Jump to navigation
The garden maze has made numerous appearances in a plethora of Regency novels. Often it is the setting for a clandestine romantic tryst or sometimes it is the secret meeting place for the villain and his or her henchman. But regardless of its use, the Regency garden maze was the end of a long tradition of mazes and labyrinths dating back to that very first one, at the Palace of Knossos, designed by Daedalus, in which Theseus vanquished the Minotaur.
A brief tracing of the path of the labyrinth and the maze from Crete to the English Regency pleasure garden ...
[Read More!]
Posted on 01/29/10 at 07:29:00 by Kathryn Kane
Category: Entertainments
-
For anyone who might be interested, the ball of thread which Ariadne gave Theseus is the origin of the word "clue" in the English language. "Clew" in both England and Scotland meant a ball of yarn or thread during the Middle Ages. The word still has the same meaning in parts of Scotland to this day. Over time, the spelling of the word changed to "clue" when it was used with the meaning of a hint or key to the solution of a problem.
- [Link to this item]
Which is not to say that the celestial body we know today as Uranus had not been discovered by 1811. In point of fact it had, thirty years before the Prince of Wales became Regent, by a German-born composer working as the director of the orchestra of Bath, England. But this new planet was not called Uranus in Regency England, though that name, among others, was used on the Continent.
The seventh planet, its name(s) and its discoverer ...
[Read More!]
Really! Hardly anyone in the Regency cared about minutes. Nor had anyone, anywhere, cared about these small measurements of time, throughout all of time, until just a few short years after the death of George IV, the erstwhile Prince Regent. Since then, nearly everyone pays attention to the minutes.
A brief summary of the measurement of time, what that meant for denizens of the Regency, and when and why the minute became important.
[Read More!]
Posted on 01/15/10 at 07:15:00 by Kathryn Kane
Category: Oddments
-
You are right. They would say "half past two" or they might just say "half two."
Most people did not express time using both the hour and the minutes as we do today until after the advent of the railroads. Those same railroads also brought us the time zone, another feature of time with which the Regency did not have to deal. During that decade, everyone lived by their own local time, reckoned by the sun, just as they had for centuries.
I love reading about time.
From reading your post, I assume they spoke of time as "half past two" rather then "two thirty" as we do now.
- [Link to this item]
The pocket-knife which we know today has its roots in the pen knife, or scribal knife, of the Middle Ages. But not only did those early knives not fold, few of them would safely or conveniently fit in a pocket, even in their protective leather sheaths. For centuries, people of lesser means might only have one knife, which they used for everything, including mending the nibs of their quill pens, while the wealthy, or professional scribes, would have specially-made pen or quill knives to be used for only that purpose.
By the Regency, most people owned a pen knife, and many of those knives did fold. They could therefore be safely carried in pockets or reticules. But there were also other knives which looked very like pen knives, but served different purposes. A bit about pen and other specialty folding knives of the Regency ...
[Read More!]
There is no doubt that Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was in command of the allied army during that gruelingly hellish day. But at that time, he had yet to be dubbed the "Iron Duke." In fact, that epithet was given to him many years later, long after the Regency was over.
There are a number different stories about how the Iron Duke acquired his sobriquet. In addition, there were other noble military men who had been called Iron Duke, long before Wellington was born.
[Read More!]
Posted on 01/01/10 at 07:01:00 by Kathryn Kane
Category: On-Dits
-
Wellington's officers, however, more frequently referred to him as "The Beau," because he was, as they would say during the Regency, very "nice" in his dress. He was also fond of the ladies, which some believe accounted for this nickname. However, during the Regency, the appellation “Beau” was more commonly used for those who dressed well than for those who flirted well.
Wellington may have taken a lesson from Admiral Lord Nelson, because he seldom wore a uniform, and never in battle. He made no easy target of himself for any enemy sniper. He typically wore a dark blue coat and grey or buff riding breeches, except when it was necessary that he wear his dress uniform. And that was usually only on state occasions.
You are right about "Old Nosey." That nickname was used for Wellington by many of his troops, some times in admiration, but just as often in exasperation, since he was a stickler for order.
After Wellington was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Wellesley, his officers sometimes referred to him as "The Peer."
Very interesting given my interest in the Sharpe series. I'll have to re-read them at some point to see if he uses that term for the Duke. I know Cornwell did use Old Nosey every so often in the books though. So that at least seems correct.
- [Link to this item]
|
