Farewell to 1815

Our last fashion blog for the year.


Walking Dress, December 1815

Not my favourite by a long way, despite the glowing recommendation at the end of the description. As always it gives us a voyeuristic sense of the time.

The description is from the Ackermann's December 1815 edition.

Pelisse, of walking length, composed of blue twilled sarsnet, fastened down the front with large bows of white satin ribbon, and ornamented at the feet with a border of leaves formed of the same sarsnet, edged with white satin: 

 the bottom of the pelisse, trimmed with white satin, is drawn into small festoons; sleeve ornamented at the shoulder and the hand to correspond; 

 a French embroidered ruff. 

 A French hat composed of the blue twilled sarsnet, trimmed with white satin edged with blue, and decorated with a large plume of ostrich feathers. 

 An Indian shawl of crimson silk, richly embroidered in shaded silks. The pocket-handkerchief French cambric, embroidered at the corners. 

 Shoes, blue morocco, tied with bows high upon the instep. Stockings with embroidered clocks. Gloves, York tan.

The silver-striped French gauze is a novel and elegant article, which, fashioned by the ever-varying and approved taste of Mrs. Bean, requires to be viewed, before a just idea can be received of its fascinating effects; it is allowed to be the lightest and most splendid costume ever yet presented by the amateur to the votaries of fashion.

I do hope you all had a very happy Christmas tide, if it is something you celebrate.

I am looking forward to embarking with you on a new year of fashion, travel and books.


Fashion - December 1815

Evening Gown from Ackerman's





A CRIMSON satin slip, underneath a frock of three-quarters length made of the silver-striped French gauze; the slip ornamented at the feet with clusters of flowers, and a narrow border of white satin edged with crimson ribbon: 

 the frock has a border of white satin, edged to correspond, and is drawn up in the Eastern style, confined by a cluster of flowers. 

 The body of the dress has open fronts, with a stomacher, which are severally trimmed en suite; short open sleeve, to correspond with a quilling of tull round the arm. 

 Head-dress a la Chinoise, composed of pearl; the hair braided, and ornamented with a wreath of flowers. 

 Ear-rings and drops, pearl; necklace, the French negligée.—Gloves, French kid, worn below the elbow, and trimmed with a quilling of tull. 

 Sandals, white kid.

What a pretty dress to wear for a Christmas party, don't you think?

Brighton Revisited 3



The main purpose of this trip was to revisit Brighton as the place where my mother-in-law, Kit, grew up.  So after wandering along marine parade and looking at the sea, we headed up Great East Street, avoiding the lure of The Lanes, and along North Street which has always been an important shopping area. It was here that we come to No. 1 Wykeham (said Wickham like in Pride and Prejudice) Terrace.

This gothic looking entrance is quite novel is it not. The terrace is not accessible by road at the front, but merely by this set of steps leading off the path or sidewalk as we call it in North America.

When you see the individual houses in the terrace I think you might have trouble seeing it as a holiday boarding house.  I know I did.

To me it looks more like a small town house.  Here we are looking down the row. These are not large places. The doors are only two windows apart though there are four floors, one you can see within the area, as sort of basement and another up in the eaves with dormer windows in addition to the two main floors.  On our right is number 1 in a sort of tower.  This made it somewhat bigger that those in the flat part of the row. 



I took these views for my children to have a sense of what their Grannie was talking about when she talked about her life growing up.

She lived here until she was married.  She always talked about deciding whether to get a tattoo of a blue bird on her right breast, or to get married (she was known as a bit of a lad as a girl) and I think the decision had something to do with the cost, tattoos being expensive.  Well Sammy, my father-in-law must have talked her out of the tattoo, because later in life she always joked that given her increased girth after seven children, the tattoo would have gone from being a bluebird to a "bloody great eagle".

Personally I think she still regretted that tatto.

As you can see from the shared garden, this terrace is on quite a hill. No, it is not me having had too much to drink, this was taken before lunch. lol.

