bonaparte had awarded Davy for his electro-chemical work.

The Royal Institution provide funds and a location for people like Davy to carry out their experiments and to bring them to the general public.




Another important institution for science of the time, though its history goes back to the 17th Century, was the The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, located at Somerset House, a location provided by the crown. Again, it was primarily amateurs and gentlement who were members, until the reforms of 1820.

Advances were also being made in medicine. Charles Bell published detailed studies of the nervous system and brain in 1811, in his book An Idea of a New Anatomy of the Brain he described his experiments with animals and how he was the first to distinguish between sensory and motor nerves. This book is considered by many the founding stone of clinical neurology. It is he, who gives us the name of the condition Bell's palsy, since he was the first to describe it.

Of course that is only a scratch on the surface, and hopefully we will revisit this topic. Until next time. Happy Rambles.

Pastimes for Regency Women - Part II

There was something I keep meaning to look up. Ah, found it. I knew I had it in one of my books. Carton in Ireland, owned by the Duke of Leinster, and inhabited by one of the famous Lennox sisters, boasted a shell cottage. The ladies of the house decorated the inside walls of the cottage with shells from all over the world. The young ladies spent hours picking the shells and designing the patterns.

Netting

Lace was always very expensive, so women learned different techniques for making things that looked like lace. Netting was one of these. Classical Netting, also called Filet Lace, embroidered net or Lacis is worked in two operations. First the ground is netted in rows going back and forth. After that the ground is stretched over a frame. Then a pattern is embroidered onto the ground.


It was often used for the production of purses to carry coins. In Jane Austen's Pride and Predjudice, Mr. Bingley notes the ladies industry, including netting.

A special needle is required. I checked out some of the instructions on the internet, but I must say, I think I would need to be taught. It doesn't look at all simple.

Crochet

Purses were also crocheted. This is something I can do. The following extract is from a book dated 1842. A little later than Regency, but probably employed similar techniques

The Hand-book of Needlework By Lambert (F.), Miss Lambert: "Plain crochet purses are exceedingly strong and may be made prettily with a moderate sized netting silk Those worked rows of the length of the purse are the most easily made Make a chain in scarlet netting silk of one hundred and stitches on which crochet three plain rows in the same Then five plain rows in shade of green or stone colours two stripes are to be repeated until the purse is of a sufficient width When completed it is to be neatly sewn up or joined by crocheting the two sides together The ends are then be drawn up and the purse trimmed"

The Victoria and Albert Museum showed stocking purses of crocheted silk and carved wooden sliders.


Embroidery

Samplers were often used to teach children, and this is one example from the period. But ladies embroidered a great many things, from slippers, to fire screens to cushions. It was not only a pastime but also a form of art with a functional use.

Well that is it for me this week. Looking forward to starting a new topic next week.

Until then. Happy Rambles.

Pastimes for Regency Women - Part II

Pen Work

Pen Work was very popular with ladies during this era. Pictures, drawn by hand on wood using pen and ink.

This particular picture is of a ladies work box, where she would have kept her sewing supplies, her pens and ink, paints, and it is decorated with pen work. The item at the V & A to show this pastime was a wooden fan.

Here is another box. This one looks more of the home made variety don't you think?

It was very popular during our era and there was a very strong Chinese influence to much of it.





Knotting

Knotting is the foremother of tatting. In doing a bit of internet research on the subject I came across the Tatting Ring. And since I Tat,I will be joining up. The internet is a wonderful place. Tatting does not seem to have taken off until about 1840, so too late for our period, but knotting, which was done with both silk and linen thread was produced prolifically.

This is a knotting shuttle. Some of them that survive are extremely exotic and expensive items, because it was something that wealthy ladies did. This example is tortoiseshell and silver.

For knotting, a fairly thick thread would be wound on to the large open-ended shuttle, about 4" to 6" long, and then the needleworker would make special knots at intervals thus producing a thread with a texture, rather like a string of beads or French knots by the yard.


Later she would couch the knotted thread on to fabric, laying it down in a design of flowers and leaves or scrolls.

Miles of knotting must have been produced as it was used on large scale household furnishings such as chair covers, bedspreads and curtains. The picture is an example of the finished work. The knotted length of string is now attached to the fabric. So now you can imagine what our Regency bottoms were parked upon.


