Miser’s purses are known by many names: Misers, miser bags, ring or string purses, stocking purses, and finger purses to name a few. They originated in the late eighteenth century and were popular into the early 1900’s. These purses were used by both men and women and usually were long, almost...
The notorious love affair between military hero Horatio Nelson and already married Lady Emma Hamilton was the scandal of the 18th century. They met for the first time in September of 1793. Horatio Nelson was a 35-year-old captain and Lady Hamilton was the 28-year-old wife of Sir William Hamilton, the 62-year-old British...
Isabella Mary Mayson is best known by her married name: Mrs. Beeton. She was born in Cheapside, London on March 12, 1836. Her father, Benjamin Mayson, died when she was four, leaving her mother Elizabeth pregnant and with four young children. Three years later Elizabeth married Henry Dorling, a widower with four children of his...
Negus is the name of a drink made of wine, most commonly port, mixed with hot water, spiced and sugared. This mulled wine, created by Colonel Francis Negus (d.1732), was served at the balls in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and The Watsons, and noted in other classic literature such as Jane...
Continuing on with a study in Floriography — the cryptological communication through flower use or arrangement. For the first post covering A and B flowers, as well as a short history on the “language of flowers”, click HERE. There’s fennel for you, and columbines: there’s ruefor you; and here’s some...
Today’s humorous tidbit comes from “The Five Strange Wonders of the World” printed and sold in Bow-Church-Yard, London, between 1750 and 1785. Courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library. Five Things a Man don’t like in a Wife A Woman who will cuckold her Husband She who carries false Tales...
Continuing my quest for strange words and phrases to uncover the etymology or origin stories. Gotta love language! Well, at least I do! For a list of all my archived posts covering the topic: VOCABULARY Enjoy! Gargoyle Gargoyle is a stone figure that forms part of the gutter system of medieval...
Here we thought drawing a mustache on an unsuspecting friend was a college frat party stunt or camp prank alongside short-sheeting and toilet-papering. My favorite example of face drawing is from Friends. Imagine my surprise to stumble across the image below on The History of Love. Apparently waiting until someone falls...
Way back to the 17th century the Master Sweepers of London would employ boys small enough to climb and scramble up chimney flues. The task for these climbing boys was to brush clean the inside of the flue with small hand-held brushes. They also used metal scrapers to remove the...
Men during the Regency wore thick coats over their suits, as folks always have for warmth, and then as now there were a wide variety of styles. My personal favorite is the caped greatcoat. Also called a coachman’s coat, carrick or garrick coat, and box coat, it is the ancestor of...
For those who have read my novel The Passions of Dr. Darcy, you likely recall an encounter Dr. George Darcy and his mentor Dr. Kshitij Ullas had with Tipu Sultan, the infamous ruler of the Indian Kingdom of Mysore. My two characters are the product of imagination. Tipu Sultan, however,...
Floriography — the cryptological communication through flower use or arrangement — has been practiced for thousands of years in numerous cultures. In Europe, especially England, the craze truly bloomed (pun intended) in the Victorian Era, but was seeded and sprouted some one hundred years earlier. Lady Mary Wortley Montegu, wife...
Unlike dip or chew, those moist tobacco products that are ingested orally, or the dried leaves which are smoked, snuff is made from tobacco leaves that have been dried (sometimes via baking in an oven) and then ground into a fine powder. It is insufflated or “snuffed” into the nasal cavity,...
In the aftermath of the French Revolution, European fashion followed the example established by breaking away from the thick brocade, heavy lace, immense powdered wigs, and stiff structures which were a hallmark of aristocratic garments. Flipping 180 degrees, fashionable dress embraced a “natural” style with ease and comfort the defining factor. The...
A collection of common terms and titles for law enforcement officials in England up to and encompassing the Regency Era, with a bit of history thrown in. Enjoy! Sheriff comes from the Old English scirgerefa, or shire-reeve, meaning: “representative of royal authority in a shire.” In medieval times a reeve (from the...