When Kit talked about walking up the hill to the church on her wedding day, I never imagined this.


By the time we had taken these photos the heavens opened and so we decided to follow in Kit's footsteps. In the photo on the right to the right of the picture is the fence between us and Wykeham Terrace and to the left the is North Street, which eventually took off to London.

So, on her wedding day, September 26, 1931, my mother-in-law walked up this hill in her wedding dress to get married. fortunately it wasn't raining on that day.

But what on earth has this got to do with the Regency, you ask, after my trip down memory lane?

Just wait until you see the church.  Next time......

Brighton Revisited 2

Oddly enough, the Brighton Pavilion and Prinny's antics made little impression on my m-i-l.  The highlight of her youth were her friends, the beach and swimming in the sea.  She regularly swam from the Palace Pier (now the only remaining pier) to the West Pier. The swim between the two piers was 1500 meters or roughly a mile and there was an annual race, which was likely her impetus for swimming there and back.  Neither of these piers were in situ during the Regency. 

However, there was a pier (designed by Captain Samuel Brown, RN) built in 1823 in Brighton, during the reign of George IV.  This is John Constable's rendition of Brighton beach, with the Royal Suspension Chain pier in the background.

 I love this picture of the beach, the wind and waves, the people walking, the fisherman in the foreground.  It is easy to imagine what Brighton was like in the time we are interested in.



This is Stein Street (as against old Stein). A tricky corner if ever there was one. We can imagine a Regency Hero trying to navigate this in his curricle with all the widows and young ladies looking on.


And in case you are imagining golden sands, here is the beach.  It is in fact golden pebbles.




More to come.


Brighton Revisited

The Royal Pavilion at Brighton stands out as an icon in the world of Regency fiction. Brighton became the place for the haute ton  in the summer with its libraries, Assembly Rooms, sea bathing and promenading all under the eye of the Prince of Wales. If you were in with the in crowd, then you would also be invited to a ball a the Pavilion.

It was here that Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold spent time together before Prinny gave his assent to their engagement. Some of that story, you can find in my short story, Princess Charlotte's Choice.

But that is not the only reason Brighton means a great deal to me. My very dear mother-in-law, while not born here, grew up here. Later my husband spent many happy childhood holidays on Brighton Beach while staying at his grandmother's boarding house.

So this particular visit to Brighton was not only a visit to one of the hearts of Regency England, it was also a walk down memory lane.  And typical of memory lane, the weather was also typically wet all day. It drizzled on and off for the first part of our day, and as you can see the minarets of the Pavilion barely stood out against the grey of the sky.


 By the way, not everyone holds George IV as he later became, in contempt.

This is a statue of him erected by public subscription in 1828.  He was, of course, instrumental in changing Brighton from a small fishing village known as Brighthelmstone.  The town itself adored our Prinny for the wealth he brought to their City.










Walking south from the Pavilion you come to Old Stein, where our characters can promenade and strut their stuff in the fashionable quarter of Prinny's Brighton.

The Old Stein was originally an open green with a stream running through it to the east of the village used by fishermen for the drying of their nets and of course ended at the beach. During our period it was enclosed and became much smaller than when Brighton had been simply Brighhelmston.

We had a lovely time wandering around the area and I will share more about this next time.....

Regency Fashion November 1815

Promenade Dress ~ From Ackermann's November 1815

Here is the description:

A round pelisse made of the Moreno blue striped satin; long loose sleeve, trimmed over the hand with plain satin; a full ruff composed of the finest French cambric, richly ornamented with French work. 

 A small French shawl of shaded silks thrown carelessly over the shoulders. 

 A bonnet composed of orange-coloured satin, gipsied with a handkerchief of the same, edged and tied under the chin with Moreno blue satin ribbon; the handkerchief and the rim of the bonnet trimmed with blond lace, and a cluster of wild flowers ornamenting the crown. 

 Sandals, red or blue morocco. Gloves, York tan.

 The shawl looks rather carefully placed to me, but the description makes it sound enchanting, doesn't it?