I have a couple more pastimes to bring to you next time, then we will be off on our travels around England again.

Until then, Happy Rambles.

Pastimes for Regency Women

As an author writing in the Regency, I am always looking for something for my ladies to do, so the Victoria and Albert display of pastimes from this era was perfect.

Painting on Velvet

Who would have thought that what is often thought of as tacky these days would be one of them? Apparently it replaced taffeta painting which had been popular in the previous century. The example they had was from 1809. The display showed a set of liquid colors supplied by Reeves & Woodyer, labelled 'Ackermann's brilliant carmine', 'W H Edwards's lilac purple', and 'W H Edwards's sunflower yellow'. The box included bowls for mixing colours, a tiny bone palette and brush rest, pairs of dividers and pincers, and brushes. To see an example of a painted reticule, follow this link.

Cut Paper Work

It is the border that is cut paper work. Can you imagine the hours and the patience. Designs came from Ackermans and patterns material and tools from S. J Fullers Temple of Fancy.

This is another form of cut paper work. the Silhouette. The word 'silhouette', describing images in outline, came into use in English in the 19th century. Before this date such works, particularly portraits, were called 'profiles'. The word 'silhouette' came from Etienne de Silhouette (1709-1769), a keen amateur paper cutter and a French finance minister who introduced petty tax reforms. The popular mind apparently came to associate his meanness with the inexpensiveness of his hobby, and the word 'silhouette' caught on. To see a particularly fine example follow this link.

Miniature cutwork pictures were also done for lockets. They were absolutely lovely.



Clearly women had lots of time on their hands.

There are more pastimes I want to share, but I will keep them for next time. Until then, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency England

One trip we made in the Spring was to a place I had never visited before. Jersey. Very interesting place, brought to England by William the Conqueror in 1066 with his Normandy holdings, it has remained part of England ever since.

It lies about 14 miles off the French Normandy coast. Much closer to France than to Britain. We could see it from the top of one of the castles we visited.

Yes it has two castles, one of them, Mont Orgueil Castle, yes a very French name as are most of the place names and Streets on Jersey. A castle in this location dates back to 1212.

If you like castles, or are interested in the medieval era this one is so much fun and is beautifully preserved and very accessible to the explorer. However there are lots of narrow winding stairs. We spent a full afternoon there and felt we could have spent longer. But apart from the fact that it stood there during the Georgian era, it really is not very relevant.


The other castle is Elizabeth castle, built in the mid to late 1500's because Mont Orgueil became out-dated by the use of cannon. Originally a religious site, it was Sir Walter Raleigh who named it after his Queen when he was governor of Jersey. It was built as an artillery fortress. In 1804 it had sixtytwo guns, which included five massive 68-pounders.

The fascinating thing about the casstle is that it is completely surrounded by the sea for seven hours out of every twelve. Only at low tide can you reach the castle on foot. Here is my picture of us walking across the causeway (which is marked). You can see the castle in the distance.

The next picture is a great view back towards the town and shows how the projections in the walls could be used to cover off any attempt to scale the walls from the beach.





While this makes the cast impregnable, but not great for defending the town of St. Helier. In 1781 the French landed at La Rocque, and captured the town, while the garrison sat in the castle. It was an active garrison until 1923.

I of course was thrilled to discover that the barracks are all Georgian.



The parade ground was the centre of the castle and the barracks are now set up as museums.











You can see the castle in the background--above, where the cannons were placed and it was the first defensive works on the island. The building on the left was for officers, with rooms comensurate with rank. and the builing on the left for the common soldiers and their women/children slept in the attics. The women would do work around the barracks, washing for the officers, cooking, while the children would be expected to help out with other jobs.


This is a picture of the barracks and parade ground from above. The end building we can see from this angle was partly destroyed in the 2nd world war and it housed the kitchen. You can see the town and the harbor.








And of course a picture of a cannon. They fired this while we were there. I must say I kept looking at that ocean in case we got stuck. No - not possible, there was an amphibian bus, that went to and fro, tide or no tide.



The last picture is of a Martello tower. These were located all along the coast every few hundred yard and each one could see at least two, one in each direction provided it wasn't foggy. Which it quite often is, I gather.

Lots of them are homes. Very quaint. I wanted one!


