During my research into Regency snuff practices and accoutrements, I discovered that there are a number of specifically Scottish aspects to snuffing. As there are many people who are fascinated by all things Scottish, I thought it would be of interest to all of them, and perhaps others, to corral all of the information surrounding the appurtenances of Scottish snuffing into one article.

The Scottish perspective of snuffing ...

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Of course, clothing and household linens were commonly patched during the years of the Regency, just as they have been for centuries and still are today, in many parts of the world. But quilts were not, despite their continued inclusion by Regency authors in their novels. This is to say, patchwork quilts such as those we know today, were extremely rare in early nineteenth century England. And yet nearly every bed in a respectable Regency home was covered with a quilt.

No, I am not being contrary. This is not as confusing as it seems, once one understands exactly what a quilt really is and how it was used during the Regency.

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What could I possibly write about mealtimes that we all do not already know? We all know which meals take place and at which times, or do we? For most of us, our meals and their times have been a fixed feature of our day for all our lives. And yet, modern mealtimes are part of a long shift in the times at which people ate their meals, and the names of those meals, over the course of many centuries.

Did you know that early in the reign of Henry VIII, dinner in England was taken at about 11 o'clock in the morning and it was the first meal of only two in the day? Did you know that the meal we know as luncheon was not commonly taken until well into the reign of Victoria, but there were some ladies who "did lunch" during the decade of the Regency?

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How many times have you been reading a novel set in the Regency and come upon characters who ride in or discuss riding in a dog-cart? I have run across a great many over the years, and the descriptions of these vehicles varied widely. So much so I could never get a clear mental picture of a dog-cart. I decided to do some research to learn more about the appearance, use and construction of dog-carts during the Regency. The more I read about them, the more I realized they were often used rather like the SUV of today.

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