I love seeing the reticule and although it is not described although it is not described, the colour makes it stand out beautifully, don't you think?

Until next time….

Top Pick for the Duke's Daring Debutante

Night Owl Reviews give a top pick to the Duke's Daring Debutante. So pleased.

Here is a snippet. For the full review click the link below.

"If you are a fan of historical romance I highly recommend you pick this one up. I'm looking forward to many more offerings by this talented author." ~ Night Owl Reviews


All right so it's blowing my own horn, but once in a while is okay, right?


Regency Fashion November 1815

Morning Gown Ackermann's November1815

A FRENCH jacket and petticoat composed of fine cambric muslin; 

 the petticoat of full walking length, is ornamented at the feet with a broad border of the French work let in, and the fullness of the skirt carried partially round the waist; 

 the jacket, rounded in front, has a broad cape to correspond, and is trimmed entirely round with French work corresponding with the petticoat; a long bishop sleeve, with French work let in at the wrist. 

 A French mob cap composed of satin and quilled lace. Slippers, coloured kerseymere. Gloves, York tan.

 Not one of my favourites. Perhaps it is the way the jacket looks, however I am pleased to see it called a jacket interestingly enough. And bishop sleeves are different.

Until Next time

Fall Back In Time

In addition to turning back the clocks, November 1 is also the day when aficionados of Historicalromance novels celebrate #fallbackintime with a picture - it can be you or your cat or your friend -- with a favourite historical romance novel.

 Post it on twitter or Facebook or wherever you hang out with the hashtag #fallbackintime then sit back RT and or share all the posts you see and watch it trend across the internet

Here is my pic from last year to give you the idea. In addition to the hashtag, if you are into social media, you can tag the historical romance networks too:

FB: (@HistoricalRomanceNetwork) https://www.facebook.com/historicalromancenetworkTwitter:  (@histromnet)  https://twitter.com/histromnetTumblr: http://historicalromancenet.tumblr.com/

While Europe have already done their clocks, that is no reason not to join in if you love historicals. The more the merrier for this celebration.

Above is the one I did last year so you can see what I mean (I'll be doing a new one for this year). You don't need to add text to the photo, but you do need to put the hashtag in the post to have it show up on Social Media and see it shared around the world.

Join in by retweeting and sharing etc. if you don't want to do a picture of your own.  See you on Sunday.

Farningham Village, Kent

For such a small place, Farningham has a great many lovely old buildings some of which I thought you might like to take a look at.

This cottage was once two cottages and they date from the sixteenth century. The one in in the forefront of the picture faces onto the River Darent, actually right on the bank, and if you look closely you can see its ground floor is well below the level of the road. Flooding has been a problem according to recent owners. The basement is no longer in use!  These cottages stands at the edge of the bridge over the river from which I took that earlier picture of the cattle screen.

 Here is a view from the other side.



Here is a view of the ancient Farningham Mill. It is about to become apartments and homes so will not look like this for much longer.









There has been an inn at this point where the road crosses the River Darent for centuries. While it is now called Lion Hotel in our period it was the Black Lion.  It was used as both a watering hole for horses and people as well as a meeting place for the village.


Who can resist such an interesting name for a street. And the reason behind it.  It was the lane people used to avoid the toll road and thus - spare (or save) a penny. Now shortcuts are always good places for heroes and heroines to come a cropper.  Oh, and this is not the only so named lane, there is one in Eynesford too.






Finally a home labelled on the gate as The White House and indicated as being built in 1743.  A local history notes it as being built for a surgeon. He must have been doing very well indeed.


Until next time..................

Ancient Structure, Farningham in Kent


Today we stop in the ancient village of Farningham in Kent.

Because the village is near where I grew up, I was surprised I hadn't noticed this particular structure crossing the River Darenth before.

What is it?

Did you guess a bridge? No. I took the picture from the bridge.

Guess again.


Yes this is indeed taken from the other side. As you can clearly see from this angle there is no place to cross. Could it be one remaining wall of a medieval bridge?