You probably know this, but because the de Carterets held Jersey for the King during the Civil War King Charles II granted them a large grant of land in the American colonies of the time. De Carteret named it New Jersey.

I have lots more pictures of both castles, but I think this is a good overview. It is a lovely place with a very mild climate and I highly recommend that you visit if you can.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Wow, here we are again, where do the months go. If anyone can tell me, I would love it. In the meantime, back to the wild things.

How about a little peek at what the Naturlist said for June 1817. he ought to know what he was talking about.

The fields of clover (trifolium pratense), which are now in blossom, produce a delightful fragrance. Of this plant there are two varieties, the white and the purple; from the latter, the bees extract much honey. The bean blossoms also shed a still more exquisite odour.

It is true that clover has the most wonderful scent. Bees are important and so is honey. I am told there is quite a dearth of bees at the moment -- so plant clover.


Another wild flower blooming at this time is the pimpernel (anagallis arvensis). I expect most of you are familiar with this little flower. It is so very tiny and very pushy. It shows up everywhere, but it is something I remember fondly from my childhood. I expect because it is the right size for a child. And children don't care if things are weeds. You might also be aware of the novel by the same name, but I am sure you know that it wasn't written until the early 1900's and first appeared as a play.

Oops. Off topic.


Now here is an interesting quote.

The poppy (says Cowley) is scattered over the fields of corn, that all the needs of man may be easily satisfied, and that bread and sleep may be found together.

What do you think of that?

But if you have been in England at this time of year and through into July, you will have seen golden ears of corn (wheat, barley, oats, not indian corn or maze) or hay fields with a haze of red. It really is quite startling at first. And very pretty. We see them in North America now too, but they did come from Europe. Though of course we are more likely to see fields and fields of sickly yellow rape seed now. Personally, I don't like it, but perhaps because I remember how it used to be and after all we must progress.

And last but not least, Among the various ornaments of the garden, The Rose, that queen of flowers, stands pre-eminent;

The Austrian rose blossoms in the early part of the month, as does also the Chinese rose: these are followed by the common garden rose, the single yellow rose (Rosa lutea), and the white rose (R. alba); last of all comes the loveliest of floral attractions—the Moss Rose—which should be termed The Rose—par excellence!

Well, that is it from me. Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Fashion for the Month of June

If you are up for some fun, the Casablanca Authors, me included, are running a round robin story. It started on Sunday. Here is the link.

Now for the serious business. Fashion. I realize that since I started this series of articles I have only posted one gown for June. So I have lots of choice.



I chose this fashion plate because of the child. It comes from the Lady's Monthly Museum for June 1812

Of particular note is the announcement that these dresses were invented by Mrs. Osgood of Lower Brook Street.


This first gown is called a Morning Domestic Dress. My guess is that this means you wear it at home.

it is described as —A white jaconet muslin gown, buttoned down the front with white regency buttons and trimming formed en lozenge; handkerchief, gloves, and sandals of dragon fly green; figurante cap ornamented with a rose in front. Interesting to find the term regency buttons in this description. I have no idea what it means, do you? Also note that the handkerchief is tied at the neck.

The child's outfit is described as a dress: A la matelot Hollandois. Certainly the term refers to a dutch sailor. But was this a girl or a boy. Given that there are definitely trousers going on here, I think it is a little boy.


This plate is also from the Lady's Monthly Museum. This time from 1804.

The first gown is a walking dress.

A Straw Hat turned in Front, ornamented with Roses. A short round Dress of pale Pink Muslin, trimmed round the Bottom with broad White Lace; White Tassels. Habit Shirt of Muslin, trimmed with Lace.
So, since the dress is the short pink tunic, then does the habit shirt go all the way to the ground? Or are we looking at the petticoat. The habit shirt would refer to the kind of shirt one wore beneath a riding habit, but my guess is that this one goes all the way down to her feet. the way it is depicted, it looks almost see through. Very daring, I think.

The next is a full or evening dress.

A Turban of White Muslin, White Ostrich Feathers. Long round Dress of White Muslin, embroidered down the Front, and round the Bottom, with Gold; each Side of the Gold trimmed with Blond Lace: Sleeves looped up in Front, with Gold Cord and Tassels. Fan, and Ridicule.

