Continuing on with the series on Regency Era servants and staff — blogs can be found listed in the Pemberley Library or by a site search — it is time to move into the kitchen areas of a Regency house and meet the servants dwelling within. To fully understand the duties...
The concept of an all-purpose, at your fingertips device or container, is instantly comprehensible to our modern mindset. Whether a purse or handbag, the not-so-popular as it once was fanny-pack, a briefcase, backpacks, or simply deep pockets in one’s garments, the desire for a secure place on one’s person to...
In July of 2011, I shared a link to an article in the Sheffield Telegraph titled: Christine’s Glimpse into Running a Stately Home. My Scottish pal May had sent me the link to the online article, and I did share it here on my blog way back then. This week’s...
Here is the 4th installment in my Regency Servants series. So many servants… so many essays to write! I suspect another three posts on the folks who kept a country estate operating, with an additional two or three on related topics. I sure am having fun with this subject, and...
The best place to begin this informative essay is answering the baseline question: What is a ceramic? Ceramics are classified as inorganic and non-metallic solids which permanently change when heated. The resulting products have a range of useful properties, including extraordinary hardness and strength, extremely high melting points, and good...
Placing a covering of some sort over a floor or other indoor walking surface probably originated with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The desire for a barrier for additional warmth from the cold ground and comfort for the feet is instinctual, our earliest ancestors most likely using strewn plant materials and...
David Matthew Macfadyen is forty-three years old today! To this devoted fan, he still looks amazing and totally swoon worthy. He continues to act in memorable roles, both on the silver screen and television. His most recent role is as Henry Wilcox in the Starz/BBC 4-part miniseries production of Howard’s End by...
I’m back again with the third installment in my series on country estate servants during the Regency/Georgian eras. So far I’ve written an introductory post and covered the Land Steward, Valet, and Lady’s Maid. Links to those two posts are in the Pemberley Library or via a search. If you...
To Americans this is the plumbing fixture itself. To the British it is both the actual flushing device and the room it sits in. In a moment I will give more details regarding the history of flushing toilets. Etymology-wise, it comes from the French toile> the cloth that was draped over...
In my blog post on Tuesday, I established that our ancestors were not as filthy and smelly as often claimed. Long before the Regency, bathing (even showering) was a way of life. If you missed that post, be sure to read it too! Today I shall dig deeper into bathing...
Yesterday’s blog post in my Regency Servants series focused on the valet and lady’s maid. Amongst the numerous duties they performed, cleanliness of the gentleman and lady whom they served topped the list. With this in mind, I will be posting this week on various hygiene-related topics. To begin, let’s...
Continuing my series on servants during the Regency/Georgian eras, here is essay #2. If you missed the first blog, read it now since it gives an introduction that helps explain all the servants and the hierarchy. Servants at a Country Estate: An Overview & the Steward Today I will continue...
One of my greatest joys in writing The Darcy Saga novels is uncovering tidbits of history. As much as possible, I try to weave the facts into the story in a fun and informative way. For some readers, this is too much like a history lesson! I wish I could...
Several years ago I wrote a series on servants, both inside and outside, at a grand country estate. Recently on Austen Authors I dusted the series off, did a ton of fresh research, and rewrote everything for a ten-part blog series. I’ve decided to cross-post here on my blog, and...
It is always fun to announce winners for a giveaway! On Monday, I posted a “Test Your Darcy Saga Recall” quiz to launch my week of spotlighting the entire Darcy Saga Sequel Series. Every day I posted a blog (two on Tuesday) with a topic related to my novels and...