There is nothing to suggest it once tied in to another structure at all. It puzzled the experts for years.

Do you give up?

All right, humor me, it's Thursday and my edits are just about done.

 What if I said it has something to do with cows?

I expect you have either googled it, or figured it out by now.

The function of this structure is to serve as a cattle screen. That is to stop cows from the adjoining field who use the river to drink or who crossed at the ford here, from wandering downstream and ending up where they were not supposed to be when the climbed out again. They might have ended up wandering around Farningham village, or wandering along the road where the traffic would have been busy.

This extraordinarily ornate structure for such a mundane purpose was built between 1740 and 1770 when the Hanger family owned Farningham Manor. It was a testament to the wealth of the family at this time.

In the 1800's the Darent River was known as one of the finest trout streams in England and Charles Dicken's is known to have fished it. It is very shallow at this point, and likely because it could be forded here, it was the reason for the village being established at this point. The water is also lovely and clear and fishing does not seem at all out of the realm of possibility. A lovely location for setting a scene in a story.

Until next time................



It Happened One Christmas

It is always exciting when a new book comes out. This one~~ three heartwarming series of Regency Christmas novellas from three Harlequin Historical authors~~ is out in print now.
E-books are available for preorder and will be available November 1st. If you didn't check it out already, visit my facebook page for details of the preorder contest.

Four Stars ~ Romantic Times "these three wonderful Regency authors showcase the joy of yuletide that shine with the magic of the season."


 CHRISTMAS EVE PROPOSAL by Carla Kelly 

Christmas gets more interesting when sailing master Ben Muir takes lodgings with Mandy Mathison! Because when her scandalous past is revealed, only he can save her future… 

THE VISCOUNT'S CHRISTMAS KISS by Georgie Lee 

Lily Rutherford is shocked to learn the man who snubbed her years before will be staying for Christmas. Can she forgive the viscount in time for a stolen kiss under the mistletoe? 

WALLFLOWER, WIDOW…WIFE! by Ann Lethbridge 

Penniless widow Cassandra Norton faces Christmas on the run with her two stepdaughters, until Adam Royston sweeps her off her feet and into his country estate!

Find it at Barnes and Noble
Pick it up at Amazon.com
Or go to your favorite bookstore
For preorders of the ebook, also visit
Ibooks
Kobo
and
Harlequin - where you can sign up for points towards other purchases.

Or, for more purchase links, go to my website annlethbridge.com

Until next time, when we will be taking another peek at Hever Castle.

Regency Fashion October 1815

A Walking Dress for Autumn

This charming outfit appeared in Ackermann's Repository.
I love the way she is looking over her shoulder at us and the romantic rocky setting. Interestingly, it reminds me of the grotto at Stourhead, a place I visited in 2010. And here she is, caught in the middle of reading a romance perhaps.

This is definitely a scene I need to write one of these days! 

Here is the description provided by our favourite magazine.

A round robe of fine cambric or jaconot muslin, ornamented with a double flounce of French needle-work at the feet, under an open pelisse, composed of French grey sarsnet, lined with the salmon colour; the upper part of the sleeve lashed with satin of corresponding colour, fulled and let in. 

 A full ruff of needle-work and a small French handkerchief round the neck. 

 French hat of the satin straw, with a quilling of net round the rim; three rows of grey satin ribbon, plain or quilled, round the crown; and a full plume of white feathers, edged to correspond. 

 Slippers, blue or red morocco. Gloves, York tan.





Coming soon-


It happened one Christmas. If you have missed the preorder contest which ends soon, check out my Facebook page or go to my website for details.


Until next time……...

Regency Fashion ~ October 1815

Morning Dress October 1815
From Ackermann's Repository

1815 seems to be the year of the ruffle, as I look back over several of this year's fashion blogs.

This one looks more like a nightgown to me and the use of the word negligee in the description makes me realize why. Of course morning dresses were designed for wearing around the house while looking pretty. I always love it when they add furniture to the picture.