I actually this this woman looks quite miserable. Something to do with the turban? Or is it the low neckline. If she so much as breathes, she is in danger of popping right out! Here we also see the reticule given its nickname of ridicule.

Well that is it for me this time. I look forward to talking with you again soon. Next time we will have our usual Flora and Fauna article.

Until then, Happy Rambles.

Meet a Publicist

Danielle the publicist for sourcebooks is blogging at the Casablanca Authors blog today.

She is talking with the authors about attending the RWA conference in San Franscisco at the end of July. Drop by and say hello.

On Monday, we will be doing fashions for June!

Until then. Happy Rambles.

Regency Style - Thomas Hope 1769 - 1831

Robin watch is over. Baby flew off yesterday morning. My planter now has a plant in it.

While in England I was fortunate to be there for a very special exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. We got up early and went up to London on the train.
a great way to travel I might add. And the V & A does a lovely lunch too.

Thomas Hope pictured here in Turkish Costume helped define the Regency style. He was fascinated with classical purity. A son of a rich banker, he went on the Grand Tour and was much taken with the architecture and the arts of the Ottoman Empire.

On his return, his family having moved to London to escape the French, he set out to improve modern design. He opened his house in Duchess Street, off Portland Place, with a view transforming modern British taste. Very kind of him, I'm sure, being a Dutchman! The Prince of Wales attended the opening. Hope then issued tickets to the house in 1804 to members of the Royal Academy and other notables in society, artists, scholars and designers.

The styles he employed included Egyptian Greek, Roman and Indian as well as a version of French Empire. It really is quite a mismash and is all rather heavy looking, but fascinating.


The house was divided into rooms, to display furniture, sculptures and vases. this is one of the vase rooms, a popular addition to many homes in the era. The Egyptian Room displayed Hope's belief that the ancient Egyptians were the origin of western culture. The walls were of pale yellow and bluish green relieved by masses of black and gold. There is heavy black and gold settee with arms carved with sphinx for example.

The Aurora Room contained a statue of the Aurora, Goddes of Dawn surrounded by mirrors and scarlet curtains, so the statue could be viewed from all sides at once. it is really quite lovely.

He created his own designs in a book called Household Furniture and Interior Decoration in 1807 and provided measurements to help furniture makers make their own copies. This is the first time the words "interior decoration" were used. Sounds far more moderns that that, wouldn't you say. Some of the furniture is almost art deco in appearance.

Much of his furniture from this period can be found at Deepdene, the country estate he bought in Dorking in Surrey. The exhibition shows how this originally red brick Georgian mansion was adapted to blend into its irregular landscape.

If you get a chance to visit, I am sure you will be delighted with this exhibition. I am definitely going to try to visit Deepdene when I am next in England. And I have ordered Hope's book, so I am sure I will be sharing some more of it with you.

I leave you with a picture of his wife, wearing what Hope saw as the quintessential attire for woman, it is of course the Regency gown.

Until next time, happy rambles.

Sherborne Castle, Dorset Part II

Terradactyl is doing well, growing by the day, and now has feathers -- just in case you wanted to know. lol

Shorborne castle was modernized starting in 1757, so it really very Georgian. George III visited the house with the Queen and three of the Princesses in August 1789, pending the day riding in the park and staying for dinner. The house remained unchanged.

I spent quite a long time looking at the furniture in this house, since so much of it was contemporary to the Regency.
We often read about the commode, this is a George III version made of tulip and rosewood and was one of a pair. They are in the serpentine shape that was very popular through this period. They are attributed to Pierre Langlois. These chests were drawing room furniture, and would hold candelabra while the drawers might contain a writing slide or a reading stand.


Another interesting piece of furniture was an adjustible gout stool similar to that pictured here.


The hall chairs, similar to these, looked very uncomfortable and no doubt the footman waiting outside the door was unlikely to fall asleep, even if he was permitted to sit down.

The house also boasts a set of Henry Alken prints showing what is purported to be the first steeple chase on record. that is a race from one church stteple to the other. These were officers, and note they are in their night clothes, and they are racing from Ipswich Barracks to Nacturn Village. Hilarious.


One thing I did want to describe to you was the clothes press, made of mahogany from the Regency period which was a little different to most I have seen, it had a cupboard in the middle and drawers on each side. And by the way did you know that the word cupboard stems back to the middle ages when a lord would put his cups out on a board between two trestles to show his wealth? Eventually the board was closed in with doors, but it retains its original word. You probably did know that, but I only discovered it recently.

Well that is it for today. Sherborne Castle which is not really a castle is simply a treasure trove of wonderful things. If you ever get a chance to visit. I highly recommend it.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

News

Today is Victoria Day. Yes, each year Canada celebrates Queen Victoria's birthday with a long week end and fireworks. We also have Canada Day for fireworks, and if I had my way we would have Guy Fawkes day as well!

Our baby bird is doing well, he/she is called Terradactyl, because that is what he/she looks like. The other eggs have not hatched, but at least one baby has survived so far. We are still using our back door and creeping around, but the mother bird is quite used to us, and spends quite a bit of time searching for food. We are thinking there is no daddy bird, but it is really hard to tell, because they look alike.

Big news, I have a cover for my next book. Always exciting and of course you will be hearing lots about it over the coming months as we move to release day.

We will continue our roam around Sherborne Castle on Thursday. Until then Happy Rambles.

Sherbourne Castle, Dorset

Robin update.
It looks as if we will only have one baby. The rest of the eggs are still sitting in the nest while our Mothers Day baby grows apace. He has a few straggly feathers and
we can still see right through his skin, but he is getting big. I have a feeling we only have a mommy bird, and not a pair. But we will see. I am going to try to sneak a picture next time she leaves the nest.

I apologize for being late today, but my internet was down first thing this morning and thus I got engrossed in my next project--yes the book after The Lady Flees Her Lord is already going full steam ahead, and by the time I looked up, here we were, nearly midnight and I had wanted to tell you all about our next stop after Kent.


We went to Dorset, Thomas Hardy country, and also once the home of Sir Walter Raleigh.

This house deserved more time than the afternoon we spent there, first because it has been in the Digby family since poor old Raleigh lost his head and secondly it has furniture from all down the ages.
So I am going to talk about some of it now, and again after my next visit, next year.The town of Sherborne itself is another place on my list
I know, already planning to go again, but there is just so much to see.

While it is called a castle, it is a manor house, originally a hunting lodge. In this second picture, you can see the face of the original lodge across the courtyard and one of the wings which was added later. but added in keeping with the original building, so it is hard to tell it is an addition.

Because we are focussing on the Regency, I am not going to get into much detail about poor old Sir Walter, who was beloved of Elizabeth the first - she gave him this lodge -- and charged with treason by King James I. He was int the Tower from 1603 to 1618 when he was beheaded and he forfeited his house to the crown, who then sold it to the family who owns it now.

Breathtaking history.

This house was a deer park, and still has deer in the park.

This is a view of the park, taken by me. As you can see, the weather while cool has improved dramatically from our snowy Easter weekend. Imagine having a view like that from your bedroom window.

I am going to stop here, because we will get to the Regency part of the house next day.

Until then, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency England IV

I am excited and nervous. My robin hatched a chick sometime overnight - didn't quite make Mothers Day. I do hope you all had a wonderful day. We spent the day at home, very much a family time. Now we are once more trying to think of ways not to use the front door.

Otford is another of those English villages in Kent that reminds us how rural England was in the Regency. Otford is a Kent village on the river Darent two miles north of Sevenoaks and twenty-five miles south east of London. The Pilgrim's Way passes through the village and its centre is the spring-filled duck pond. The pond is in fact in the middle of a modern day roundabout, when I am sure originally it would have been the village green.

One of the buildings facing the pond is chantry cottage dating back to 1150. Pilgrim's Way by the way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent.


Another feature of English villages in Kent around Sevenoaks is the oast house. They are farm buildings used for drying hops in preparation for the brewing process. They consist of two or three storeys on which the hops were spread out to be dried by hot air from a wood or charcoal-fired kiln at the bottom. The drying floors were thin and perforated to permit the heat to pass through and it escaped through a cowl in the roof which turned with the wind. The freshly picked hops from the fields were raked in to dry and then raked out to cool before being bagged up and sent to the brewery.