Here is the official description

A CAMBRIC muslin petticoat, ornamented at the feet with a double flounce of French work, appliqued with a narrow heading of the same; 

 the body, from the shoulder to the neck, gathered full into narrow trimming, corresponding with the heading of the flounce; a military collar, frilled with the French work; 

 short French negligée, open in the front, and trimmed entirely round to correspond; long loose sleeve, gathered into a narrow trimming at the wrist, with a ruffle of the same French work. A round cap, composed of white satin and quilled lace; a white satin rose in the front. 

 Stockings, ribbed silk. 

 Slippers, red morocco or black kid.

Until next time………..

Regency Britain - Hever Castle

This castle is likely one of the most famous in Britain, having been home to two of Britain's Queens.  Ann Boleyn and Ann of Cleves.

It was built as a defensive castle in the 13th Century,
by William de Hever, Sheriff under Edward I.  Even though after going into disrepair for several decades, the defensive nature of it is easily seen.

One can imagine it firing the imagination of little Regency girls and boys playing knights and maidens in distress, or maiden going out to battle the invading armies.

And yes, that is a moat all around the outside. One passes over a bridge to get into the house.

It was in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that Hever Castle was owned by the Bullens, relatives of Ann Boleyn. By this time, the defensive nature was a thing of the past. It was a Tudor home.


These  photo's clearly illustrate that, but although it was Tudor in style during the Regency it was owned by Jane Waldo, the daughter of a knight of the realm, Sir Timothy Waldo, so it could easily be a back drop for a Regency story.

Next time, we go inside the house. Untill then.....


Regency Fashion September 1815

As we move into Fall, this September dress makes a bit impression for sheer femininity. 

A Carriage Dress from Ackermans for September 1815. I love that she has a lorgnette in one hand and a lacy handkerchief in the other.  I can remember carrying real handkerchiefs about my person as a child.  I still have a gift box of embroidered ones given to me by my grandmother somewhere. Paper tissues just don't quite feel the same do they?  Although I do like the little packets with pretty designs on the wrapping that you keep in your purse.  I digress.

Ackermann's describes this dress as follows.

Carriage Dress September 1815

Cambric muslin, jaconet, or French cambric dress, of short walking length, ornamented round the skirt with four borders of embroidery laid on; long sleeve, the fullness at the wrist confined in a bracelet of corresponding embroidery let in. 

 Plain handkerchief, front trimmed en suite. The back of the dress broad and plain, sloped low between the shoulders; the fullness of the petticoat extended round the waist; the sleeve worn considerably off the shoulder, and the waist very short. 

 The Anglesea chip hat, decorated with a full cluster of ostrich feathers, drooping forward. Sandals, kid, of the Pomona green colour. Gloves, Limerick or York tan.

I think this is a very flattering style of hat and one can imagine a lady able to stride out in a dress of this shape. I think this is an outfit I would use in a story.

Until next time

No Conventional Miss



Today we welcome debut author writing for Harlequin Historicals, Eleanor Webster, whose new book No Conventional Miss is out in October 2015.
She's always been different… Amaryllis Gibson is an unlikely debutante. She favors fact over fashion, cares not for "proper" conversation and is haunted by ghostly visions which could land  her in the madhouse! Marriage is definitely the last thing on Rilla's mind… But when she's caught in a compromising position with Viscount Wyburn, suddenly she finds herself betrothed! And worse, his powerful presence only increases her visions. By shedding light on the viscount's past, can Rilla gain his trust and win him round to her more…unconventional traits?

Welcome Eleanor, please tell us something about your journey to authorship and the research you undertook for this book.

I have always loved the Regency Period. Perhaps this developed from a youthful over- indulgence in Georgette Heyer but I think it is more than that. Regency society is one poised for change. The inventions of the Industrial Revolution are emerging, bringing with them the anticipation of societal transformation. Years ago, a friend got a summer job in Austria – we lived in Canada - by connecting his computer through the telephone lines. I was fascinated. It was a glimpse into the future and, although I could not anticipate its impact, I felt an emotional charge, an innate gut-level understanding that I was witnessing a game changer.