The earliest surviving oast house is that at Cranbrook near Tunbridge Wells which dates to 1750 but the process is documented from soon after the introduction of hops into England in the early 16th century. Early oast houses were simply adapted barns but, by the early 19th century, the distinctive circular buildings with conical roofs had been developed in response to the increased demand for beer. So very much a Regency era building for a very popular form of entertainment. Beer Drinking.

Hop picking by hand is a most labour intensive business and once the acreage began to grow it was necessary to bring in pickers from outside the immediate area. Oh, and while the hops were grown in fields they were called hop gardens.

The migration of town to country to pick hops continued for more than two and a half centuries – it is first mentioned in an Act of 1710. Ellis in his Modern Husbandman 1750 refers to a Kent grower who was providing a small hut or shed for his pickers furnishing it with wheat straw for bedding, and a cask of small beer ‘so that they may not lose time in a quest for drink’. Each morning he gave each picker a quartern (1/6 of a pint) of gin which he thought to be a preservative against the Kentish Ague that generally has the greatest power to seize those who live the poorest. Another Mr Ellis, a grower from Barming, the largest grower in Kent in the 1830s, employed between 3,000 and 4,000 pickers each year. Kentish Ague was in fact Cholera. Gypsies, who were migrant workers, also picked hops during Regency times.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Searching for Regency England III

We arrived in England just before Easter, and on Easter Sunday we went for a drive. I actually went to take photographs of primroses, but they were covered in snow. Still, it was a lovely day to drive around and the roads were quiet. We took the biways along the Dart valley.



You never know what you are gong to discover in England. In Kemsing, a small village, we sighted this house. It is called St Clere and from 1630, modernized in 1700. Much of the garden layout seems to date from early 18th century and features include: orangery, terraces, exotic plants, and a 19th Century kitchen garden. Sir John Sedley, who owned it during Cromwell's time was known at the time as ‘the hottest Parliamentarian in the county’.

This house then looks exactly as it did in the Regency. It is currently a working farm. One can walk on the estate on a prescribed route and if the weather is better next time I go, I certainly plan to do so. However, had we passed by when the trees were in leaf, we would not have seen it. And of course I had to spend quite a long time looking for information on it. This house is definitely going to end up in a story, along with the village.


The village of Kemsing also proved to be interesting. It was the birthplace in AD 961 of Saint Edith of Wilton; and one of the focal points of the village is St. Edith's Well. People used to come to this well for eye problems. The village church, which I picture here, Saxon in origin. I will make sure I visit it next time I am there.

Kemsing is another of those English villages that one cannot resist.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.

Regency Fashion for May

Fashion is one of my favorite part of this blog and with Spring well underway, we can
start to see the lighter fabrics. This is an evening gown from May 1811. It is so very classical, one could almost see a Roman lady wearing it. The white wrap gown with the gold scroll, or leaf edging is exceedingly simple in style. The cloak is draped from one shoulder and wraps around also. The turban is also typical of this time period. The square neckline would be exceeding difficult to wear I should think, but I do very much like her necklace. I also like the way her hair is curled to frame her face, softening the turban. The train is very long, and if she wanted to dance, she would need to pick it up. I can see this one going to the opera or the theatre.


I could not resist showing this next one with is from May 1812 from the Ladies Monthly Museum.

A real Andalusian dress, formed of a bodice of pink or rose coloured velvet with a puff sleeve of white satin; the rest of the dress being of the same materials and edged at the bottom a la Vandyke, and ornamented with tab fringe; the bodice is terminated in a jacket behind and edged with the same fringe as the dress; the stomacher crossed with white lacing, in braid, fastened at each lacing with a diamond or paste button; ridicule of rose or pink coloured velvet; white gloves and shoes of white with the quarters the colour of the bodice; ear-rings of plain pearl. The Sevigne curl is the most prominent fashion for the head dress.

While this is labelled as an afternoon dress it is described as an evening dress. I think it would do well for either.

In the same article, the Ladies Monthly Museum tells us quite strictly I might add:
"The ridicule is no longer worn except at the evening party; and the demi-botte, with gold fringe, is nearly exploded, from its inconvenience; it catches at the dress and causes the leg to be shown in an indecorous and inelegant manner." This last I believe refers to half-boots.

Well that was fun. More fashion next month, in the meantime we will continue on with some of my discoveries, earlier this spring.

Until next time, Happy Rambles.