I wonder if people observing Richard Trevithick's first steam-driven railway journey in 1804 felt a similar charge. Or those brave passengers who boarded his ‘Catch-me-who-can’ locomotive  in London. Granted, many would have scoffed. Trevithick’s locomotives  had a habit of breaking the rails and falling over but I still think there would have been an atmosphere – a feeling – at least, for those with imagination and the spirit of innovation

My heroine, Amaryllis (Rilla) Gibson in the October Harlequin Historical release, No Conventional Miss, has exactly this spirit. Rilla is keenly interested in force, momentum and any number of ‘unladylike’ activities. She is working on an automated butter churn and has an eager enthusiasm for all things scientific.

As I began my research, I wondered whether any ‘real-life’ Regency woman might be similar to Rilla or were such accomplishments destined to remain in the fictional realm. Then I found Sarah Guppy (1770-1852). Sarah was born in Birmingham and patented numerous designs. Indeed, she achieved considerable financial success, earning a contract from the British Navy worth £40,000 for a device to prevent the growth of barnacles on ships. And then there is my personal favorite; her invention of a tea or coffee urn which also cooked eggs and warmed toast.

Needless to say, the number of female Regency inventors is limited – at least those publicly acknowledged. Indeed, women were not even permitted to become fellows of Britain foremost scientific institution, the  Royal Society of London, until 1945.

However, current historians are starting to rediscover people like Sarah and recognize female scientific accomplishments during the 18th and 19th century. Richard Holmes in the The Age of Wonder argues that women contributed to a far greater extent than is commonly acknowledged. Moreover, he states that they saw science in the context of a wider world, raising questions about its duties and moral responsibilities.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/nov/21/royal-society-lost-women-scientists

As for me, the Regency Period will always fascinate and I will continue to write about those women, both real and imagined, who had a zest for living, an imagination and the spirit of innovation.
Richard Holmes's The Age of Wonder won the Royal Society's Science Books Prize for 2009; its sequel, The Lost Women of Victorian Science, will be published by HarperCollins and Pantheon USA


Eleanor loves high-heels and sun, which is ironic as she lives in northern Canada, the land of snowhills and unflattering footwear. Various crafting experiences, including a nasty glue-gun episode,  have proven that her creative soul is best expressed through the written word. Eleanor is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in psychology and holds an undergraduate degree in history and creative writing. She loves to use her writing to explore her fascination with the past.

Regency Fashion September 1815

As we move into the cooler weather for autumn we see it reflected in this Dinner Dress from Ackermann's for September 1815
The magazine describes this gown as follows

A WHITE satin slip, worn under a dress made in primrose-coloured French gauze, terminating at the feet with a full flounce of blond lace, headed with a double border of the same, gathered in full, and confined with folds of satin, of corresponding colour to the dress; 

 handkerchief-front trimmed with white satin, and a falling collar of blond lace; long sleeve of white satin, the fullness upon the shoulder confined under an epaulet of the French gauze, trimmed with white satin;

 the sleeve drawn alternatingly across the arm with the evening primrose-coloured satin ribbon. Long sash of white satin, tied in front. 

 The ends of the hind hair brought forward, to fall in ringlets over the temple, confined with a plain white satin ribbon, and ornamented with a tiara of pearl. 

Necklace to correspond. Gloves, French kid. Slippers, white satin.


Well, to me, primrose is a yellow colour and the artist made this blue. I almost want to get my colouring pencils out and fix it.  Perhaps yellow did not work well in print to show the difference between the blond lace etc. and the French gauze. Not that I don't really like the blue, it just doesn't say primrose to me.

Enjoy…

Until next time, when we will be meeting Eleanor Webster and her debut book, No Conventional Miss…….

For more information about Ann Lethbridge and her books, visit annlethbridge.com